the fields · this volume : 99933-615-4-2 the farmers' handbook is about techniques for...

The Farmers' Handbook

The Fields

This Volume's Authors : Chris Evans, Laxman Rana, Bhuvan Khadka, Ms Hommaya Gurung,Mrs Deumaya RanaEdited, Designed & Produced by: Chris Evans & Jakob JespersenTranslated from Nepali by Chris EvansProof reading: thanks to Mike Feingold, Margaret Evans, Ted Albins, Rupert Greville, AndyLangford, Looby MacnamaraPhotos: Jakob Jespersen, Chris EvansAddional photo credits are given in Volume FiveCover illustration: Mr Motilal PhaujaTyping: Chris EvansComputer Coordination: Layout Ltd., KathmanduPublished by: Chris Evans, Jakob Jespersen......Distributors: .......... (see p.8 for address)Printed by: Format Printing Press, Kathmandu......First Edition (Nepali) printed June 2001, 7500 copiesThis Edition.........Farmers' Handbook, ISBN 99933-615-0-X.......This Volume : 99933-615-4-2

The Farmers' Handbook is about techniques for sustainable farming and this is the fourthof 5 volumes. There are 9 techniques presented here. In five volumes there are 40 techniquesand approaches in total.

This Farmers' Handbook is meant for education and awareness raising as well aspractical gardening uses. It is permitted to photocopy for such purposes, but please rememberthat photocopying can cause pollution to the environment, is expensive & does not give a goodquality.

C O N T E N T SC O N T E N T SC O N T E N T S

Subject Chapter No:

Chapters are separated by a yellow page

Introduction to this Volume .......................... 1

Green Manures ............................................. 2

No-Till Farming ............................................ 3

Top Grafting .................................................. 4

Integrated Fruit Orchard ............................. 5

Fruit Tree Planting ....................................... 6

Agro-Forestry ................................................ 7

Air Layering .................................................. 8

Bamboo Cuttings .......................................... 9

Living Fence ................................................. 10

S.R.I. Rice Growing ...................................... 11

This is the fourth volume of a five volume production ofthe Farmers' Handbook. In all there are forty techniques &approaches shown, of which nine are in this fourth volume. Inthis volume we introduce you to some of the methods used inthe fields. The titles of these are given on the previouscontents page.

This Farmers' Handbook has been prepared to provideinformation about sustainable farming techniques as well asbeing a resource to run literacy programmes. Informationabout such programmes and how the Handbook can be usedis provided in the fifth volume. As well as technicalinformation, a glossary of new and difficult words is alsoprovided in the fifth volume.

The Farmers' Handbook -this Volume's Introduction

Aims

Background

Evaluation & Feedback

The main aim of this handbook is to help farmers maketheir own farms more successful. This is done by providinginformation about using simple methods which strengthen,rather than damage the environment, and help to createsustainable livelihoods for future generations.

Comments and questions about the techniques andapproaches described in this handbook will be most welcome.Suggestions for improvement will be used for future editionsof this handbook and other similar publications.

The techniques described in the handbook are the resultsof research made by the farmers of Surkhet and Jajarkotdistricts of Mid-Western Nepal. We believe these methods willalso work well for farmers of other countries. However,around the world there are diverse climates and soils, and sowe expect that small changes will need to be made in thetechniques according to this diversity. Similarly, it may benecessary to change plant species according to climatic region,but their function will remain the same. For example, thechapter on the Living Fence describes the use of thorny plantsas a barrier. In the low altitude, hot Tarai of southern Nepal,"Babool" (Acacia nilotica) is suitable for this. But this doesnot grow in the higher elevations. Here, species such as wildpear, wild blackberry and Sea Buckthorn make a good livingfence.

Structure of the Handbook

Green Manures 2

No-Till Farming 3 Top Grafting 4

Integrated Fruit Orchard 5

Agro-Forestry 7Air Layering 8

Bamboo Cuttings 9

There are minor changes to this structure as appropriate.

TechniquesTechniques

Inside the handbook each method is descibed in aseparate chapter, or chapter. All methods are descibed in thesame way:-

• "What is?" - the method is defined and described.• "Why?" - the benefits of using this method are then

described.• The main part is then "How to?" make or do the method;• In the "How To" section the centre pages show colour

pictures about the method.• After describing how to create the method, how to

maintain, care for, manage and/or operate it is described.• After this, there is an interview with an experienced farmer

who has built and used the method.• Finally, information is given about other chapters in the

Handbook which are directly connected to this method.

Fruit Tree Planting 6

Living Fence 10

S.R.I. Rice Growing 11

Support for the production and printing of TheFarmer's Handbook has come from Methodist Releif &Development Fund (UK), ActionAidNepal, MSNepal,

GTZ Food for Work, Hill Agriculture Research Project(HARP), ICIMOD. In this volume, Green Manures,Agro-Forestry and Zero Tillage chapters have been

supported by Helvetas Nepal

email:- [email protected]

Nepal Permaculture GroupP.O.Box 8132, Kathmandu, NepalTel: +977-1- 252597

FundingSupport

Distributor andmain contact

addresses

Himalayan Permaculture Group, P.O.Box 19121, Kathmandu, Nepal

lxdfn lb3f{o' ;d"x, n]v˚;f{ – @, k'/fgf] ufp“,;'v]{t

Appropriate Technology AsiaP.O. Box 8975 EPC 849Kathmandu, Nepaltel: +977 1 [email protected]

Permaculture Association UKBCM Permaculture AssociationLondon WC1N 3XXTel: +44 845 [email protected]

Permanent PublicationsThe Sustainability CentreEast MeonHampshire GU32 1HRtel: +44 1730 [email protected]

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Gre

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What are

Green Manures ?Green Manures ?

Every farmer knowshow much work goesinto the production of abasket of compost andcarrying it to the fields.But it never seems thatthe farm productiongives an equal return forthe hard work that goesinto making and carry-

ing the compost. Green manures are a method of replacingthat basket of compost with a handful of seed. In this method,the plants that grow from the handful of seed are ploughedback into the soil. After a while in the soil, the plants rotdown to become compost. Plants used in this way are calledGreen Manures. It's a very good way of increasing the fertil-ity of the soil, and can give huge benefits for farmers. So let'sread about it here.

Sesbania beingploughed in as a greenmanure , Surkhet,Western Nepal

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 2 - Green Manures

WhyWhy grow GreenManures ?

32 3

• Reduce the need for artificial fertilizers - by using greenmanures the need to bring in fertilizers is reduced. By notusing fertilizers, costs are saved and the soil is not dam-aged. Also, production can be increased to feed the familyfor longer, or excess produce can be sold.

Benefits of Green Manures

• Increase Farm production - using green manures canincrease the production of grains, pulses, vegetables, fod-der, fuel, etc. grown on the farm.

Mr Thek B. Gurung ofGumi VDC - 4, Surkhet,

likes using Sesbania greenmanure on his fields

• Improve the quality ofcrops - crops grown withgreen manures are moretasty and nutritious than thosegrown with chemical fertiliz-ers.

• Improve the soil - where green manures have been regu-larly used the soil is softer, lighter and easier to work. As aresult, the soil has a greater capacity to absorb and storewater and nutrients.

• Protect the soil - by covering the soil, green manures protectit from the damaging effects of hot sun, wind and hard rain.

• Reducing weeds - green manures cover the ground and soreduce the work and cost of weeding.

• Decrease work and expense - less compost needs to becarried. By using green manures, the soil becomes looseand easier to plough or dig.

• Increase in micro-organisms and their activity in the soil- Beneficial micro-organisms live and work around theroots of green manure plants in the soil. They help theplants to catch and create nutrients in the soil. The fertilityisn't just for the plants, it helps to make the soil rich. Themicroorganisms help the plants and the soil, and in returnthe green manures help to protect the microorganisms frombeing damaged by the sun, wind, rain, leaching, etc.

• Increase biomass production in the fields - in an examplefrom Brazil in South America, where 40,000 farmers haveconverted to using green manures, they have calculated thatusing velvet bean as a green manure has produced 50 to140 tons per hectare of extra biomass. This is the equiva-lent of carrying up to 3000 loads of leaf litter! But the greenmanure biomass doesn't need to be carried from anywhere.Wherever the fields are, that's where the biomass is producedand, that's where it rots to form compost.


to grow GreenManures ?HowHow

4 5

There are 2 ways of using green manures :-1. When land is unused, or fallow between crops;2. While crops are still growing in the fields.

1. Using green manures as fallowWhen crop land is empty after crops have been har-

vested, green manure seeds can be sown as thickly as sowingwheat. When the green manure plants are about to flower theycan be cut and left, or ploughed into the soil.

2. Using green manures mixed with crops

This method is used mostly with maize growing. Aneasy method is to sow a green manure at the same time asmaize, and then dig it in when it is time to weed the maize(after 3-4 weeks). At this time green manure seeds can also besown, and the green manure is cut and mulched or ploughedin after the maize is harvested to provide even more fertility.

Green manures are easy to use, but it's important to notecertain things, such as :-• green manures can be used in all seasons;• which-ever type of green manure is being used, they will

give most benefit to the soil if cut and/or ploughed in atflowering time, before seed is set;

• climbing types of green manures can smother the crops theyare growing with. If so, the climbing stems need pullingdown from the crops.

Selecting which green manures to use.There are many plants which can be used as green ma-

nures. In particular, the type of green manure should be se-lected according to the type of crop it is growing with or inbetween. For a large plant like maize, a large green manurelike velvet bean or Sesbania should be used. For a short croplike many vegetables, smaller green manures such as mustardor buckwheat can be used.

Criteria for selection of green manures include :-

• plants are fleshy and soft• fast growing;• fast to decompose;• leguminous;• don't attract pests and diseases;• don't compete with crops;• provide nutrients needed in the soil (more information

about this is given on p.21)

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 2 - Green Manures6 7

Low altitude - mustard, peas, broad (fava) bean, fenugreek,tobacco, buckwheat, etc.

Mid altitude - mustard, peas, broad bean, fenugreek, buck-wheat, etc.

High altitude - mustard, peas, broad bean, buckwheat, etc.

Examples of winter-grown green manures

peas

tobacco

broad bean

hemp mustardsunhemp

Low altitude - mustard, buckwheat, amaranth, sunhemp(Crotalaria), Sesbania, Chenapodium, fenu-greek, lab lab, velvet bean, jack bean, tobacco,etc.

Mid altitude - mustard, buckwheat, amaranth, sunhemp(Crotalaria), Sesbania, Chenapodium, fenu-greek, lab lab, velvet bean, jack bean, tobacco,hemp, etc.

High altitude - mustard, mustard, buckwheat, amaranth,sunhemp (Crotalaria), Chenapodium, fenu-greek, tobacco, hemp, etc.

Examples of summer-grown green manures

amaranth

sunhemp

Chenapodiumtobacco

hemp

mustard

Examples of using green manures

Now we'll see some specific examples of green manures.On this page Sesbania is used with rice. On page 17 Sesbaniais used with maize, then on page 18 velvet bean is used withmaize, and on page 20 mustard is used with wheat.

Sesbania and RiceIn this method, Sesbania is sown

before rice is planted. As rice is sown intonurseries, all other paddy areas are fallow,which is when Sesbania can be grown.

How tosow

Sow the Sesbania as densely as wheat or mustardseed. Then lightly till to cover the seed with soil.

TimingSow after winter crop is harvested, or in theSpring. Sesbania will grow faster if the soil is keptmoist, so irrigate if possible. After 4-6 weeks, theSesbania will be 18-36 inches tall. Cut at groundlevel and plough in as the paddy are prepared forplanting rice.

Seed production of Sesbania

When Sesbania is being ploughed in during paddypreparation, transplant a few of the largest, thickest, healthiestplants onto the edges of the paddy - space at 2 metre intervalsalong the terrace edges. These will grow on to produce seedfor green manure use next year. The seed will be ready after 6to 7 monthsmustard

tobaccoChenapodium

buck-wheatbuck-wheat

amaranth

mustardhemp

broad bean


Let's SeeLet's See

8 9

Seed plants will grow at 2 metreintervals on the terrace edges.When between 1-1.5m tall,pinch out the tops. This helps tothicken the stem and preventsthe plant growing too tall, whenthe wind can blow them over.Pinching also produces morebranches, and so more seed.There's a picture of this on p.11.

After the Sesbania hasbeen cut and ploughed in, thepaddies are flooded, and rice isplanted. The fertility from therotting green manure is a goodfood for the rice.

Sesbania seed plantsgrowing on the terraces

Calendar for rice and Sesbania

paddy

terrace

nursery sow Sesb.

seed4-6 w

eeks

sow rice

seeds2-4

weeks

plough inSesbania

transplantseed plantson terraces

plant rice

3-4m

onths

6-7 months

harvestrice

harvestSesbania

seed

Sesbania issown as the

fallow is bro-ken

Sesbaniagerminatesin 6-10 days

Sesbania is thisbig after a

month. Fromnow it can beploughed in.

how to growGreen Manures

how to growGreen Manures


The Sesbaniais cut at itsbase before

ploughing in.

This makesploughing

easier

Land ready forplanting after

Sesbania has beenploughed in

The tips of the Sesbania seedplants are pinched out. This

makes more branches, and theplant has a stronger stem.

After the rice isharvested theSesbania seed

is ripening

The seedplants also

provide a fire-wood yield.

Seed is cleanedand stored for

next season


Sesbania or vel-vet bean is sownas the maize isweeded for the

first time

If maize is alsoweeded by hand

this is still thetime to sow green

manure

Sesbaniagrows

amongst themaize

The Sesbania is readyto plough in after the

maize is harvested

Velvet beangrowing as a

green manure

A Guatemalanfarmer inspecting

the velvet beanafter the maize has

been harvested

The velvet bean is cut at theroots when it starts to flower


Velvet beanflowers andseed pods

Velvet beanafter it has

been cut

This wild"weed" is also agood green ma-

nure plant

Sunhemp used asa green manure

with millet

White clover is sown as a green manure in afruit tree nursery. This keeps weeds down,

conserves water, and adds nitrogen to the soil.

