AFSA: advancing agroecology practice/natural farming

AFSA is organizing 4 sessions in which organizations who are part of AFSA members will share how their work with farmers to advance agroecology practice/natural farming is going. The sessions will be from 1200 – 1330 East African time (1100 – 1230 SAT, 0900 – 1030 much of West Africa/UTC/GMT):

1. 27 January 
2. 10 February 
3. 24 February 
4. 10 March 

Objectives:

• Looking at the 9 principles of Natural Farming as developed by the Community Natural Farming programme in Andhra Pradesh from their experience, which are the two principles you would say you and the farmers you are working with are most effectively putting into practice? 
• Which two principles are you NOT addressing currently or if you are addressing all in some way, which two are you finding most challenging to address? Why?
• As a result of the sessions from the CNF in Andhra Pradesh, what have you started doing differently or more of? How has this been working out? What else are you planning to do, coming out of these sessions?

27 January 2022. AFSA: advancing agroecology practice/natural farming. 

• Ferdinand WAFULA - Coordinating officer at Bio Gardening Innovations [BIOGI], Eldoret, Western Kenya
  See: FAO/Agroecology Knowledge Hub: Bio gardening innovations [BIOGI]
  
  
  
  
• Nelson MUDZINGWA, Zimbabwe Smallholder Organic Farmers' Forum (ZIMSOFF), 
  See: FAO/Agroecology Knowledge Hub: Shashe Agroecology School: A true centre of Agroecology and practical food Sovereignty
  
  
  
  
• Josephine KIZZA St. Jude Family Projects and Rural Training Centre for Sustainable Integrated Organic Agriculture, based near Maska in Uganda
  St. Jude currently employs about 20 individuals. Most of the employees are related to the family, or live on or near farm property. Three to five Ugandan interns are taken on at a time. Boys from disadvantaged families in rural areas come and spend 6 months to a year learning better agricultural practice at St. Jude before returning to their families. St. Jude hosts trainings several times a weeks for groups of all sizes.

Webinar

• https://afsafrica-org.zoom.us/j/87645196601?pwd=S2czN1lrZE1rYW5YbDNpa0NuQjVxUT09
• Meeting ID: 876 4519 6601
• Passcode: 585005
• 1200 – 1330 East African time
• 1000 – 1130 CET

The nine principles of natural farming as developed by the Community Natural Farming programme in Andhra Pradesh:

1. Crop cover – aim towards having 365-day green cover
2. Crop diversity (including trees) – include at least 8 – 12 species in any one cropping area.
3. No/low till – keep tillage disturbance to a minimum, ideally not at all.
4. Integrate animals – have livestock as an integral part of the farming system
5. Use of bio-stimulants – select and use appropriate bio-stimulants to speed up life returning to soils
6. Organic matter addition – Increase OM through addition of dry mulches.
7. Local seeds – use only local/traditional seeds
8. Pest management (prevention/monitoring/curative/no pesticides) – understand pest life cycles and use non-poisonous methods to address the weakest link in pest life cycle.
9. No chemical stress – avoid all chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.