Agroecology/Forest Farming News From Graham Knight

Agroecology/Forest farms  -  Biogas Digester

Agroecology seems now to cover the various practices that integrate farming with nature.
It makes food trees the central concern in farms and gardens instead of just crops and/or animals!

This approach has become widespread in recent years but is being resisted by the larger farming interests!

"Agroecological practices have already been adopted by many small hold farms around the world. These practices include the use of home-made organic fertilisers, plant based insecticides, mixed cultivation and intercropping. In Havana, the capital of Cuba, small and medium scale urban farms employing agroecological methods produce around 90% of the fresh produce consumed within the city.

Productivity data compiled on these small hold urban farms found their efficiency ratio to be 15-30, while industrial farms in the UK and USA average 1.5, meaning in some instances these small farms are 20 times more efficient than industrial farms"

From; http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/mainstreaming-agroecology-is-this-the-future-of-farming/

If you want to know more and join an agroecology group, let me know!



Keith Keith@discover-src.net has suggested that many contacts might be interested in this document;
http://discover-src.net/en/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/2017-06-Newsletter-Africa-Coping-with-drought-2.-resistant-crops-and-cropping.pdf

It is a very good summary of various techniques needed to keep crops growing well.
If you have a problem downloading it contact me.


I have been sent this useful info from Nigeria by Akpobome Agadaigho;

> SUSTAINABILITY FOR RURAL DWELLERS.
>                To end hunger, achieve food security  and improved nutrition  and promote sustainable agriculture, should be the goal of every farmer.
> For human to sustain food production, the environment must be sustained  as well.      Sustaining the environment means:
> 1) retaining the fertility and quality  of the soil        2) ensuring that the atmosphere is preserved from pollution, especially prevention of carbon content increase  and its consequence of climate change.
> Climate change is a greater disaster to food production than soil fertility.
> Imagine  the sudden  flood that can invade a large mass of bios (plants and animals) within a very short time or an unexpected drought that can destroy plants suddenly.
> 
> The best method of subsistence agriculture is mix farming because it helps to retain soil fertility and without application of inorganic fertilizer and also helps to prevent climate change.
> On the other hand, mono cropping, though practised by most industrial/ commercial farmers, its a threat to soil and atmospheric sustainability.
> 
> MIXED FARMING                                                      Mixed farming is an agricultural system in which a farmer conducts different agricultural practice together, such as cash crops and livestock.         Aim  to increase income through different sources and to complement labour demands across the year.                                                 
> Mixed farming is very economical and its best for sustainable agriculture, because one crop helps to improve the growth of the other by adding  nutrients to the soil.  Examples are legumes that adds nitrogen to the soil for cereals.
> Secondly, live stocks also feed on plants residues.
>              Mixed farms that contain food forest (trees that produce food) such as palm trees, cocoa, coconut etc will do better in reducing  the carbon content  of the atmosphere thereby preventing green house effect  and its consequence of climate change.
> 
> ADVANTAGES OF MIXED FARMING
> 1) Mixed farming systems maintain soil fertility by recycling soil nutrients  and by use of crop rotations.
> 2) It maintains soil biodiversity, minimises soil erosion and helps to conserve water.
> 3) Mixed farming makes best use of farm residues, either as livestock feeds or as organic manure.
>                                                                Conclusion: In conclusion, I advise rural dwellers to engage  in mixed farming, especially the mixed farming system that contains  trees that produce food and livestock so as to generate income, sustain the soil and the atmosphere.
> 
> From Akpobome Agadaigho    Phone:+2348061217026.
> Email: unity4goodliving@yahoo.com

Simple Biogas Digester

People in several countries are helping to develop a simple cheao biogas digester.
Contact me if this might be of interest!

Graham K
BioDesign