Perennial white clover

Agroforestry on the ter-race edges and velvet beangreen manure in the maize

2 years before, the soil on thisGuatemalan farmer's fields wastoo poor for farming. After usingvelvet bean as a green manure,look how black the soil has be-come and how big the corn is

(also see p.22)


Sesbania roots

Broadbean roots

On the roots of legumeslike Sesbania, broad bean

and velvet bean, smallnodules can be seen. In-side these nodules are

micro-organisms called"rhizobium".

Rhizobium take nitrogen(a very important ele-ment for plant growth)from the air and makesit available for the plant

roots. When they areactive they are this pink

colour.

Sesbania and MaizeIn this method Sesbania is sown withmaize. There are 2 methods of sowingthe Sesbania as a green manure withmaize .

Method 1 :- Sowing Sesbania at the same time as maize.• The maize and Sesbania germinate together. The Sesbania

is dug or ploughed in when the maize is weeded after 3-4weeks, and the fertility from the Sesbania helps the maizecrop.

• Instead of Sesbania, many other types of green manure canbe used to provide nutrients for the maize.

Method 2 :- Sowing Sesbania when maize is being weeded• As maize is being weeded for the first time, 3-4 weeks

after sowing, sow Sesbania as thickly as you would sowwheat. While weeding, the Sesbania seed will be covered.

• After the maize has been harvested, the Sesbania is cut andploughed in as the land is being prepared for the next crop.

• The fertility from the Sesbania will benefit the next wintercrop.

Other green manure types can be used instead ofSesbania, but they need to be tall plants, (like maize), forexample sunhemp. See also velvet bean and maize, p. 18

Sesbania seed productionSow seeds on the terrace edges. Se-

lect as many of the best plants as areneeded for growing on to produce seed.


plough in,or cut andmulch, theSesbania

plough in,or cut andmulch, theSesbania

In this method, velvet bean is grown asa green manure with maize. Velvetbean is sown as the maize is weededfor the first time.

Calendar for maize and SesbaniaMethod 1.

sow maizeand

Sesbania

4-5 months harvestmaize

Method 2.

sowmaize

sowSesbania attime of first

weeding

harvestmaize

3-4 weeks

Velvet bean and maize

• Maize is weeded by hand or ploughed 3-4 weeks aftersowing. At this time, sow velvet bean seed 50cm apart. Theseed is covered with soil when weeding.

• The velvet bean will germinate quicker if it is soaked inwater for 2 days before sowing. While soaking the velvetbean seed, change the water twice a day.

• The velvet bean is a climing type and will grow into a largevine. If it starts to smother the maize before the maize isharvested, it should be pulled off the maize plants onto theground. After the maize is harvested, the velvet bean can beallowed to smother the standing maize stalks to put onextra biomass.

• After the maize has been harvested, the velvet bean is cutand ploughed in as the land is being prepared for the nextcrop, or cut and mulched if the land isto be fallow.

Velvet bean seed production• Plant velvet bean seed on the field edge,

under a suitable tree, and allow it to grow up thetree to produce seed. Don't let it climb on fruit trees as thelarge, thick vine can damage the fruiting of the tree.

• Velvet bean seed will be ready to harvest about 8-10months after sowing.

• Velvet bean seed is not edible for people.Edible climbingbeans can be used instead of velvet bean, such as lablab,Jack bean, etc. These can be allowed to produce a beancrop if timing is appropriate.

Calendar for maize and velvet bean

sowmaize

plough in,or cut andmulch, thevelvet bean

sow velvetbean at time

of firstweeding

harvestmaize

3-4 weeks


In the autumn compatible green manurescan be sown with winter crops. It is diffi-cult to grow green manures together withcrops like wheat or barley, so they areusually grown before the grain crops.

Mustard and Wheat

Timing• The green manure can be sown while land is fallow, after

harvesting the summer crop.• After harvesting the summer crop, such as rice or maize,

the land is ploughed as normal, and mustard is thicklysown.

• The mustard should be ploughed in as it starts to flower.• Then the winter wheat (or any winter crop) is sown.

Instead of mustard, buckwheat or fenugreek canalso be used in the same way as green manures.

Mustard isploughed in atflowering time

for use as agreen manure.Here, wheat is

then sown.

Calendar for wheat and mustard

sowmustard

about 3 weeks

plough inmustard,

sow wheat

harvestwheat

There are many other types of green manure that canbe used as well asthe above examples.

"I sowed sorghum as a green ma-nure. After a month I ploughed it in

and planted potatoes, and got 3times the production !"

Bhim B. Gautam, Gumi, Surkhet

Below is some information about which greenmanures have high amounts of particular nutrients

Type of greenmanure

Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium

buckwheatmustardtobaccoChenapodiumSesbaniabeans

lots

lotslots

lots

lots

lotslots lots

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 2 - Green Manures22

In 1998 Hurricane Mitch struck Central America, especiallyHonduras, Guatemala and Nica-ragua. Strong winds, torrentialrain, landslides and floods killedover 10,000 people and left300,000 others homeless.

But in the south of theLempira region there were nodisasters. No landslides, nodeaths, in fact 84 villages in theregion produced 2000 tonnes ofsurplus grain. To explain theseamazing facts, the government,along with local NGOs andfarmers studied the area andfound that the farmers there hadbeen implementing sustainable,organic agriculture practices thathad protected them from the dan-gers of natural disasters. Since thelast 30 years, over 10,000 farmersin these villages had been imple-menting soil conservation, terrace improvement, agroforestry, greenmanure and integrated pest management strategies to protect the steepslopes in their areas. Because of this, even a huge natural disaster likeHurricane Mitch wasn't able to cause them any serious damage.

Since the beginning of their experiences, the farmers ofLempira have been sharing their lessons with local farming

organisations and with farmers throughout the country and inneighbouring countries too.

A story about Hurricane "Mitch"A story about Hurricane "Mitch"

Farmer Yuwan Aguirrepulls back the thick mat ofbiomass resulting from avelvet bean green manurecrop. This has helped to

protect againts soil erosionand raise production.

æ

Æ

Mr DambarBahadur Regmi

Farmers'ExperienceFarmers'Experience

Ms Hommaya GurungCoordinator, Himalayan Permaculture Group,Surkhet, Nepal

This chapter's author

From Nepal, Surkhet district,Gumi - 3, Mr DambarBahadur Regmi has growngreen manures since 1995.Now let's hear about hisexperience.

I've seen myself the benefitsof growing Sesbania green ma-nure with rice paddy. Ever since Istarted doing this, the productionof rice has increased steadily.Land that used to produce 960kgof rice can now produce up to 1400kg, which is pretty good forthis area. Also, I've spent less buying fertilizers from the sup-plier since using green manures. The soil has become softerand easier to plough, so you need to do less work and still getbetter crops. Rice that's grown this way tastes better, too, andthe mill owner tells us that there's less husk and more grain inmy rice and that of other farmers who've started using green

manures. Now I want to try using other typesof green manure as well as Sesbania.

Dambar Bahadur Regmi

23

Gri

hast

hi C

omm

unic

atio

nsSubjects Related to Green ManuresThis book provides enough information to be able to

grow your own green manures. However, this information isalso linked to other methods. For extra benefits let's read,learn and practice from other related chapters.

Read On !Read On !

Compost chapterAs well as green manure, animal compost isalso useful for plant food, but needs to be pro-duced in a well managed way. This chaptershows how to produce a quick rotting, goodquality compost.

Kitchen Garden chapterHow to make and manage a home vegetablegarden for permanence, ease and simplicity ?This chapter shows how to produce a widerange of fresh vegetables by doing less work formore production.

Seed Saving chapterThis chapter gives information on methods toproduce and store various types of qualityseeds, including green manure seeds, at home.

Th

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No-T

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Farm

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What is

No-Till Farming ?No-Till Farming ?In the 1960's

a Japanese agri-cultural scientistcalled MasonobuFukuoka startedto ask himselfhow he couldreduce the cost ofhis farming meth-ods. He saw mostcosts in plough-ing, weeding,fertilizing andtransplanting paddy in his rice-wheat system. He spent thenext 30 years experimenting to perfect his methods of reduc-ing farming costs in these areas. But now, using his experi-ence, we can develop similar systems in a much shorter time.His methods are also called "farming of the sages", becauseof the deep spiritual base to his philospohy, and the fact thatnature is regarded with godly respect. His methods are basedupon natural systems, and farming practiced without harmingnature.

Farming with nature can be practiced with any farmingsystem, but the methods descibed in this chapter are particu-larly related to the rice and wheat system.

Fields not ploughed for 6 years,Sunrise Farm, Kathmandu, Nepal

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 3 - No Till Farming-

ditto straw clay

WhyWhy do No-TillFarming ?

2 3

to do No-TillFarming ?

1

4

3

2

HowHow

Materials Needed for No-Till Farming

Ploughingis crazy !

Masonobu Fukuoka

I'm a soil'sfriend

There are 3 main reasons forploughing:-

If we can achieve these needswithout ploughing, then whyplough ? This was Fukuoka's idea.A plough is never used in theforest, but the soil is always softand fertile. In fact, the more youplough, the more ploughing isneeded, as weed seeds are brought tothe surface and germinate. Ploughingleaves the earth bare, leaving micro-organisms and nutrients to be dried outby the sun, washed away by the rain, and blown away bythe wind. That's why it's difficult for farmers to get goodproduction even after so much hard and expensive workploughing, weeding, etc.

Farming without tillage does no harm to the environment.Without tillage, the natural soil life will keep the soil loose andfertile by itself, which also greatly lightens the farmer's work,and reduces cost.

• to aerate the soil;• to reduce weeds;• to mix organic matter

in the soil.

There are examples of traditional no-till systems. Oneexample is before cutting rice, lentils are sown and grownwithout ploughing.

In a good mulching system crops are grown withoutdigging, and by using some green manures such as velvetbean, no-till systems have been developed. More informationabout these are given in the Mulching and Green Manureschapters.

In this chapter information is given about a no-tillmethod of growing rice and wheat.

wheat and rice seed

wheat straw

whiteclover seed

This is the start of Fukuoka's method:-

rice straw well rottedcompost

After harvesting summer rice, plough one last time.

Mulch the wheat and clover with the straw from the rice crop.

Thickly sow clover seed.

Sow wheat seed.

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 3 - No Till Farming-$4 5

Let's SeeLet's See how to doNo-Till Farming

In this way, the wheat and clover germinate together.Wheat grows up above the clover, and clover grows on theground. Below the clover is the straw mulch.

Clover works as a green manure. By covering the soil, ithelps to smother weeds and conserve moisture. It also fixesnitrogen in the soil. Nitrogen made naturally like this does thesame work as urea fertilizer.

mulchstraw

weeding(if needed)

harvestwheat

sowrice

mulchstraw

restrictclover

(see p. 9)

harvestrice

sowclover

sowwheat

addcompost

This is a year's calendar ofwork for the no-till method

This is the best place tostart, and go round

clockwise

Materials needed:straw, grain and clo-

ver seed, compost.

clover seedclose up

how to doNo-Till Farming

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 3 - No-Till Farming6 7

Sowingwheat After wheat,

sow clover

Cover everythingwith rice straw

Spread alittle compost

Clover germinatingin the wheat

Here the wheat isripe and underneath

the clover is green

This shows thewheat growingwith clover un-

derneath

After wheatis cut, sowrice and

mulch withwheat straw

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 3 - No Till Farming-8 9

How tomaintain a

No-Till SystemClose up ofwheat and

clover grow-ing together.

After harvestingrice, the wheat is

sown withoutploughing.

Before sow-ing, soak

wheat andrice seed and

mix with pow-dered clay.

While mixing,spray with water

This makes a clay coataround the seed whichprotects it from birds.

Another method isshown on p.10.

As the wheat ripens, any weeds should be removed. Atfirst, more weeds will grow, but after the thick ground-coverof clover grows, and without tilling, weeds will reduce.

Sow rice after the wheat is harvested. As the rice grows,there is a danger that it will be smothered and prevented fromgrowing by the thick ground cover of clover. There are 3ways of preventing this :-

1. Flood the field for 10-12 days. This weakens the clover andthe rice can grow through and above it. Then drain thewater. The ground cover of clover will recover, and the ricewill have grown away from its competition.

In the summerrice is flowering,while underneathclover is doing the

weed control.

MaintenanceMaintenance

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 3 - No Till Farming-10

2. If there is a shortage of water as the rice is germinating,allow livestock to graze the clover. But only allow thisonce, for a short time, and then remove the livestock. Theywill eat down the clover, so the rice can grow up and away.The clover will again recover as the ground layer.

3. After sowing the rice, the clover can also be cut. It can beused as a fodder for livestock, or as a mulch. Then add thewheat straw mulch, and weed as necessary.

Another method ofcoating seed withclay. Here, clay ismade into a thickpaste, mixed withrice or wheat seed,and pressed through

a 5mm seive.

Try your own researchThere are many ways of working with nature to

reduce work such as ploughing, weeding, etc. The mostimportant thing is to understand the principles of themethods. Instead of wheat, barley or oats can be used.Timing will be different for different places and climates.It may be better to sow the rice before the wheat is cut, orsow wheat before rice is cut. This method may seem diffi-cult at first, but this is no reason to give up. Try it out firston a small plot, and increase the area as experience grows.

æ

Æ

Mrs SanumaiyaShrestha

Mrs SanumaiyaShrestha lives at SunriseFarm in Sita Paila-4,Kathmandu, Nepal. Shehas experience in no-tillfarming, so let's hear herstory.

Mrs Sanumaiya Shrestha

I really like the no tillmethod. Wheat and cloverare sown together and cov-ered with the rice straw,which also helps to protectthem from birds. Then, if there's no rain, we may need toirrigate. Rice is sown in just the same way, without having toraise the seedlings in a nursery. The day before sowing eitherrice or wheat, I soak the seeds to help them germinate quicker.As soon as rice is cut, I sow the wheat, and as soon as thewheat is cut, I sow the rice. Sometimes a little weeding maybe needed, but not often. There's more weeds at the begin-ning, but much less later on. Now all the work of digging issaved. Before, we did all the digging and the yieldwas the same, and now we get the same yield with-out the digging. Doing less work to get the sameyield must be a good method, isn't it?


