presentation afc
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
1/17
Organic Principles
There are several principles that characterize certified organic
farming.
These principles include:
Biodiversity
Integration
Sustainability
Natural Plant Nutrient
Natural Pest Management
Integrity
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
2/17
Organic Principles
Biodiversity:
Diverse ecosystems have a higher degree of stability.
Farms with a diverse mix of crops have a better
chance of supporting beneficial organisms:
Pollinators
Pest management
Microbes for better nutrients cycling, diseasesuppression and N-fixation
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
3/17
Organic Principles
Biodiversity
Practices to mimic biodiversity include:
Intercropping
Companion planting
Crop rotation
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
4/17
Organic Principles
Integration
Good organic practices integrate their variousenterprises.
Example:
Forage legumes + Non-legume crops in rotation.
Manure from livestock enterprises is conserved as anutrient resource and recycled back.
Additional advantage of integration is economicsustainability.
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
5/17
Organic Principles
Sustainability
Organic farmers are able to reap market premiumsfor certified production.
Organic farms perform well on many measurableindicators associated with sustainability:
Energy
Environmental protection
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
6/17
Organic Principles
Natural Plant Nutrition
Chemical fertilizers alter the soil pH (increase acid).
There is often over-application of the fertilizer withconventional systems.
Soluble inorganic nutrients are prone to leaching.
Chemical fertilizers are associated with nutrientimbalances.
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
7/17
Organic Principles
Integrity
Refers to a system in place and actions undertaken to assurethat consumers of organic produce get what they have paid for.
Organic products must be protected from contamination andmixing with non-organic products.
Proper record keeping is very important.
Production practices such as use of buffer strips to reducechemical drifts from neighboring fields and roadsides areadopted.
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
8/17
Organic Principles
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
9/17
Organic Principles
Composting
Composting is one of the easiest and cheapest ways of recyclingand it is something that all of us can do in our own back garden.
Why Compost?
Helps your local Environment.
Reduces the amount of garden and kitchen waste going to Landfill.
Saves you money.
Helps your garden grow naturally.
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
10/17
Organic Principles
Composting
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
11/17
Organic Principles
How to Compost...
Locate your composter on bare soil. Somewhere in your garden that is easilyaccessible all year round.
Mix your green and brown materials evenly when composting.
When composting you should put a lot of materials in all at once.
Chop large items into smaller pieces to help with the process.
Ensure that your compost is moist but not wet:
when squeezed in your hand, a few drops of water should be produced.
Add water if it is too dry
cover and add dry material if too wet.
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
12/17
Organic Principles
How to Compost...
If you wish, add compost accelerator (young nettles are anexcellent natural accelerator) to help speed up thecomposting process.
Keep adding materials, remembering to agitate thecontents every couple of weeks throughout spring andsummer to keep air flowing through.
Your compost is ready when it is dark in color and smellslike earth. This can take from 6 to 18 months depending onthe materials used and the time of the year.
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
13/17
Organic Principles
What should you compost?
Grass Cuttings
Hedge Cuttings
Vegetable Peelings
Tea Bags
Egg shells
Coffee Grounds
Ripped Cardboard & Paper
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
14/17
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
15/17
Experimental Results of using compost
Collards Le af Area V s Poultry Litte r Applicatio
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
Control 4 ton / acre 6 ton / acre 8 ton / acre
Poultry L itte r Application R
L e a f A r e a ( m
2 )
Githinji L., 2009
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
16/17
Experimental Results of using compost and Cover Crops
Sweetpotato foliage dry matter in 2009
S w e e
t p o t a t o
f o l i a g e
d r y m a t
t e r
( M g
h a
- 1 )
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
Control (nocover crop)
Cover crop only(no BL)
Cover crop
+0.5 Mg BL ha -1Cover crop
+1 Mg BL ha -1Cover crop
+2 Mg BL ha -1
Treatments
Cover crop
+3 Mg BL ha -1
Kpomblekou-A and Hamido., 2009
-
8/14/2019 Presentation AFC
17/17
Experimental Results of using Compost and Cover Crops
Sweetpotato storage root yield in 2008 and 2009
S w e e
t p o t a t o s t o r a g e r o o t y i e l
d ( M g
h a - 1 )
0
2
4
6
8
Control (no
cover crop)
Cover crop only
(no BL)Cover crop
+0.5 Mg BL ha -1Cover crop
+1 Mg BL ha -1Cover crop
+2 Mg BL ha -1
Treatments
Cover crop
+3 Mg BL ha -1
Kpomblekou-A and Hamido., 2009