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Expert
Recommendations
FtF Volunteer John P. Hayden (Organic Farmer and Consultant), has made the following recommendations for the benefit of hill farmers of Kumaon, India: Pesticide and Fertilizer use: Seek help in identifying the correct input to use for the type of pest identified. Simple extension bulletins for "pests found" and the materials available must be developed. Applying insecticides only when needed: Scout for an insect infestation before applying insecticide. As an example, farmers using Furadan granules as a preventative for white grub damage in potatoes should check the fields before planting and then only apply insecticide if the white grub is present (use a threshold of 3 grubs found/square meter). Alternative insecticides for diamond-back moth control: Since the diamond-back moth is a serious problem in cabbage, and adequate control is not always achieved, it is likely that the local population may be resistant to Metasystox and Deltamethrin (the two most widely used insecticides in the hill area). Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and/or a neem oil based product should be tried. These biological insecticides would have a different mode of action on the pest and no resistance would be expected. Bt has the added benefit of being selective to caterpillars and will not harm the natural enemy complex. Both insecticides are safe to be handled by human and will not harm the environment. Application rates: Seek help in mixing pesticides in the proper proportion. Measuring utensils could be made available to the farmer groups by the government or concerned agencies. Pesticide safety: Farmers must be better educated about the need for safety precautions, especially when using toxic insecticides such as Furadan and Temik. At the least, rubber gloves should be made available to farmer groups. Contour planting to reduce erosion: On most farms, the rows are oriented up and down on the slope of the terraces. This usually causes increased water velocity during runoff and consequently, increased soil erosion. When the farmers were asked why they planted in that manner, their reply was "for good drainage". Good drainage can still be obtained by planting rows oriented with the contour of the terrace. Drainage outlets or small gaps can be placed every 5 m within the row. These gaps will allow the water to drain, and as long as these don’t line up, they will slow down water runoff and prevent soil erosion. Perennial grass plantings on the leading edges of the terraces: In some villages fodder grass is planted on the edges of terraces. These are generally waste areas and may have weeds or be bare. Grass provides catchment for soil particles running off the slope and thus reduces water velocity. This practice makes good use of previously unused area and saves women time and energy normally spent harvesting grasses in the jungle. Wider row spacing in Potatoes: A wide scale practice is to plant potatoes in 9 in rows with 6 in between plants. This is very close planting for potatoes and there is much plant-to-plant competition. The incidence of Fungal disease will be higher in this case owing to lack of air circulation. Research/Demonstration plots should be put in to determine optimum spacing for maximum economic return (taking into account seed costs, yield, disease control and marketability of larger tubers). I would suggest a row spacing of 2-3 ft with plant to plant distance of 10-12inches. Trellising of tomatoes: A string can be woven in and out (in the form of figure of eight) of tomato plants between two support posts spaced 3 - 5 m apart. This is done for every foot of plant growth. Doing this will save time and labour and use of separate wooden stakes for each tomato plant. Black plastic culture: Black plastic sheeting is readily available to farmers. By transplanting tomatoes and peppers directly into plastic sheets farmers will see improved yields due to improved weed control, soil moisture conservation, and heat build up in the soil (solenaceous plants respond well to heat). More rapidly maturing plants will allow them to harvest earlier and receive premium prices. Black plastic can also help prevent disease organisms from splashing onto the leaves from the soil during rain or watering. The black plastic can be reused for several years. Perennial weed control through solarization: Black plastic can also be used to control weeds by placing it on the ground several weeks before planting. Accumulated heat and lack of light can kill difficult perennial weeds. This method should be researched (fine tuned for area) and demonstrated. Variety trials: Improved varieties for yield, quality and pest resistance should be researched and demonstrated. Improved composting techniques: Farmers use pine needles and leaf litter collected from the forest as bedding for their animals. In most instances, these are piled onto terraces in a partially composted state. Farmers should be shown improved techniques to get better aerobic microbial breakdown and higher quality product. Turning, watering and achieving a carbon to nitrogen ratio of about 25:1 (in general they use excessively carbonaceous material such as pine needles and oak leaves, and not enough manure) will improve compost quality. If manure is a limiting factor, trials could be conducted on the effect of adding nitrogenous fertilizers such as urea. The author is an organic farmer and a consultant based in Vermont, USA |
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