11

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Subjects Related to No-Till FarmingThis book provides enough information for you to be

able to try your own No-Till Farming. However, this informa-tion is also linked to other methods. For extra benefits let'sread, learn and practice from other related chapters.

Agroforestry chapterOnly when there's a plentiful supply of fodderfrom the land can the straw from grain crops beused for mulch in a no-till method. In this chap-ter, read about how to integrate trees on farms .

Mulching chapterMulch keeps the soil covered, keeps weeds downand conserves water. This chapter shows how tomulch the soil while still growing other crops.

Green Manures chapterBy sowing green manures with crops, fertil-ity is increased and with less work there aremore benefits. Learn how in this chapter.

Read On !Read On !

This booklet’s authorChris Evans, advisor,Himalayan Permaculture Group, Nepalwww.designedvisions.com

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What is

Agroforestry ?Agroforestry ?

Trees with fields in between: plentiful, secure productivity

Agroforestry is a sysem where farm crops are mixedwith trees to supply fodder, fuel, leaf litter, medicinal herbs,fruit, timber, etc.

Conventionally, farmers have only grown a single cropon one field. Also, there is a belief that crops cannot grow wellin the shade of nearby trees, so trees will often be cleared fromcropland. In the days when there was plenty of forest near tothe village, there was no shortage of fuel, fodder, etc. But now,overcutting of fodder, firewood, timber, etc., and grazing live-stock, has destroyed the forests. So farm yields have becomelower and lower. More landslides have been an extra problem.By planting agroforestry, farm needs for fodder, timber, fuel,etc. can be met as well as protecting the environment.

In this chapter, information is given on how to establishagroforestry, and how to manage it to increase farm yield.

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 4 - Agroforestry

WhyWhy doAgroforestry ?

2 3

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Benefits from Agroforestry

• By planting agroforestry, yields of fodder, firewood, tim-ber, fruit, herbs, etc. can be increased.

• Tree roots prevent soil from being washed away. Trees'leaves provide organic matter for soil organisms. Thisincreases the fertility in the soil, and so trees have morenutrients to grow. Trees protect the soil, and the soil givesnutrients to the trees. This cycle works to protect soil lifeand natural fertility.

• Because daily needs of fodder, fuel, leaf litter, etc. are metfrom the land, the forest is used less, and so is conserved.

• The farm economy is stronger.

Agroforestry helps to make thehomestead self reliant

• Livestock needs are met more easily.

• Trees protect the soil from the harmful effects of strong sun,wind and heavy rain, and conserve moisture in the soil.

With no trees, moisture in the air blows away.

When trees are on the land, the moisturecollects on the leaves, and

drips onto the ground.

• When agroforestry is on your own land then timber, fruit,herbal medicines, firewood, fodder, etc. don't need to bepurchased. Livestock are also easier to raise for income,and overall the home economy is strengthened.

• By producing daily needs of fodder, fuel, timber, etc. onthe farm, less time is spent going to the forest.

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 4 - Agroforestry %

HowHow to doAgroforestry ?

Materials Needed for Agroforestry

This Chapter's Authors :Ms Hommaya GurungMr Buvan Khadka

4 5

Where to grow Agroforestry ?• on terrace risers and edges• on the edges of fields and farm boundaries• on the edges of paths• according to the shape of the landscape

seedlings

seeds

sharp hook,machete, etc.

secateurs

saw

cuttings

What type of tree toplant in agroforestry ?

Trees with smallleaves that don't

overshade the land,e.g. Lucaena,

Flemengia, Acacia.

Trees which droptheir leaves in win-ter, e.g. mulberry,

Melia.

Trees which can bepruned to a desired

shape, e.g. mulberry,Lucaena, Bauhinia,

peach, plum.

Plants which are good,nutritious fodder for live-stock, e.g. napier grasss,

most legumes, lemongrass, etc.

Multi-purpose treeswhich give many ben-efits such as fodder,

timber, firewood,medicine, bee forage,

fruit, etc.

Trees which don'tcompete withground crops.

Trees which havedeep roots that aren'tdamaged by plough-

ing, e.g most leg-umes, Melia.

Nitrogen-fixing treeswhich increase nitro-

gen in the soil.Himalayan Permaculture Group,Surkhet, Nepal

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 4 - Agroforestry6 7

How are plants established in Agroforestry ?

• By planting cuttings, e.g. mulberry, napier grass, sugarcane, some Ficus;

• By raising seedlings in nurseries, eg. coffee, Melia, peach,etc. Trees with fast growing tap roots, such as lucaena,bauhinia (most legumes), tree cotton, papaya, walnut etc.are best raised in an Air nursery. For more informationabout this, see the chapter Air Nursery.

• By planting root slips, e.g. broom grass, cardamon, lemongrass, comfrey, vetiver grass, etc.;

• protecting seedlings naturally regenerated on the land;• By air layering, e.g. orange, pomegranite, guava;• By direct sowing, e.g. sunhemp, Sesbania.

It is easy to grow many of the useful, good quality andmulti-purpose plants needed for agroforestry by yourselves,on your own farm. Once you've decided the types of plantneeded, the seeds or cuttings need collecting at the right time.Then they can be raised in the appropriate nursery, at home.

Air nursery

Normal nursery

Nursery forcuttings

Design of Agroforestry SystemsThe following principles need to be applied when planning

and establishing a farm or a community agroforestry system.

• DiversityJust as there are many types and sizes of tree and shrubmixed in a forest, so our agroforestry should also be madeup of a wide range of species, to make them sustainablymost productive.

• Layers (stacking)In the forest, all plants are different. Some are small, sometall, some middle sized - this is called stacking. A stackedsystem means that more productive plants can fit into asmaller space without competing. For example, in theground layer, pineapple and lemon grass can be grown.Above them, napier grass, sugar cane and coffee can grow.Above them, Lucaena, mullberry and tree cotton can grow.Even higher still, papaya, pear and peach can be grow.Highest of all, Melia, Dalbergia, Neem, and other timbertrees can grow. They will also serve as a useful windbreak.

StackedAgroforestrytop layer of

big trees

mid canopylayer

lower canopylayer

shrub layer

groundlayer

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 4 - Agroforestry8

Let's SeeLet's See how to doAgroforestry

how to doAgroforestry

9

• Beneficial RelationshipsIt is important to consider the relationship between the

species in different layers of agroforestry, and the field crops.Without a good relationship between the field crops and thetree systems, some crops may not grow well, such as in theshade. Then, companion plants can be used. For example,mustard and maize do not grow well close to tree crops. Buttaro, cardamon, ginger and tumeric do grow well, and they cantolerate both the trees and field crops. So by planting the com-panion crop in between, the best yields from all can be as-sured, without competition and drop in yield.

• MicroclimateThe climate inside and around the agroforestry system is

different to the surrounding climate. There are areas of differ-ent moisture, temperature, and light levels. These are calledmicroclimates. Species need selecting according to their need.

There are different types ofmicroclimate in agroforestry Up high there is

more light and wind

On the ground ismore moisture

On the ground isless sun and wind

Areas withagroforestry and

forest are pro-ductive, pro-

tected in a sus-tainable way.

On steep slopes, farming with the plough is difficult.But with agroforestry on the terrace edges, the risk oferosion is less, and extra benefits of fodder, fuel, tim-

ber, etc. can be produced close to the village.


When startingagroforestry, the

right species needsto be planted in the

right place

In this highmountain area,fruit trees andfodder grasses

are seen growingtogether on ter-

race edges

In Tatta village,Jajarkot district,

Nepal, tradi-tional

agroforestrypractice has

covered farm-land with pro-ductive trees.

By planting tumericbetween trees and

crops, competition isreduced.

By digging a ditch between lines oftrees and crops, the tree roots arecut. This also stops the trees com-

peting with the crops

The ditch is also used for irriga-tion and collecting leaf biomass


A 2 year oldagroforestry,

showing"stacking"of different

species

The same land ayear later

This picture shows various types ofsmall and large trees and shrubs

planted together

sugarcane

taro

papaya

Lucaena

Melia

tree cotton

pineapple

mulberry

banana

Adhatoranapier grass

Competition be-tween the trees

and maize is seenhere. The solutionto this problem isgiven on pages 11

and 21.

People say thatcrops can'tgrow in the

shade of trees,but here the

wheat is grow-ing well !


The branchesof Dalbergia arebeing pruned toproduce good

timber.

A third ofthe trees' topbranches areleft, and theremaining

are pruned.

Lots of fire-wood can beproduced on

your own landby agroforestry

Plenty of fod-der and litter

can also be pro-duced at home.

This savesmuch time and

labour.


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Leaves from theDalbergia prunings can

be used as a mulch.

These leaves con-serve soil moisture,

and rot down tobecome compost.

• CyclingThe benefits of extra production and soil improvement

from agroforestry are the result of cycling. This cycle needs torun continuously. Livestock are fed and bedded with fodder,straw, etc. from the agroforestry, and compost is returned tothe fields. Leaf biomass can also be cut and mulched directlyto the land. Work like this should be done regularly. If thecycle isn't completed, the trees will use all the moisture andfertility, and the soil will become depleted of nutrients for thecrops. As a result, crop production can decrease, and farmerswill lose out. So to manage agroforestry sustainably and pro-ductively, it is essential to run this cycle.

Cycle Tree leaves arecut and mulched

on the landFodder and leaf

litter are given tolivestock to pro-

duce compost.

Compostgoes back on

the fields.

Excess nutrients aretaken up by the roots of

the trees below the crops.

Treesuse thenutri-ents togrow.


How tomaintain

Agroforestry

Management after establishing agroforestry

Agroforestry planted on terrace edges pro-vides nearby fodder. The fodder can be fed to

livestock or mulched directly on the land.

To manage agroforestry, the trees and shrubs should becut from time to time. Any dead or useless branches andtrunks should be cut and removed for use. So, management ofagroforestry is mainly harvesting of products. Collection offodder, leaf litter, firewood, etc. is beneficial to the trees, aswell as to the annual crops. If this work isn't done in the rightway, the agroforestry system will not help to increase produc-tion and benefit the land. So it is very important to manageagroforestry in the right way.

Timing of pruning in agroforestry

(a) Winter (b) Summer

Deciduous trees, which drop all theirleaves at one time, are best pruned over winter.Evergreen trees are best pruned in the summer.Some of these can be pruned twice a year. In thewinter, crops need more sun, and in the summerthey need good air movement. So many treesand shrubs, especially those which cause moreshade, should be pruned at these times so theyprovide production as well as to provide goodconditions for the annual crops, based on theirneeds, and the needs of the tree crops.

Things to considerwhen pruning

• Use sharp tools;• Don't split the bark;• Try not to leave

wounds on the sunnyside of trees;

• Prune small branchesand deformed trunksof timber trees;

• Prune fodder andbiomass plants lowdown in the winter,and higher up in thesummer.



Management for mulch and leaf litterThe leaves of Adhatora, Melia, castor, etc. make excel-

lent mulch. Such trees and shrubs can be cut at least twice ayear. Depending on the trees and crops around, they can becut low down, or higher up. The plants should be able tosprout again after cutting.

Fodder grass managementFodder grasses planted or regenerated in the agroforestry

should be cut to feed livestock, or mulched directly on the land.This should be done in a way which doesn't harm the crops.

Here Lucaenaplanted in

agroforestry iscut and the

leaves mulcheddirectly on the

land.

Fodder tree managementFodder trees should not be allowed to grow straight up.

They are managed by cutting once or twice a year to producemaximum biomass. They should be cut according to the sea-son to provide shade or sun, according to the needs of thefield crops. They can be fed to livestock, or mulched directlyon the land.

Management for firewoodTrees grown for fruit, timber, biomass or fodder will also

provide firewood when they are pruned. Dead, diseased ordamaged trees and branches should be regularly removed andcan be used for firewood.

This diagram shows amethod to control thegrowth of tree roots. Bydigging a trench alongthe line of trees, theroots are preventedfrom competing withcrops. See also the pic-ture on p.11.

Timber managementTrees planted for timber

should be allowed to growup straight. The top one thirdof the tree should be leftuncut, while the lower twothirds pruned of all sidebranches. The pruningshould clean, otherwise dis-ease can enter the wounds.When large branches are cut, plaster the wounds with freshcow dung. Pruning can take place once or twice a year.

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 4 - Agroforestry 23

Subjects Related to Agroforestry

This chapter provides enough information for you to beable to grow yourown agroforestrysystem at home.However, thisinformation is

also linked toother methods. For

extra benefits let's read, learnand practice from other related chapters.

Read On !Read On !

Improved Stove chapterAgroforestry produces nearby fuel for the stove

Nutrition chapterNutritious plants can also be grown in agroforestry

Home Nursery chapterPlants for agroforestry can be produced easily at home

Seed Saving chapterHow to produce various types of good quality seed at home

æææææ

From Nepal, Surkhet district,Gumi - 3, Ratadada village, and amember of "Hariyali" women'sgroup Mrs Belmaya Rana has doneagroforestry on her own land. Nowlet's hear about her experience.

Mrs BelmayaRana


Mrs Belmaya Rana

At first we had hard times withoutthe knowledge of agroforestry. We hadto go far for fodder and firewood. Thiswasted a lot of time. I learned aboutagroforestry from the Homestead Pro-gramme (JPP) and designed my land. I've planted mulberry,Lucaena, Bauhinia, fruit trees, chillies and lots of otherplants. In all, there are 56 species of useful trees and shrubs inmy agroforestry system. The trees are all arranged in layers,all species are mixed up together. Before, 60kg of the mustardI grew was used to trade for chillies. Now I grow enough ofboth and have extra of both to trade. Now I have time to cutfodder as well as doing the housework. There's enough fodderon my own land for my 4 goats and 4 cows. I grow enoughfruit for the family, and sell extra for cash. The trees don'taffect the rice, but it did affect the mustard and maize, so Iplanted taro, ginger and tumeric against the trees in someparts, and dug trenches to cut the tree roots in others.

