Belt of maize at EbenezerHighlights:
• The winter wheat is still excellent and being harvested now. We are expecting 300kg per plot.
• We have harvested and sent 2,400 cabbages to market which is a phenomenal achievement for the apprentices. We are hoping to sent 2,500 cabbages weekly.
• We are harvesting onions and they have done extremely well.
• We are harvesting potatoes as well.
• We ventured into planting a variety of crops like butternut, covo, rape, peas, green peppers, beetroot and so on. The crops are growing well and we can serve a wider market.
• The winter wheat is still excellent and being harvested now. We are expecting 300kg per plot.
• We have harvested and sent 2,400 cabbages to market which is a phenomenal achievement for the apprentices. We are hoping to sent 2,500 cabbages weekly.
• We are harvesting onions and they have done extremely well.
• We are harvesting potatoes as well.
• We ventured into planting a variety of crops like butternut, covo, rape, peas, green peppers, beetroot and so on. The crops are growing well and we can serve a wider market.
Maize in a first year apprentice field. Looks great but it needs mulch.Challenges:
• Water: Our electricity supply has been erratic and load shedding seems to have intensified. This affects our watering of crops. We have a diesel pump as a back up measure but we use no less than 80 litres of diesel daily and this is not sustainable.
• Wild Life: We still have wild life coming to the fields and eating our crops.
• Pests & Diseases: Stork borer is affecting our maize and late blight is affecting our potatoes.
• Water: Our electricity supply has been erratic and load shedding seems to have intensified. This affects our watering of crops. We have a diesel pump as a back up measure but we use no less than 80 litres of diesel daily and this is not sustainable.
• Wild Life: We still have wild life coming to the fields and eating our crops.
• Pests & Diseases: Stork borer is affecting our maize and late blight is affecting our potatoes.
Nice size onions
Solutions:
• We are hoping to use 2 pumps. We have a lister pump that will support 2 electric pumps and we are hoping that it will manage when we have electricity load shedding.
• We are concluding clearing and putting up bushes fences to keep animals at bay. We also have 2 people employed to patrol the perimeters of the fields.
• We are spraying chemicals to combat stork borer and we are harvesting our potatoes which will combat late blight.
• We are hoping to use 2 pumps. We have a lister pump that will support 2 electric pumps and we are hoping that it will manage when we have electricity load shedding.
• We are concluding clearing and putting up bushes fences to keep animals at bay. We also have 2 people employed to patrol the perimeters of the fields.
• We are spraying chemicals to combat stork borer and we are harvesting our potatoes which will combat late blight.
By Molly Manhanga
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