Poor, unhealthy soil is the major reason farms have low yields. Irrigation of poor soil still has low yields. The following is the solution. Organic No-Till is not a fixed set of rules but a method that gardeners/farmers adapt – rather than adopt – to their local conditions. No one plows the jungle and it produces; no one plows the forest and it produces. Organic, no-till farming, in permanent beds, with permanent paths, using only a machete/corn knife/weed knife, doubles or triples yields compared to traditional ways, 12 months production in most places, reduces labor 50% to 75%, reduces inputs/expenses to nearly 0 [buy only seed for new crops, green manure/cover crops], increases fertility, stops soil erosion [no rain water runoff], eliminates most weed, disease and insect problems and greatly increases profits if marketing. Use DIY drip or DIY bucket drip irrigation [made by farmer] to produce during the dry season and in areas of low rainfall. With no-till, organic matter [green manure/cover crops] generates the following results: The mulch gradually rots into the soil providing a constant supply of nutrients while eliminating composting. Moisture retention due to the mulch layer means reduced need for watering; saving both resources and labor. Mulch prevents weeds from growing, reducing another laborious chore. Because of greater nutrients, plants can be positioned twice as densely as normally recommended. The combination of denser spacing and healthy soil means a fourfold increase in yield. Josef Graf These practices stopped the migration of farm families to the cities. [Honduras]. The majority of the food in develop-ing countries is produced by women. They need help. There is unlimited, documented proof. There are 105,000,000 no-till hectares worldwide. Fukaoka Farm, Japan, has been no-till [rice, small grains, vegetables] for 70 years. At the time of my visits, an Indian farmer has been no-till [vegetables] for 5 years, a Malawi farmer has been no-till [vegetables] on permanent beds for 25 years and a Honduras farmer has been no-till [vegetables & fruit] on permanent beds on the contour (73° slope] for 8 years. Ruth Stout [USA] had a no-till garden for 30 years and 7,000 people visited her garden. I have been on farms where the farmer, alone, farms 10 acres [4 hectares], using only a machete [bush knife/corn knife]. No technique yet devised by man has been anywhere near as effective at halting soil erosion and making food production truly sustainable as 0-tillage (Baker) 1. Increase the Maintain healthy soil. Healthy soil produces healthy crops with highest yields 2. soil’s organic matter every year. 3. Little or no external inputs [It is not necessary to buy anything, from anybody except seed.] 4. Leave crop residue on top of soil. No burning and never make biochar. You are burning up fertilizer. Do not plow it into the soil. 5. Plant green manure/cover crops to increase the soil organic matter. No alley cropping; hedgerows. 6. Plant the new crop in the crop residue by opening up a row or a place for the seed. 7. Plant every field every year [no fallow land] 8. 0-tillage: no plowing, no digging, no culti-vating. No hard physical labor required so children and the elderly can farm easily. Farmers farm ten acres alone using hand tools only [Honduras] 9. Tree crops: fruit, nuts, coffee [shade-grown], etc. Use perennial cover crops 10. Permanent paths [walking] 11. Permanent beds. They were used 2000 BC in Guatemala, Mexico and many other countries. 12. Hand tools: machete/corn knife, weed cutter, seeding hoe. Local blacksmith should make them. 13. 12 month production [hoop houses, shade cloth, etc] 14. Soil always covered [cover crop or mulch]. 15. Intercropping/rotation with legumes 16. Open pollinated seeds only 17. Compost: Use the organic matter for mulch. If there is an excess, pile it up and use later. 18. Muscovies for insect control, meat, eggs; goats for meat and milk. 19. Bucket drip irrigation should be used during the dry season and in areas of low rainfall: Bucket drip kits are US$25 in most countries. A bucket drip line can be made locally using poly tubing [US$3, Nicaragua]. One, 33 meters, will irrigate a row of crops using only 20 liters of water per day. A dripline can be moved to irrigate several rows per day. Water can be from a stream, pond or well. A drip kit returns US$20 per month to the farmer [FAO study]. rodaleinstitute.org/20101005_birke-baehr-food-fighter-and-future-farmer I volunteer my time to teach workshops, worldwide, in English or Spanish. All expenses must be paid. Free farming dvd on request. Ken Hargesheimer minifarms@gmail
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 19:20:40 +0000
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