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Mulching chapterProduce plenty of biomass for mulching to conserve soil

Integrated Pest Management chapterGrow plants in agroforestry which help in pest control

Compost chapterNearby fodder and biomass makes making compost easier

Liquid Manure chapterGrow plants to make liquid manure to control farm pests

Living Fence chapterA living fence is agroforestry on the farm boundary

Fruit production chaptersEasy methods of producing, planting and managing fruit trees

Forest Management chapterForest is protected by using agroforestry to supply farm needs

Kitchen Garden chapterAgroforestry helps protect and supply the kitchen garden

Beekeeping chapterMany plants for bee food can be grown in agroforestry

Livestock management chapterAgroforestry crops make keeping livestock much easier

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What is an

Integrated Orchard ?Integrated Orchard ?An or-

chard is aplanted andmanaged areaof fruit trees.A well man-aged orchardwill givebenefits topeople'shealth, theirincome, andthe environ-ment. There are ways of improving an orchard with smallinputs which can greatly increase its productivity. To get morebenefits, the orchard should be managed in a sustainable way.To get more production and easy maintenance, the orchardshould be like a forest. The orchard can be rich, fertile andsustainable, just like a forest. One of the forest's qualities isits diversity. So our orchards should also contain a great vari-ety of plants, and then they can be more productive and sus-tainable, like the forest.

So, an integrated orchard is a diverse mix of fruit andmulti-purpose plants growing together. In this chapter,weshow how to design and manage an integrated orchard forquick and sustainable production.

Kamal Pun (right) and his orchard, Jajarkot

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 5 - Integrated Orchard

WhyWhy make anIntegrated Orchard ?

2 3

HowHow to make anIntegrated Orchard ?

1

Benefits of the Integrated Orchard• Other trees can be planted in between the fruit trees;• These other trees can provide fodder, fuel, timber, medi-

cines, nectar, vegetables and other useful products;• More production from less land;• Soil and water conservation;• Degraded land can be regenerated;• Pests and diseases are more easily and cheaply controlled;• Farm production increases annually;• There's a quick return on investment;• As well as cash income, the integrated orchard also pro-

vides many basic resources for other farming systems.

Conventional farming education usually recommends anorchard of one variety. In a mango orchard, there are onlymango trees, and in an apple orchard, only apple trees. Plant-ing in this way leaves much wasted space in between thetrees, and much work goes into maintaining these emptyspaces. But if the spaces are ploughed to grow annual crops,then the fruit trees' roots may be damaged and production willbe lower. So the answer is to plant perennial crops of usefultrees and shrubs in between the fruit trees.

Species' selection and planting design

Good quality species should be chosen for the orchard.Species should be appropriate for the climate and landscape.The size of the different plants when they are mature shouldalso be considered. According to size, 4 or 5 layers of treesand shrubs can be recognised :-

Upper canopy trees :- these are the biggest trees, andusually take the longest time to produce fruit. They are alsousually the longest lived. Fruit trees in this group includemango, jackfruit, avocado, walnut, chestnut, butternut, pecan,etc. Multi-purpose trees include soapnut, neem, toon, mauwa,etc. These trees should be planted 10-12 metres apart.

But planting trees at this spacing leaves 10-12 metres ofspace in between, which is wasted if nothing else is planted.Farming tilled crops may damage the trees when they areploughed. So it is best to plant smaller trees in between.

1Upper canopy

trees

10-12 metres10-12 metres


The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 5 - Integrated Orchard4 5

2

2

3

3

4

4

5

5

Mid-canopy trees :- apple, pear, peach, plum, apricot,persimon, cherry, etc. can be seen as mid-canopy trees. Theycan be planted 5-6 metres apart, in between the upper canopytrees. They will fruit sooner than the bigger trees, and usuallydo not live so long.

Mid-canopy trees

Upper canopy trees

But even planted like this, 5-6 metres of lend is leftempty. Other trees can still be planted in between.

Lower canopy trees :- orange, lemon, banana, custardapple, sea buckthorn, coffee, papaya, mulberry, etc. are smalltrees. They can be planted in between, 3 metres apart.

But even 3 metres is a lot of empty space. Even smallershrubs can be planted in between.

Lower canopy trees

5-6 metres5-6 metres

3 metres3 metres

Shrub layer :- After the smaller trees, shrubs like pineap-ple, cardamon, napier grass, lemon grass, blackcurrant, goose-berry, etc. have their turn. They can be planted 1-1.5 metresapart. They are fast to produce, and only live a few years.

Ground layer :- finally, as a ground cover to increaseproductivity even more, various types of sweet potato, taro,beans, peanuts, clover, comfrey, ginger, tumeric, etc. can beplanted. Wild plants like wormwood and nettle can also beencouraged. They help to make the soil fertile. But thegroundcover plants may need controlling if they harm theyoung trees. When the trees are bigger, climbing plants suchas grapes, passion fruit, jasmine, yam, pepper and rattan canbe planted. But these should not be allowed to climb on thefruit trees, or they will reduce the trees' fruiting ability.

Shrub layer

Ground layer

Note :- These pictures show how small and large trees andshrubs can be designed into the integrated orchard. Whenestablishing the orchard, plants can either be planted all at thesame time, or gradually, as time and labour allow.


Let's SeeLet's SeeThe orchard needs fencing to protect against livestock.

Temporarily, thorny branches such as Acacia, blackthorn,wild blackberry, sea buckthorn, etc. can be cut and made intoa fence. A living fence of planted trees and shrubs givesother benefits, and is a more productive and longer-term wayof protecting the orchard.

Protecting the orchard

On the edge of the orchard,the living fence gives pro-tection and production.

The integrated orchard looks like a forest,but the trees and shrubs have more use.

Farmers visitto learn the

methods

how to make anIntegrated Orchard

how to make anIntegrated Orchard

A living fence, or hedge, can be made of thorny speciessuch as cactus, sisal, wild pear, hawthorn, some of the Aca-cias, Prosopis, sea buckthorn, honey locust, etc. Some canform a fence within 2-3 years, and give other products, too.Fodder, firewood, fruit, medicines, nectar, etc. can all begathered from the fence. After several years, even timber forconstruction can be produced. The chapter Living Fencegives more information about this.


Above is fruit,below ginger, tu-meric, pineapple,etc. all producing

benefits

Marigolds areseen planted inthe ground layer.These wereplanted to helpwith pest control,and now self-seed.

On big trees, vineplants such aspepper, betel,

grape and pas-sion fruit can

climb up.

No space is emptyin the integrated

orchard


How tomaintain an

Integrated OrchardCoffee trees in theorchard needshade to fruit

well, so are best inthe lower level,

underneath biggertrees.

In 1989 this landwas bare. Then,

Mr SuryaAdhikari started

his integratedorchard, and now

see ! (in 1999)

For an integrated orchard planted in this way, mainte-nance is mainly harvesting. The succession of productionfrom the orchard is described below.

Not just fruit treesAll the above species produce fruit. But once the shape

and size of the tree is understood, any type of useful andmulti-purpose tree or shrub can be fitted into any of the lay-ers. Plants for fodder, timber, herbal medicines, fibre, etc. canbe added to provide their particular type of benefit, accordingto the land and the needs of the farmer or community.

1st year :- sugar cane, various vegetables,fodder grass from weeding.

2nd year :- the above, plus banana, carda-mon, ginger, tumeric, broomgrass, currants, etc. start produc-ing.

3rd year :- all the above, plus pineapple, coffee, papaya, seabuckthorn, etc. start to produce.

4th year :- all the above, plus grafted apple, peach, plum,apricot, pear, orange, etc. start to produce.

5th year :- all the above, plus grafted mango, walnut, lychee,chestnut, etc. start to bear fruit.

Trees that have grown from seed will produce fruit moreslowly, such as soapnut, butternut, hazel, etc. They will startto produce fruit after 8-10 years.



A w

ell establishedIntegrated F

ruitO

rchard

sugarcane

Lucaena m

ango

drumstick

pear

papaya

pineappleguava

napier grasscoffee

bananaginger

tumeric

taro

Tillage in the orchardIf annual crops are needed to be grown between the fruit

and multi-purpose trees, the trees can be planted in linesspaced wider apart, as in the photo below. This is the samebasic design as for an agroforestry system. Terrace improve-ment is also a result. But you should not plough near the rootsof the fruit trees.

When the trees are bigger, livestock can be grazed in thearea from time to time. Because the integrated orchard ismade up of many layers of multi-purpose trees, there is a highproduction from a small space. By planting in this way, pro-duction will gradually increase as time goes on.

Ground crops can be grownbetween the lines of trees andshrubs of the integrated or-

chard. There are more than 50species of plants in this picture.

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 5 - Integrated Orchard

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15

Subjects Related to the Integrated Orchard

Read On !Read On !

This book provides enough information for you to beable to design and maintain your own integrated orchard.However, this information is also linked to other methods.For extra benefits let's read, learn and practice from otherrelated chapters.

Grafting, Budding, Stone Grafting,Top Grafting & Air Layering chapters

Information about various easy methodsto grow tasty and good-yielding fruit varietiesat home for planting on the farm are given inthese chapters.

Five Chapters on how to make vari-ous Nurseries

For planting a variety of plants in an inte-grated orchard, different types of nursery areneeded to grow them. Information on how tobuild and manage the home nursery, fruit nurs-ery, air nursery, hot bed and leaf pots is given inthese chapters.

æææææ

Mr Kamal PunFarmers'ExperienceFarmers'Experience

From Jajarkot district, Dandagaun -3, Kalpat village in Nepal, MrKamal Pun has planted an inte-grated orchard on his own land.Now let's read about his experiences.

Kamal Pun

Since I took training in how tomake an integrated orchard, I'vebeen making my own orchard athome. My land is steep and dry, andwas a bare grazing area for every-one's cattle. I made a design andbegan planting seedlings by layer.Now, I have mango, banana, orange,papaya, grapefruit, coffee, peach, plum, apricot, lychee andmany more. On the ground are pineapple, napier grass, lemongrass, and others. I have grain crops and fruit, and both producewell. I also grow seedlings for sale. I keep livestock, and there'senough fodder from the orchard to feed them from the manytypes of local fodder trees that are planted there. Before, therewas no production from this bare slope. But last year I earnedalmost $1000 from my farm. I've been able to pay off all myloans, buy cloth, medicine, etc., and still have some left toinvest. Now I want to buy another piece of land with the in-come. This orchard has been seen by many local farmers as amodel. I've been teaching them how it's done - they come frommany villages in the district. ÆÆÆÆÆ14

Gri

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omm

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A

Fruit Tree Planting chapterAfter raising good seedlings in the fruit

nursery, if they're not planted well all thework can go to waste. Information on moreproductive planting is given in this chapter.

Fruit Nursery chapterHow to grow root stock from local wild

fruit seed for grafting and budding apple, peach,plum, apricot, walnut, etc. on your own land.

Agroforestry chapterPlanting trees on farmland can bring farm-

ers many benefits. But you can't plant any typeof tree, nor anywhere. This chapter gives infor-mation on how to plant trees without affectingfarm yield.

Living Fence chapterThe orchard also needs a fence. By

planting a fence made of trees, the productionfrom the orchard can be increased even more.This chapter gives information about makingand managing a living fence.

A-frame chapterAn easy method of mapping out contours

for soil and water conservation on sloping landis descibed in this chapter.

What is

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Fruit is astore of goodness.It is juicy, tastyand nutritious,and it holds vita-mins essential forour health andwell being. So it'sour duty to plantfruit trees. Allover the worldpeople haveplanted fruit trees,since early times.Even if peoplehave only a smallpiece of land theyshow interest in planting fruit trees. But if you don't have theskills and knowledge to plant and care for fruit trees they candie, or at best be less productive. So all the effort that wentinto acquiring and planting fruit trees goes to waste.

In this book we can learn about how to plant and main-tain fruit trees to get the best production using local resourcesand with minimum work.

Fruit Tree Planting ?Fruit Tree Planting ?

Comfrey and garlic as companionplants under a young apple tree

Chapter 6 - Fruit Tree PlantingFarmers' Handbook, "The Fields"

plantfruit trees ?

to plantfruit trees ?

• it is tasty and nutritious;• if you eat fruit after a meal the food is easier for the body

to digest;• fruit is like wealth which you can sell or exchange;• after you plant a fruit tree it only requires a small amount

of maintenance, and will last for many years (it is peren-nial);

• because they are perennial, fruit trees help to protect thesoil and the environment.

• fruit trees give nectar to bees, give firewood from pruning,habitat for birds and wildlife, and many other benefits.

In order to get these benefits, the first important thing isto plant the fruit tree well. Only then will fruit trees give theirbenefits to people and the community.

Apricot

Apple

Choosing the right places to plant fruit trees

• protection from animals• easy maintainance• shelter from the wind

• enough room to grow• suitable good soil

• in old pit latrines• on the edge of the house's yard

• terrace edges• on the edges of fields

Many types of fruit trees canbe seen planted in the fields

Below are good places to plant fruit trees:

2 3

WhyWhy HowHowThere are many types of benefit from fruit, for example:-

Apricot

Pear

PlumPlum

When selecting where to plant a fruit tree, you need toconsider the following needs:


??

Materials needed to plant a fruit tree

rotted compost leaf litter green biomas

one basket

diggingtools

oil seed cake

fruit tree

Companion Plants

garlicmarigold

corian-der

onion

vegetable seedlings

legumes

comfreyseeds

one basketone basket

Preparing the PitIf you're planting the fruit tree in an old pit latrine, then

your pit is already prepared. If not, you need to select a goodplace and dig a pit. The pit should be at least 3 feet deep (ifyou have deep soil, then 4 feet is even better). The pit shouldbe 3 feet wide.

In the bottom of the pit, put 6-8 inches of green biomass,then cover it with soil that has been dug out of the pit. Thenput a 12-18 inch layer of semi-decomposed biomas mixedwith un-rotted animal compost and soil. Then put in a layer ofwell rotted compost mixed with soil. All the dug soil shouldbe put back in the pit until it is heaped above the pit, which isnow ready for planting.

If you have a problem with ants or termites, mix oil seedcake (such as mustard) with the soil. One part of cake shouldbe mixed with 10 parts of soil.

Planting the Fruit TreeWhen you plant the fruit tree in the prepared pit, first

remove as much soil and compost as is needed for the size ofthe roots. The roots should be open, and point downwards.When the soil has been returned around the roots and filledin, tread on the soil to press it down. Around the pit make ashallow trench to collect water. Lastly, put down rotted com-post covered with mulch. If you don't have enough biomass,use rocks to cover the soil.

After doing allthese things the

tree will grow well.

Where aremy helping

friends ?

Like people,trees don'tlike to be

alone

4 5

legumes


1

2

Companion PlantingVarious plants can be planted around the fruit tree which

help it to grow even better and give more production. This iscalled companion planting.

Garlic, onion, marigold, basil, mint, lemon grass, nastur-tium, comfrey, coriander, fennel, dill, tansy and wormwoodare some examples of companion plants. There are manybenefits of planting them with the fruit tree.

Benefits of Companion Planting

• Companion plants help to protect from harmful pests

• They attract beneficial insects

• They produce vegetables, herbs, nectar for bees, etc.

• They can be cut and used as a mulch

• They can be stacked densely in different layers

• They help to balance the environment

• They help to conserve soil moisture

• They help to prevent weeds from growing

Companion planting helps the fruit tree,but doesn't take much extra work

The pit shouldbe one metrewide and at

least one metredeep.

trench aroundthe pit

soil and rottedcompost

half-rottedcompost and soil

soil

green biomas

how to plantfruit trees

how to plantfruit trees

Cross Sectionof the Pit

Cross Sectionof the Pit

6 7

Let's SeeLet's See


3

45

6

Trim off thefruit tree'slong roots.

Make a trencharound the pit

to collect water.

Don't squash theroots while planting

the fruit tree.

Pull the treeupward as youfill in the soil

so that theroots all point

downward.

8 9

7


A grafted fruittree can flower

when verysmall....

....but this makes the youngtree weak, so you should re-

move the flowers for 1-2 years.

How to Care forthe Fruit Tree

What the Fruit Tree needs :-

• Fertility

• Water

Companionplanting also helps toprovide these three needs. However,extra maintenance brings extra yields.Compost:- It's good to provide compost once a year, in earlySpring.Water:- If there's a rainy season, and if the fruit tree is dor-mant over winter, you don't need water then. But if there is adry season when the tree is growing and fruiting, irrigationwill make a big difference.

Don't put water andcompost right next to thestem of the tree, because theroots that feed grow furtheraway. So water and com-post need to be put in acircle away from the tree.

rottedcompost

Different types ofcompanion plantseen beneath a

mango tree.

10 11

8

9


Where to put Water and Compost

• Protection from damaging pests• Protection from damaging pests


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After getting yourgrafted fruit treefrom the nursery,

cut the top off.This helps to formgood side branch-

ing.

Bud

To keep your fruittree healthy and givingthe best production,branches should bepruned once a yearwhen the tree is notgrowing (it is dormant).Dead or diseasedbranches should be cutimmediately. Anybranch touching an-other, or competing forlight and space, shouldbe cut. Use a sharp toolfor this. After cutting large branches,cover the wound with fresh cow dung.

Cut at aslant

Cut just abovea healthy budto prevent too

much wooddying.

Each year asthe treestarts to

grow, putcompost

around un-der the drip

line.

12 13

Pruning the Fruit Tree


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Cut out dead,diseased and

unwantedbranches.

This is how itlooks after un-

wanted branchesare removed.

Big branches should be cut with a saw, andsmall branches with a sharp hook or secateurs.

A good way of irrigating youngfruit trees is given in the "Introduc-tion to Fruit Production" chapter.

14 15

æ

ÆÆÆÆÆ


Dil Bahadur Bucha

From Ratadada village,Gumi - 3, Surkhet, in Nepal,Mr Dil Bahadur Bucha hashad plenty of experience atplanting fruit trees. This iswhat he says.

You can get good productionfrom planting fruit trees on emptyland. And you don't have to plantevery year like grains, but you canstill get production each year. Fruit trees are good for keepingbees, so you can get more honey too. I dig a pit a metre wideand a metre deep and in that mix biomass and then good, rottedcompost as the pit is refilled. It's important that the roots of thefruit tree are well spaced and pointing down as you plant it. Ifyou get air on the roots the tree can die, so stamp the soil welldown on top. I mulch with waste biomass and put rocks on top.That way the moisture is kept in the soil, and I don't need towater so much. Around the pit I plant comfrey and lemon grassfor future mulch, so I need less compost. There are lots of ben-efits from fruit trees, you can even plant pineapple underneath.Now I have mango, pear and peach growing, and the lime isstarting to fruit.

Mr Dil BahadurBucha

Gri

hast

hi C

omm

unic

atio

ns

Read OnRead OnSubjects linked to Fruit Tree Planting

To see how to integrate fruit tree planting with othertechniques, read these chapters in the Farmers' Handbook.

Fruit Nursery chapterIn this chapter learn how to make a nursery andgrow your own fruit rootstock at home forgrafting and budding.

Integrated Fruit Orchard chapterYou can plant many varieties of trees to getmore production, and faster too. This is ex-plained in this chapter.

Agroforestry chapterFarmers can get lots of benefits from plantingtrees on their land, but you can't just plant themanywhere. In this chapter, learn how to integratetrees without affecting your crop production.

Pit Latrine chapterA fruit tree grows best if planted in a big pit. Ifyou have an old pit latrine to plant in, you candouble the benefits. In this chapter learn how tomake a hygienic, cheap and productive pit latrine.

Fa

rmer

s' H

an

db

oo

k "

Th

e F

ield

s",

Ch

ap

ter

7 -

To

p G

raft

ing

What is

Top Grafting ?Top Grafting ?Many people would like to plant

fruit trees, but often can't find goodtypes. Sometimes the seedlings maycost too much, if you have limitedincome. But difficulty in findinggood fruit trees shouldn't stop youtrying to get them - the solution to theproblem can be found. Raisingrootstock seedlings in the nurserymay take 2-3 years. After grafting, itwill take a few more years beforethey bear fruit. So let's learn an eveneasier way to grow grafted fruit trees.This is called Top Grafting (or topworking).

Top grafting is a method ofgrafting cuttings (scion) fromimproved fruit trees onto appropriatetypes of wild trees which are alreadygrowing in the fields and forests,without needing a nursery. This method is very cheap andeasy, and produces good quality fruit trees which give fruitquickly.

Pear, top graftedonto a wild pear tree

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 7 - Top Grafting

WhyWhy doTop Grafting ?

2 3

HowHowMaterials Needed to do Top Grafting

to doTop Grafting ?

• You can grow fruit trees on your own land• You don't have to make a nursery• Many types of less useful wild fruit species

can be made into improved varieties• Trees will fruit sooner and give more fruit than

otherwise• Waste resources can be made into useful ones;• Fruit trees can be grown easily in the forest

You can eat the fruits ofyour labour with fruit trees

plastic

sawrootstock

Healthy, diseasefree, wild fruittrees are called

rootstock.

sharptools secateurs

knife

scion

A cuttingfrom agood fruitingtree is calleda scion.


!

4 5

The methods of top grafting are very similar to that ofgrafting. But while grafting is normally done in a special fruitnursery, top grafting can be done directly on the farmland orin the forest, wherever the appropriate wild fruit trees arefound.

Which types can you top graft onto ?

Local Type What to graft

peach, plum, apricot, almond

Local Type

Local peach

Wild pear

Wild apple(crabapple)

Wild cherry

pear

apple

cherry

What to graft

plum

pear

apple

cherry

apricot

All plants have tiny channels which take water and nutri-ents up to the leaves and down again. These channels areinside the bark but outside the woody part of the stem. Theyform a greenish band around the stem called the cambium.

seen fromabove

wood

cambium

bark

Cross sectionof the inside of

a wild tree

Close-up ofthe cut endof the Scion

wood barkcambium(green)

Cambiumsplits when

bark ispeeled

wood

pith

How does grafting work ?

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 7 - Top Grafting6 7

To succeed attop grafting,the cambiumof the scion

and the root-stock mustbe exactlymatched

ScionR

oots

tock

Scio

n

This is how thecambiums are

joined

cambium(green)

cambium (green)

Where to Top Graft ?On farmland, grazing land, or in the forest, wherever

there are suitable wild fruit trees, such as wild peach, wildpear, wild apricot, etc.

When to Top Graft ?Top grafting is usually done when trees have lost their

leaves, in the winter. In lower, warmer places this may be inJanuary (Northern Hemisphere). In higher, colder places thismay be February or March. It is best to top graft about 2-3

weeks before new leaves sprout on the trees.

Top Grafting Method

1. Selecting and preparing the rootstock

• Top grafting can be done on any appropriate local wildfruit tree. The tree shouldbe strong, healthy andfree of disease.

• The cut should be straight and clean.

• After selecting the tree tograft onto, clear awaybrush and weeds fromaround the base, and cutoff any small branchesgrowing from the base.

• Cut down the tree anywhere between 4 inches up to 3feet high above the ground, according to need and theshape of the land.


Let's SeeLet's See

1

The scion is selected from a good fruiting tree. Thescion is about pencil thickness, or the thickness of yourlittle finger.

2. Choosing and selecting the scion

3. Grafting the scionThere are 3 ways to graft

shown in this chapter. They areshown with photos on thefollowing pages.

4. Binding the graftPlastic is used to bind the

scion to the rootstock so air andwater can't get into the graft. If avery large rootstock is used, aseparate piece of plastic is neededto cover the cut section while thescion is bound. This is shown on page 11, photos 6 and 7.

Let's see the 3 methods of top grafting

On the next 7 pages, 3 methods of top grafting are shown.The first method is called bark top grafting, and is on the first4 pages. After this, the second method is called tongue topgrafting, and is shown on 1 page. The third method is calledsplit top grafting and this is shown on 2 pages.

Selecting therootstock

Cutting therootstock

Method 1.

Bark TopGrafting

The cutsection iscleaned

how to doTop Grafting

how to doTop Grafting


2

3

4

6

5

7

From thetop, make a

1-2 inch longvertical cutin the bark.

The scionshould

have 3-5buds on it.

Make a 1-2 inchslanting cut on the

lower end of the scion

Insert the cutend of the scion

into the barkthrough the

vertical cut onthe rootstock.

On a bigrootstock, 2,

3 or morescion can be

grafted.

Spread a pieceof plastic overthe top, and

bind the sciononto the

rootstock withanother piece.

Bind tight soair and watercannot get in.


8

9

2

1

3

12 13

Finally put anotherpiece of plastic over

the top, and bindthis on as well.

This showswhere care is

needed to bind well

Now, graftingwork is finished

on this tree.

When therootstock is

small, as here,only one scion

should begrafted.

The cut on the root-stock and the scionare both slanting andan inch long. In thecentre ofeach cutedge, make a smallnick (tongue). These 2nicks will insert into eachother to hold the graft.

The cambium layerunder the bark of the

rootstock andscion should beexactly aligned

(see p. 5,6)

Bind the graft withplastic, as in theother methods.

scion

tonguerootstockrootstock

tongue

scion

TongueTop

Grafting

Method 2.


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]]] ]]]

4

5

2

1

3

14 15

4Method 3.

Cleft Top Grafting

Make a cleft inthe middle ofthe cut stem.

Place a sharp toolin the cleft,

taking care not tosplit the stem.

Make an inch-long cut on both

sides of the scion .

the cu

t is 1 in

ch lo

ng

the cu

t is 1 in

ch lo

ng

Insert thesharpened

scion into thecleft. The

cambium ofthe root stock

and scion mustbe exactlymatched.

Finished topgrafting

Bind thegraft withplastic, as

in theother

methods.


6

7

16 17

How tomaintain a

top grafted seedling

After Top Grafting is successful

An improvedpear grafted

onto a wild pearrootstock hassprouted well.

After 4 months,the plastic is

removed. Theseedling is

protected fromlivestock.

Apricot, 2years after

it wasgrafted

onto a localpeach

Aftercare for the grafted tree

• Protect the grafted tree from livestock• Make a round trench around the plant, and use this to give

water and compost. Water as necessary, whenever possible• Mulch thickly around the stem• Plant companion plants around the tree• Pinch or cut off any branches that sprout below the grafted

branch

A grafted fruit treeorchard in Jajarkot, Nepal

Here, vegetablesare grown under

the fruit trees.

After Top Grafting is successful MaintenanceMaintenance


Various plants, such as garlic, onion, marigold, basil,mint, lemon grass, comfrey, coriander, fennel, dill and worm-wood can be planted around the fruit tree, which help it togrow well and give better production.

• Companion plants help to protect from harmful pests

• They attract beneficial insects

• They produce vegetables, herbs, nectar for bees, etc.

• They can be cut and used as a mulch

• They can be stacked densely in different layers

• They help to balance the environment

• They help to conserve soil moisture

• They prevent too many weeds from growing

Companion Planting

Benefits of Companion Planting

There is more information about this inthe Fruit Tree Planting Method chapter

Protect the tree from livestock

Darn ! I'd loveto peck at thoseleaves, but no

chanceHow toeat it ?

Make a small trench around the grafted tree.Use this to give water and compost as needed.

There is more information about this inthe Fruit Tree Planting Method chapter

Give water and compost

water compost


Now your fruit treecan grow well. Tohelp it more, pruneit once a year in thewinter. Give it abasket of compostat the same time.

Maintenance needed each year

compostcompost

Pruning the tree

Remove any branches that sprout from therootstock. More information about pruning is

given in the Fruit Tree Planting chapter.

On a big tree, many scions can be grafted

Top grafted branches are shown

One branch from therootstock is left

uncut at first. Thishelps to pull waterand nutrients from

the roots for the newgrafts. After the

grafts have sproutedwell, this branch can

be cut off.

Manyscions canbe grafted

onto atrunk in this way.


Grafting and Budding chapters

Information about varioussimple methods to grow improvedfruit varieties at home for plantingon the farm are given in these chap-ters.

Subjects Related to Top GraftingThis book provides enough information for you to be

able to do your own top grafting on fruit trees. However, thisinformation is also linked to other methods. For extra benefitslet's read, learn and practice from other related chapters.

Read On !Read On !

Grafting andBuddingchapters

Fruit Nurserychapter

IntegratedFruit Orchardchapter

Fruit TreePlanting chapter

Top Graftingchapter

Agroforestrychapter

22 23

æææææ

ÆÆÆÆÆ

Mr Tek BahadurKhadka


From Jajarkot district,Khalanga -5, Pokhora village inNepal, Mr Tek BahadurKhadka has done plenty of topgrafting. Now let's read abouthis experiences.

Tek Bahadur Khadka

I work for the HomesteadProgramme (JPP) in 6 VDCs ofJajarkot district. At first I didn't thinkthis method would work, but aftertraining and starting work, I like it alot. I now teach this in the villages. Istarted by top grafting pear onto the wild pear that growshere. At first we used to cut these wild pear down as wethought they were useless. Now we top graft them and havemade a fruiting orchard out of the forest. Before, you'd seejust a few pear trees in the village. Now there are hundreds oftrees, and everyone knows how to do top grafting - even inplaces where I've never been to teach. And it turns the wildpear into a useful tree. You don't have to buy fruit seedlings,and they fruit quickly. Everyone likes the method in thevillages, it's so easy. You don't need any strange tools, and cando it in your own village area.

Gri

hast

hi C

omm

unic

atio

ns

Integrated Fruit Orchard chapter

Information is given in this chapter abouthow to plant fruit trees with various other multi-purpose trees to give more and quicker benefitsfor less work.

Fruit Tree Planting chapterAfter raising good seedlings in the fruit

nursery, if they're not planted well all the workcan go to waste. Information about fruit treeplanting is given in this chapter.

Agroforestry chapter

Planting trees on farmland can bringfarmers many benefits. But you can't plant anytype of tree, nor anywhere. This chapter givesinformation on how to plant trees withoutaffecting farm yield.

Fruit Nursery chapter

In this chapter learn how to make a nurs-ery and grow your own fruit rootstock at homefor grafting and budding.

Fa

rmer

s' H

an

db

oo

k "

Th

e F

ield

s",

Ch

ap

ter

8 -

Air

LA

yer

ing

What is

Air Layering ?Air Layering ?

Everyone likes toeat tasty fruit. Andeveryone who plantsan orchard looks for-ward to tasting thefruits of their work. Itis our responsibility toplant fruit trees, whichgive the family nutri-tion as well as increas-ing farm production. So people want to plant fruit trees, eventhose with just a little land. There are many ways that farmerscan grow good quality fruit trees at home at very low cost.The more methods are known, the more choices farmers haveto improve their farm production.

In this chapter we talk about another easy and successfulmethod of propagating fruit trees, which is called Air Layer-ing. Air layering is a simple way of propagating fruit treeseedlings from their branches.

Hommaya Gurungplants a guava

seedling made by airlayering.

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 8 - Air Layering

WhyWhy doAir Layering ?

2 3

HowHow

Materials Needed to do Air Layering

to doAir Layering ?

This Chapter's AuthorMrs Deumaya RanaDahachaur-4, Surkhet.

There are 2 problems with planting fruit trees from seed.The first is that a tree grown from seed willl take a long timeto produce fruit. It may take 8-10 years. The second problemis that although the seed may be taken from a very good tree,producing excellent fruit, the new tree may not produce goodfruit. By air layering a tree, we can guarantee that it will pro-duce fruit sooner, and the fruit will be as good as the treefrom which the branch was taken.

Species which can be Air LayeredMost of the citrus varieties - orange, lemon, lime, grape-

fruit, kumquat, etc. Also, pomegranite, lychee, guava, starfruit, custard apple, plum, and pear. There may be other varie-ties that you know in your local area.

Time to do Air Layering ?In low-lying, hotter climates, air layering can be done

from late winter through to spring. The higher and cooleryou go, normally the later air lay-ering can be done. Theseason can go on throughspring and even into earlysummer. The time to do air layer-ing is normally the same time aswhen fruit trees start to grow new leaves.

knife

tree moss

string

fertile soil

hook,etc.

plastic

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 8 - Air Layering4 5

1

3

2 4

Choosing the branch to air layerThe branch to be air layered should be healthy and free

of disease, and at least one year old.

A branchchosen tobe air lay-

ered

Then, away from the tip, cut the bark from around thestem of the branch.

Make 2 cleancuts around

the branch oneinch apart,and take off

the bark onlybetween the 2

cuts.

2 cuts aroundthe branchbark

peeledoff

1 inch inbetween

the 2 cuts

One inchof bark

taken off

After removing the bark, wrap around a handful of treemoss, or a ball of soil mixed with ash and cow dung.

Preparing ahandful of

moss


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5

6

6 7

7

8

Spread outthe moss

between thehands.

Wrap themoss aroundthe cut sec-

tion to makea ball.

moss

Wrap the right size ofplastic around the moss.

string

plastic

Tie the ends of the plasticaround the moss, so air and

water cannot get in.

A completedair layering

string


9

12

11

10

8 9

When air layering, always make sure the endof the plastic is pointing down, otherwise wa-ter can get in, and the air layering may fail.

The branch is then planted in the summer,6-8 weeks after binding.

Inside theplastic, whiteroots can be

seen.

Rootsseen as

the plas-tic is

removed

This branch isready for planting

roots

To plant the air lay-ered branch, cut thebranch just below

the moss ball

Before cut-ting andtransplant-ing, makesure the placeto plant theseedling isprepared


13

14

10 11

After cutting,remove just theplastic, andplant thebranch with themoss still at-tached.

See the moss still at-tached to the roots.

Planting the branch

• Dig a pit a metre deep and a metre wide.• Fill the pit as shown in the picture below.• Carefully plant the new seedling, taking care not to damage

the roots, and cover with soil just above the moss ball.• Put a thick mulch around the seedling.• Water well into the ditch around the pit.• Plant companion plants around the seedling, such as garlic,

onion, marigold, comfrey, basil, coriander, nasturtium,wormwood, tansy, lemon grass, etc. More informationabout this is given in the Fruit Tree Planting chapter.

Trench dugaround the pit.

soil andcompost

soil and partlydecomposed

compost

soil

green biomass

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 8 - Air Layering12 13

How to care foran air layered

seedling

12

Put waterand com-post only

in thetrench

around theseedling

A good way of irrigating the seedling isgiven in the Fruit Tree Planting chapter.

Protectthe seed-ling fromlivestock.


After

plantingthe seed-

ling, mulch

it well and

plant suit-able com

-panionplants

around it.

Com

pan

ion

Pla

ntin

g

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 8 - Air Layering○

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14 15

Subjects Related to Air LayeringThis chapter provides enough information for you to be

able to do your own Air Layering on fruit trees. However, thisinformation is also linked to other methods. For extra benefitslet's read, learn and practice from other related chapters.

Read On !Read On !

Air Layeringchapter

Fruit TreePlantingchapter

Integrated FruitOrchard chapter

Agroforestrychapter

æææææ

Mrs PabisaraGharti


From Nepal, Surkhet dis-trict, Gumi - 6, and a mem-ber of "Peoples's Awareness"women's group, MrsPabisara Gharti has experi-ence with Air Layering onher own land. Now let's hearabout her experience.

Mrs Pabisara Gharti andher air layered orange

I learned about air layeringfrom the Homestead Pro-gramme (JPP). To make thecutting, I peeled the bark fromaround the branch, covered itwith a ball of moss, and wrapped it in plastic. Easy. Rootsgrow from the cut section in about 2-3 months. Then, I cut thebranch and planted it with its new roots. I made the air layer-ing in February, and planted it out in June. A seedling made inthis way fruits much quicker than when planted from seed. Ifound this method easier and more successful than othermethods, so we've been planting lots of fruit trees made thisthis way, and will be planting more this year. Why shouldn'teveryone do this type of work, that is easyand gives good benefits ? ÆÆÆÆÆ

Gri

hast

hi C

omm

unic

atio

ns

Integrated Fruit Orchard chapter

Agroforestry chapter

Fruit Tree Planting chapterAfter raising good seedlings in

the fruit nursery, if they're not plantedwell all the work can go to waste.Information about more productiveplanting is given in this chapter.

Farmers can get many benefitsfrom planting trees on their land, butyou can't plant them just anywhere.In this chapter, learn how to integratetrees on the farm without affectingyour crop production.

Related Subjects

Information on how to plant fruittrees with various other multi-purposetrees to give more and faster benefitsfor less work is given in this chapter.

Farm

ers'

Han

db

ook

"T

he

Fie

lds"

, C

hap

ter

9 -

Bam

boo C

utt

ings

What is a

Bamboo Cutting ?Bamboo Cutting ?

Bamboo is an extremely useful plant which has beenused for hundreds of years in society. When its shoot isyoung, it can be eaten as a vegetable. When the stem isstrong, it can be used to build houses. That's why there's aNepali saying that goes "when young, a vegetable; whenmature, a house". In the villages, they also say that bamboocan be used for anything, except as a plough share. The tradi-tional way of propagating bamboo is by digging up the rootand transplanting a section to a new place. But this involves alot of difficult work, takes much time, and many other plantscan be damaged as it is transplanted.

So in this chapter, we show an easy and quick way ofpropagating many more bamboo than was previously possible.

Mrs Myasu Garanja's bamboo,which she planted from a cutting

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 9 - Bamboo Cuttings

WhyWhy make abamboo cutting ?

2 3

HowHow

Materials Needed to make bamboo cuttings

to make abamboo cutting ?

This Chapter's AuthorMr Laxman RanaCommunity Service Group,Dahachaur 4, Surkhet, Nepal

Planting a bamboo from cuttings gives more benefitsfrom less work. In less time, many more cuttings can beplanted, saving work for farmers.

The traditional way of digging up bamboo with its rootscauses damage to other plants, and much soil needs to bemoved. So by using cuttings, this damage is also prevented.

Benefits ofBamboo cuttings

• It's a quik and easy method• With less work, many

cuttings can be planted• One bamboo branch can

make many cuttings• The original clump isn't

damaged by makingcuttings

Which bamboo can be used to make cuttings ?There are many types of bamboo, from hot, tropical, low

lying areas to cold, high altitude areas. Most types can beused, except cane bamboo, and bamboo which has only avery small hole, or no hole in the middle.

1-2 year oldbamboo

sharptool

waterrocks

sawoil seed

cake

diggingtools

leaf litter compost

fresh cowdung

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 9 - Bamboo Cuttings4 5

5

34

2

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

1

Things to consider when selecting the cutting

• the bamboo should be between 1-2 years old• the bamboo should be healthy and free of

disease

In hotter, lowland areas, cuttings are takenfrom mid-winter (mid January in N.Hemisphere) forup to 1 month. In hilly, cooler areas, the time startsup to one month later, until late spring (April).

A successful cutting will sprout within 3 months.

Method of cuttingConsidering the above points, the first stage is to select

the bamboo for cutting.

Things to consider when cutting the bamboo

• Be careful not to damage the chosenbamboo as you fell it

• Also be careful not to damage nearbybamboo stems

• Use sharp tools (axes, machete, hook, etc.)• As soon as the branch is felled, immedi-

ately cut off the tip from 1 inch diameter,otherwise this drains its capacity to regenerate

• Use the base and tip for something else

Time to plant

Length of time to sprouting

The tip is young andsoft, so is not able toregenerate from cuttings

The mid section,from nodes 5 - 12, issuitable for cuttings -it has a good capac-ity to regenerate.

The base section up to the4th node is also not goodfor use as cuttings


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44

Selecting cuttingsafter the branch is

felled

As soon as the branch isfelled, the tip is immedi-

ately cut off

Select and cut the cuttings as descibed below.The numbers below match with the numbers onthe diagram on page 7.

There should be no damage or disease on the cuttings.

Only leave 3 branches on each node of the cutting.

The mid branch of these 3 should be about 18 incheslong and have 3-5 nodes (if the distance between nodesis long, there may be 3 nodes, if the distance is short,there may be 5 nodes).

The other 2 side branches of the node are cut shorter, tohave 2-3 nodes in total.

Other, smaller branches are cut off.

Selecting andtrimming thenodes on the

cutting

cuthere

cuthere

cuthere

3 branches on thenode of the cutting

node of the cutting

This is how it looks after thecutting has been trimmed

cuthere


Use a sharp tool to trim offeither side of the node.

While doing this,be careful not tosplit the bark.

Fill the hollowends of the cuttingwith soil and com-post. If there is arisk of termites,mix oil seed cakewith the soil to fillthe hollows. Useone part of oil seedcake to 5 parts soil

or compost mix. This will protect the cutting againsttermites, ants and other soil-living pests.

If the bark splits like this,the cutting may not grow.

Fill the hollowends with light,

fertile soil.When the hollowsare filled, cap theends with fresh

cow dung.


Where to plant the cutting ?• The cutting can be planted direct in the corners

and edges of fields.• It can also be planted in the fence, river banks, in

gulleys and areas of soil erosion.• The cuttings can also be temporarily planted in a

nursery, and transplanted out when roots havedeveloped.

Planting thecuttings in a pit The length of the pit

depends on the lengthof the cutting

To bury thecutting, dig apit 18 inches(50cm) deep

and 18inches wide.

Before planting the cut-ting, put 3-4 inches of fer-

tile soil in the bottom.

If there's a risk of termites, mix oil seed cake withthe fertile soil in the bottom of the pit

Place the cuttingin the pit.

If oil seed cake is needed,mix it with all the soilcovering the cutting.

Soil and oilseed cake

is mixed tocover thecutting

Then fill in the pit with soil. Leave themiddle branch of the node sticking out

of the pit a few inches.


xf“ufsf] 6'Kkf b]vfpg]

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

12 13

Then mulch the pit with leaf litterand cover with small rocks.

add a pot of water

tip of the middle branch

rocksleaf litter

Finally, soak thepit with a pot ofwater. The mulchof leaves androcks will con-serve moisture. Even so, it's best to water thecutting 2-3 times a week in the dry season, ifpossible.

If there were no bambooneither would there be flute

And without nature, there'd be no culture

A newly sprouted cutting

The cuttingwill sprout

3-4 weeks afterplanting,

Roots growing


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How tomaintain

a bamboo cutting

14 15

• The cutting should be protected from livestock. People alsoshouldn't step where the cutting is planted.

• Water the cutting 2-3 times a week if possible.• The bamboo grown from cuttings can be harvested for use

after it is 3 years old.

Uses of bamboo

• Important household items like baskets, winnowing trays,etc. are made from bamboo

• Craft industries using bamboo provide many people withemployment

• Local bamboo can replace timber and plastics bought infrom the outside, which helps to make the communitymore self reliant

• This also saves money• It's using a local resource• Bamboo helps in erosion control and

soil conservation• Once planted, bamboo lasts many years• From the cradle to the grave, bamboo is

an essential part of daily life

bamboo utensils

a plane made from bamboo


æ

Mrs MayasuGaranja


From Nepal, Surkhet dis-trict, Dahachaur - 3, and amember of "Evergreen"women's group, MrsMayasu Garanja hasplanted many bamboocuttings. Now let's readabout her experiences.

Mrs Mayasu Garanja

I leaned how to makebamboo cuttings from theHomestead Programme (JPP).At first it was difficult withoutknowing, but after training I found it easy to grow bamboofrom cuttings. First you need a branch which is 1-2 years old.This is cut into sections, each with a node in the middle andhollow on either side. You fill the hollow ends with fertilesoil, and cap the ends with cow dung. Plant this cutting in apit, mulch well and add water. I've found the best time to dothis is mid-January to mid-March. It's so useful to plant bam-boo like this. You can make so many things from bamboo -baskets, trays, etc., all useful in the house. If you have bam-boo in your fields it saves having to buy lots of things fromoutside. Now, with this method we can plant lots of cuttingsand so grow lots of bamboo, because it's such an easymethod.

Æ

Gri

hast

hi C

omm

unic

atio

ns

○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○

○

○

○

○

○

Subjects Related to Bamboo CuttingsThis book provides enough information for you to be

able to make your own bamboo cuttings. However, this infor-mation is also linked to other methods. For extra benefits let'sread, learn and practice from other related chapters.

Read On !Read On !

Bamboo Cuttingschapter

Soil Conservationand Improvement

chapterLiving Fence

chapter

Bamboo isvery useful

f o r soil conservation.In this chapter, wedescribe the nature ofsoil, how to protectexisting soil, and showhow to regeneratedamaged soil making itinto into productiveland again.

Plantingbamboo, as

well as other usefultrees and shrubs, helpsto protect the land aswell as providing manyother important benefits.Information about plant-ing and maintaining aliving fence is given inthis chapter.

Farm

ers'

Han

db

ook

"T

he

Fie

lds"

, C

hap

ter

9 -

Bam

boo C

utt

ings

What is a

Bamboo Cutting ?Bamboo Cutting ?

Bamboo is an extremely useful plant which has beenused for hundreds of years in society. When its shoot isyoung, it can be eaten as a vegetable. When the stem isstrong, it can be used to build houses. That's why there's aNepali saying that goes "when young, a vegetable; whenmature, a house". In the villages, they also say that bamboocan be used for anything, except as a plough share. The tradi-tional way of propagating bamboo is by digging up the rootand transplanting a section to a new place. But this involves alot of difficult work, takes much time, and many other plantscan be damaged as it is transplanted.

So in this chapter, we show an easy and quick way ofpropagating many more bamboo than was previously possible.

Mrs Myasu Garanja's bamboo,which she planted from a cutting


WhyWhy make abamboo cutting ?

2 3

HowHow

Materials Needed to make bamboo cuttings

to make abamboo cutting ?

This Chapter's AuthorMr Laxman RanaCommunity Service Group,Dahachaur 4, Surkhet, Nepal

Planting a bamboo from cuttings gives more benefitsfrom less work. In less time, many more cuttings can beplanted, saving work for farmers.

The traditional way of digging up bamboo with its rootscauses damage to other plants, and much soil needs to bemoved. So by using cuttings, this damage is also prevented.

Benefits ofBamboo cuttings

• It's a quik and easy method• With less work, many

cuttings can be planted• One bamboo branch can

make many cuttings• The original clump isn't

damaged by makingcuttings

Which bamboo can be used to make cuttings ?There are many types of bamboo, from hot, tropical, low

lying areas to cold, high altitude areas. Most types can beused, except cane bamboo, and bamboo which has only avery small hole, or no hole in the middle.

1-2 year oldbamboo

sharptool

waterrocks

sawoil seed

cake

diggingtools

leaf litter compost

fresh cowdung


5

34

2

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

1

Things to consider when selecting the cutting

• the bamboo should be between 1-2 years old• the bamboo should be healthy and free of

disease

In hotter, lowland areas, cuttings are takenfrom mid-winter (mid January in N.Hemisphere) forup to 1 month. In hilly, cooler areas, the time startsup to one month later, until late spring (April).

A successful cutting will sprout within 3 months.

Method of cuttingConsidering the above points, the first stage is to select

the bamboo for cutting.

Things to consider when cutting the bamboo

• Be careful not to damage the chosenbamboo as you fell it

• Also be careful not to damage nearbybamboo stems

• Use sharp tools (axes, machete, hook, etc.)• As soon as the branch is felled, immedi-

ately cut off the tip from 1 inch diameter,otherwise this drains its capacity to regenerate

• Use the base and tip for something else

Time to plant

Length of time to sprouting

The tip is young andsoft, so is not able toregenerate from cuttings

The mid section,from nodes 5 - 12, issuitable for cuttings -it has a good capac-ity to regenerate.

The base section up to the4th node is also not goodfor use as cuttings


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4

2

1

3

3

3

4 4

4

4

44

Selecting cuttingsafter the branch is

felled

As soon as the branch isfelled, the tip is immedi-

ately cut off

Select and cut the cuttings as descibed below.The numbers below match with the numbers onthe diagram on page 7.

There should be no damage or disease on the cuttings.

Only leave 3 branches on each node of the cutting.

The mid branch of these 3 should be about 18 incheslong and have 3-5 nodes (if the distance between nodesis long, there may be 3 nodes, if the distance is short,there may be 5 nodes).

The other 2 side branches of the node are cut shorter, tohave 2-3 nodes in total.

Other, smaller branches are cut off.

Selecting andtrimming thenodes on the

cutting

cuthere

cuthere

cuthere

3 branches on thenode of the cutting

node of the cutting

This is how it looks after thecutting has been trimmed

cuthere


Use a sharp tool to trim offeither side of the node.

While doing this,be careful not tosplit the bark.

Fill the hollowends of the cuttingwith soil and com-post. If there is arisk of termites,mix oil seed cakewith the soil to fillthe hollows. Useone part of oil seedcake to 5 parts soil

or compost mix. This will protect the cutting againsttermites, ants and other soil-living pests.

If the bark splits like this,the cutting may not grow.

Fill the hollowends with light,

fertile soil.When the hollowsare filled, cap theends with fresh

cow dung.


Where to plant the cutting ?• The cutting can be planted direct in the corners

and edges of fields.• It can also be planted in the fence, river banks, in

gulleys and areas of soil erosion.• The cuttings can also be temporarily planted in a

nursery, and transplanted out when roots havedeveloped.

Planting thecuttings in a pit The length of the pit

depends on the lengthof the cutting

To bury thecutting, dig apit 18 inches(50cm) deep

and 18inches wide.

Before planting the cut-ting, put 3-4 inches of fer-

tile soil in the bottom.

If there's a risk of termites, mix oil seed cake withthe fertile soil in the bottom of the pit

Place the cuttingin the pit.

If oil seed cake is needed,mix it with all the soilcovering the cutting.

Soil and oilseed cake

is mixed tocover thecutting

Then fill in the pit with soil. Leave themiddle branch of the node sticking out

of the pit a few inches.


xf“ufsf] 6'Kkf b]vfpg]

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

12 13

Then mulch the pit with leaf litterand cover with small rocks.

add a pot of water

tip of the middle branch

rocksleaf litter

Finally, soak thepit with a pot ofwater. The mulchof leaves androcks will con-serve moisture. Even so, it's best to water thecutting 2-3 times a week in the dry season, ifpossible.

If there were no bambooneither would there be flute

And without nature, there'd be no culture

A newly sprouted cutting

The cuttingwill sprout

3-4 weeks afterplanting,

Roots growing


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How tomaintain

a bamboo cutting

14 15

• The cutting should be protected from livestock. People alsoshouldn't step where the cutting is planted.

• Water the cutting 2-3 times a week if possible.• The bamboo grown from cuttings can be harvested for use

after it is 3 years old.

Uses of bamboo

• Important household items like baskets, winnowing trays,etc. are made from bamboo

• Craft industries using bamboo provide many people withemployment

• Local bamboo can replace timber and plastics bought infrom the outside, which helps to make the communitymore self reliant

• This also saves money• It's using a local resource• Bamboo helps in erosion control and

soil conservation• Once planted, bamboo lasts many years• From the cradle to the grave, bamboo is

an essential part of daily life

bamboo utensils

a plane made from bamboo


æ

Mrs MayasuGaranja


From Nepal, Surkhet dis-trict, Dahachaur - 3, and amember of "Evergreen"women's group, MrsMayasu Garanja hasplanted many bamboocuttings. Now let's readabout her experiences.

Mrs Mayasu Garanja

I leaned how to makebamboo cuttings from theHomestead Programme (JPP).At first it was difficult withoutknowing, but after training I found it easy to grow bamboofrom cuttings. First you need a branch which is 1-2 years old.This is cut into sections, each with a node in the middle andhollow on either side. You fill the hollow ends with fertilesoil, and cap the ends with cow dung. Plant this cutting in apit, mulch well and add water. I've found the best time to dothis is mid-January to mid-March. It's so useful to plant bam-boo like this. You can make so many things from bamboo -baskets, trays, etc., all useful in the house. If you have bam-boo in your fields it saves having to buy lots of things fromoutside. Now, with this method we can plant lots of cuttingsand so grow lots of bamboo, because it's such an easymethod.

Æ

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Subjects Related to Bamboo CuttingsThis book provides enough information for you to be

able to make your own bamboo cuttings. However, this infor-mation is also linked to other methods. For extra benefits let'sread, learn and practice from other related chapters.

Read On !Read On !

Bamboo Cuttingschapter

Soil Conservationand Improvement

chapterLiving Fence

chapter

Bamboo isvery useful

f o r soil conservation.In this chapter, wedescribe the nature ofsoil, how to protectexisting soil, and showhow to regeneratedamaged soil making itinto into productiveland again.

Plantingbamboo, as

well as other usefultrees and shrubs, helpsto protect the land aswell as providing manyother important benefits.Information about plant-ing and maintaining aliving fence is given inthis chapter.

Farm

ers'

Han

db

ook

"T

he

Fie

lds"

, C

hap

ter

10 -

Liv

ing F

ence

What is a

A Living Fence is a fence made of living trees andshrubs. Made from thorny or non-thorny plants, it can also becalled a green fence, or hedge.

There are many ways of using a barrier to prevent harm-ful pests from coming onto the land. Everyone knows thatstone and mud, bricks, barbed wire, bamboo, or even cutbranches can be used to make a fence. But the most produc-tive form of barrier is the living fence, because as well asbeing a barrier, it can also produce many other benefits for thehome.

In this chapter, information is given about making andmanaging a living fence.

A living fence along a path, Nepal

Living Fence ?Living Fence ?

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 10 - Living Fence

WhyWhy make aLiving Fence ?

2 3

HowHow

Materials Needed to make a Living Fence

to make aLiving Fence ?

This Chapter's Author:Mr Bhuvan Khadka

• Crops are protected against harmful pests.• The living fence can act as a windbreak.• As well as protecting the land, various products such as

fodder, firewood, medicines, timber, nectar, etc. can betaken from the living fence.

• Beneficial animals such as predator insects can also find aplace to live in the living fence.

• The living fence saves money.• It prevents soil erosion.• It can prevent terraces from collapsing• It can be used where materials for fencing are not found,

e.g. plentiful rocks, barbed wire, large branches or trees, etc.

Benefits of the Living Fence

According to your location and its climate, landscape,soil, etc. there are many plants that can be used for a livingfence. Planted on the edges of the land, the living fence pro-tects against harm from the outside, including the wind.Within the farm, living fences are useful along edges such aspathways and edges of fields or terraces. They can give shadeand shelter, as well as other useful farm produce. The kitchengarden can be protected by a living fence, and even separatevegetable or nursery beds can have their own small livingfences.

Where to make a living fence ?

seeds sharp cut-ting tools

diggingtools

cuttingsleaf litter

seedlings

Himalayan Permaculture Group,Surkhet, Nepal

So, as well as using the live fence for protection, it can alsobe used to increase farm production. If a fence has tree cottonin it, for example, this is even a cash crop. Citrus varietiessuch as orange, lime, lemon, etc. can make very good fences.They also produce valuable fruit, and are goodfor bees.

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 10 - Living Fence4 5

Let's SeeLet's SeeLet's SeeLet's See how to make aliving fenceMany types of plant can be grown in home-made nurser-

ies and planted in the fence when they are large. Many spe-cies grow from burying branches in the soil like cuttings. Thefence can also be planted with suitable seedlings collectedfrom the forest. Different methods for growing seedlings aredescibed in the Home Nursery chapter.

By collecting seed and cuttings from around the commu-nity and local forest, and making home nurseries, we cangrow small, large, climbing vine, or any type of seedling. Inthe living fence it is good to have as many thorny plants aspossible, such as blackberry, Berberris, babool (Acacianilotica), baer (Aeglis), blackthorn, hawthorn, honey locust,mesquite (Prosopis),khayer (Acacia cat-echu), etc. Thornyplants are mainlyuseful around theboundary of the farm.

Choosing what to plant in the living fence

Living plantsmake a fence andalso give variousother products

A young livingfence on theedge of a field.

At high alti-tude, castor inthe fence pro-duces lots ofbiomass.

how to make aliving fence

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 10 - Living Fence

%

6 7

A fence can also beplanted within the

farm. Here, varioususeful trees are

planted along theedge of a path.

Within the farmand on the edge of

paths, usefulplants like worm-wood, Lucaena,lemon grass andmarigold havebeen planted.

The fence shadesthe path as wellas giving other

products.

Ipomea (morningglory) is grown

easily from directcuttings, andwoven into athick, strong

fence.

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 10 - Living Fence8 9

Lemon grasshelps to stopweeds fromgrowing intothe kitchengarden, andcan be cutfor mulch

In Britain, willowbranches are denselyplanted. They sprout

and are woven to-gether to make a

strong fence

Things to consider when making a living fenceAfter planting seed, seedlings or cuttings in the living

fence, mulch thickly with straw, leaf litter, etc. This controlsthe weeds, and allow the plants to grow well. Weeds needremoving, and the plants should be watered if possible. Re-place any plants that die.

Once the plants have grown, there is not much mainte-nance. Well planned harvesting of products from the fence is theonly maintenance that is needed. Cutting or pruning brancheswill give yields of fodder, firewood, mulch material, etc. If thereis too much shade, branches can be cut to let in more sun.

Firewood collected onlyfrom the living fence

MaintenanceMaintenanceHow to

maintain aLiving Fence

The Farmers' Handbook, "The Fields" Chapter 10 - Living Fence10

The kitchen garden needs a good fence around it toprotect against strong sun and wind, livestock, weeds andother harmful things. Inside the kitchen garden, each vegeta-ble bed can be surrounded by small fences of comfrey, lemongrass, basil, marigold, wormwood, and Adhatora which pro-tect against invasive weeds and even flying insect pests.There are other beneficial yields of mulch material, fodder,flowers, etc. This can also be called edge farming or com-panion planting.

Biomass cut from the livingfence helps to increase yields

from the land

Mulch fromoutside

Mulchfromedge

plants

Mulch fromagroforestry

water

æ

Æ

Mrs KhagisaraGharti


From Nepal, Surkhet district,Gumi - 3, Ratadada village,and a member of "Hariyali"women's group, MrsKhagisara Gharti has plantedher own living fence. Nowlet's hear what she says.

Mrs Khagisara Gharti

It's been 5-6 years since Iplanted our living fence. Ilearned it from the Homesteadprogramme (JPP). There aremany benefits from the fence.I'm always cutting fodder andbedding, firewood and so onfrom the fence. Leaves can be cut and mulched directly on thesoil, or carried to the livestock and used as bedding or fodder.Because it's in your own fence, it's close and only takes amoment to cut and gather. It takes a few years to start produc-ing well, but now this method has saved me a lot of time. I'veplanted mulberry, Lucaena, tree cotton, Ipomea, Melia, andthe like in the fence. If any gaps appear, I plant somethingelse to fill it straight away.

11

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Subjects Related to Living FenceThis chapter provides enough information for you to be

able to make your own Living Fence. However, this informa-tion is also linked to other methods. For extra benefits let'sread, learn and practice from other related chapters.

Read On !Read On !

Agroforestry chapterPlanting trees on farmland can bring farmers many benefits.But you can't plant just any tree, anywhere. This chapter givesinformation on how to plant trees without affecting farm yield.

Chapters on how to make various nurseriesDifferent types of nursery are needed to grow a variety ofdifferent plants. Information on how to build and managethe home nursery, fruit nursery, air nursery, hot bed and leafpots is given in these chapters.

Mulching chapterMulch keeps the soil covered, keeps weeds down and con-serves water. Information on how to mulch the soil is givenin this chapter.

Livestock Management chapterIn this chapter information is given about producing foddernear the house and other easy methods to improve manage-ment and health of livestock.

It has become difficultto increase production fromtraditional rice farming. Itneeds extra labour and a lotof compost. Farming withmodern methods is alsoexpensive in outside inputs.With conventional methods,only by using expensivechemical fertilisers, pesti-cides and hybrid seed canfarmers increase their pro-duction.

It is increasingly diffi-cult for ordinary farmers toafford all these things. It isalso known that usingchemicals is harmful to theenvironment

A clump of rice grown withthe SRI method. This hasgrown from a single seed.

So here we are demonstrating a new method of growingrice which can use local seed and organic compost, while stillincreasing rice production. This method is called “System ofRice Intensification” (S.R.I.), and in this chapter we de-scribe the principles and methods of SRI.

What isS.R.I. ?What isS.R.I. ?

The Farmers’ Handbook “The Fields” Booklet 11 - SRI Rice Cultivation

SRI involves four major changes from conventional riceproduction:

1. The seedlings grown in the nursery beds are transplantedafter just 8-10 days, or at the 2-leaf stage.

2. Seedlings are transplanted singly, not in a bunch.3. Seedlings are transplanted at a wide spacing, from 20 to

50 cm apart.4. Much less water is kept on the paddies.

1. The seedlings grown in the nursery beds are transplantedafter just 8-10 days, or at the 2-leafstage. It is the biological age of theseedling which is important rather thanthe number of days. In warmer areasthe 2 leaf stage is reached in just 8-10days. This may take 3 or even 4 weeksin colder areas. The old seed case isstill attached to the plant at this stage.Such a small seedling should be trans-planted with much care not to disturbthe roots, and when planting, the rootsshould be pointing down, not bent upwards as often happenswhen planting quickly. When are left pointing upwards, theability of the plant to grow and seed well is reduced. Whenthe seedling is planted small, it can grow without being dis-turbed, its roots grow bigger and so it can produce bettergrain.

2


do SRI ?WhyWhyBenefits of practicing SRI

2-leaf seedlings

♦ rice production increased♦ less water needed♦ less seed needed♦ no extra external inputs needed♦ can use local/traditional seed♦ due to better soil and water management:

- less pests & disease- better quality grain- more fertile soil

At Sunrise Farm in Kathmandu, Nepal, rice seed issown in old egg boxes filled with soil. This means less

root disturbance when planting the seedlings.3

do SRI ?How toHow to


2. Single seedlings are transplanted. In the conventional ortraditional method, a bunch of 3-6 seedlings are planted to-gether in a clump. This leads to competition between theroots, and later the leaves. Single seedlings do not competeand they can get more access to nutrients and water.

Conventional method SRI method

4 5

4. After transplanting, much less water should be allowedonto the paddy. In the conventional method, paddies are keptflooded only to control weeds in the rice. But this means thatless air is allowed in the soil. When the soil is waterlogged,scientists have found that up to 75% of roots can die. Whenthere is too much water, the roots do not grow well. In SRI,out once the seedlings are established, water is managed tokeep the soil moist and sometimes even dry. This promotesgood root growth, so the plant can find plenty of nutrientsfrom a bigger area.

paddy withthe rightmoisture

left right

alwayswet

sometimesdry,

sometimeswet

3. Seedlings are planted at wide spacing. There can be be-tween 20 to 50 cm between single seedlings. Seedlings thatare in clumps and planted close together suffer from competi-tion (as in 2. above). They will compete for water, nutrientsand light. Planting far apart means that each seedling has lotsof light and plenty of space to obtain nutrients and water.Also, when single seedlings are spaced wide apart much lessseed is needed. If the conventional method needs 100 kg perhectare of seed, with SRI only 7 kg of seed is needed to planta hectare.

On the left, as in the conven-tional method, the soil is alwayswet, air can’t get in the soil, soroots can’t grow well and there-fore find less nutrients. On theright, with the right moisture,

roots can grow well and so canfind more nutrients.

paddy withtoo wet soil


Josh

ua H

arbe

r

6 7

Seedlings areplanted when

they are 8-10 daysold (in warm areas)or whenever the 2-leaf stage isreached. At thistime the rice seedhusk is usually stillattached to theseedling.

Taking the above 4 differences into account, theSRI method is described below

As in the traditional paddy rice cultivation, first sow theseeds in a nursery, but sowing more thinly makes it

easier to transplant the small seedlings later on.

When transplant-ing the 2-leaf

seedlings great caremust be taken not todamage the roots, orexpose them to the sun.The seedlings should beplanted as soon as pos-sible - if possible within15-20 minutes of up-rooting. 2-leaved seedlings being

lifted from the nursery.

A rake isused to markout plantingdistances.The distancebetweenteeth of therake be-comes theplantingdistance ofthe seedlings

4 When planting the seedlings, the roots should pointdownwards, not be bent upwards.

2

Shyam’s rake hasholes on the hori-

zontal bar at differ-ent distances. Thismeans he can set

different widths tomark out his plant-

ing distances.

3

1


Gam

ini B

atuw

itage

For up to 2 weeks, as the seedlings are establishing , thepaddy should be kept wet. After this, water should be

managed to allow just the right amount of moisture. Onceevery 1-2 weeks the soil can be allowed to completely dryout, even crack. In the monsoon season, rain should beenough to satisfy water needs. If irrigation is needed, floodthe field once in the evening, allow it to soak in overnight,then drain off any excess water. When the rice flowers, morewater can be allowed to flood the field. From 3-4 weeks be-fore harvest, no irrigation should be done & the field drained.

CompostGood organic fertilizer for the soil is crucial for the

success of SRI, to give good root growth. Because plants arefar apart, mulch can also be added. Mulching will also helpcontrol the weeds. Green manures can also be used. For ex-ample, before planting rice, sesbania can be grown andploughed into the soil. Mustard can also be sown with thetransplanting to control weeds, and be dug in at time of firstweeding.

5

Gamini Batuwitage

Fields under SRI, one month after planting

Plant the seedlingssingly, one-by-one.

The distance betweenseedlings can be 20 to50cm. Farmers can re-search this themselves tofind which distance isbest for management andyield. Some farmersprefer 40cm, some 30, etc.

Gam

ini Batuw

itage

Theroots oftheseed-lingshouldpointdown-wards

Gam

ini B

atuw

itage

8 9

The seedlings arethen planted ac-cording to themarks of the rake,anywhere between20-50cm.

6

The Farmers’ Handbook “The Fields” Booklet 11 - SRI Rice CultivationThe Farmers’ Handbook “The Fields” Booklet 11 - SRI Rice Cultivation


Weeding Because seedlings are small and planted far apart, for upto 1 month the crop may look very poor. But at this time,most development is going on in the roots. In the secondmonth, tillering starts and in the third month the above-soilplant grows very fast and becomes a thick clump. Most workis needed at planting because the seedlings are small and needgreat care. But as experience grows, this work can be donefaster. Weeding takes more work than traditional paddy culti-vation, but production increases as a result. Mulching andgreen manures can reduce the amount of weeding needed.

Riceseedlings

Mustard greenmanure seen

close-up

At Sunrise Farm, after planting the rice agreen manure of mustard is sown. This helpsto control weeds, and after 2-3 weeks is dugin, which helps to aerate the soil as well as

providing a source of nutrients.

In SRI because the soil is not saturated with water, andseedlings are further apart, more work is required in weed-ing. The first weeding should be done about 10 days to 2weeks after transplanting. The next weeding may be 2weeks later. At least 3-4 weedings will be needed, but inSRI the more weeding is done, the better the rice productionwill be. Uprooted weeds should be left to rot on the soil.

Plant-ing time

After 1month

After 6weeks

After 2months

2-leafseedling

A little leafgrowth,

more rootgrowth

Rootgrowth

only Now the leavesstart to grow

fastTypicalgrowth pat-

tern in S.R.I.planted rice

1110 The Farmers’ Handbook “The Fields”The Farmers’ Handbook “The Fields”

The Farmers’ Handbook “The Fields” Booklet 11 - SRI Rice Cultivation12

Rice, plantedas single seed-lings at 40cmdistance, isstarting to

ripen.

After the SRI rice has been planted, green manures likeSesbania, mustard or buckwheat can be sown and then be dug intothe soil. Any form of mulch can be also be laid down. Either ofthese will help to control weeds as well as add fertility to the soil.

13

Rice plants inSRI method

On the leftis a rice

plant grownwith the SRIprinciples.

On the rightis a plant

grown withthe conven-

tionalmethod.

A machinefor weeding

between rowsof paddy.

This can onlybe used whenthe paddy is

flooded, or atleast very

wet.


Joel

ibar

ison

199

8

Comparison between conventional and SRI methods

No: seedlings per clump

No: tillers per seedling

No: seeds per tiller

No: seeds per plant

Yield (tonne/Ha)

Conventionalmethod

SRImethod

4

8.3

114

824

2.0

1

55

189

5858

7.3

14

Paddy managed under SRIhas shown good increasesin yield. Double yields arenot difficult to achieve, andsome farmers haveachieved up to 4 times theirnormal yield. To try outSRI, start experimentingwith the above ideas on asmall area of your land. Ifyou find good results, in-crease the area. Form anetwork with other farmersand research/developmentorganisations, so morepeople can try and share

experiences. Keep good records of inputs and outputs, andany new approaches which work well for you, in your area.

A large, multi-tillered clump ofrice from a single seedling


This booklet was produced with the participation of the SRIGroup-Nepal, an alliance of (I)NGOs and individuals interested to

research, evaluate and network SRI practice in Nepal.http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sri-nepal

[email protected] homepage (International) - http://ciifad.cornell.edu/sri/

My experience since 2001 has shown methat although SRI requires more thoughtand work in some areas, the benefitsmore than compensate for this. But I alsothink that once we get more practice anddevelope a habit of planting this way, jobs like planting seedlings andweeding, which take more time at the moment, will become quicker aswe get more experienced. You should take care not to put too muchwater on the fields. I use more mulch to control weeds. You shouldn’tweed late - this makes it more difficult later. Before if we weeded twice,with SRI we weed 3 or 4 times. I’ve used green manures of mustard andSesbania. This keeps the soil more loose and makes weeding easier.With mustard I got a benefit of some greens to eat as well asthe weed control and soil improvement. So overallI’ve seen that with extra work, the fruits aremore abundant!

Mr Shyam Shrestha, owner andmanager of Sunrise Farm, Sita Pailaon the outski-rts of Kathmandu inNepal, has been growing rice usingthe SRI principles since 2001. Nowlet’s hear about his experience.

Mr ShyamShresthaMr ShyamShrestha

Shyam Shrestha

15

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Subjects Related to SRIGood benefits can be had from the information in this

book about SRI. However, this information is also linked toother methods. For extra benefits let’s read, learn and practicefrom other related chapters.

Read On !Read On !

SRI chapter○

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Agro-Forestry chapter - how to plant and manage treeson farmland to increase and diversify farm yield

Compost chapter - information on how to makegood compost quickly is given in this chapter

Seed Saving chapter - information on methods to pro-duce and store various quality seeds at home

Mulching chapter - how to grow more crops withless work while keeping the soil covered

GreenManures

MulchingSeed Saving

Compost

Agro-Forestry

Green Manures chapter - use green manures to addfertility to the soil and produce more crops

the fields · this volume : 99933-615-4-2 the farmers' handbook is about techniques for...

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