CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE (CA)
THE BASICS
Conservation Agriculture is rooted in 3 principles:
1) Minimum Tillage
Reduced soil disturbance prevents erosion, conserves soil moisture, and increases efficacy of manure applied.
2) Soil Coverage
Soil cover is achieved through mulching, cover crops, and agroforestry. It reduces evaporation, suppresses weeds, recycles nutrients, prevents erosion, and builds soil structure.
3) Intercropping & Crop Rotation
Intercropping and crop rotation improve water and nutrient use, reduce pest and disease risk, and return nitrogen to the soil.
HOW PABALELO TRUST SUPPORTS CA
We work with farmers to find methods to achieve these principles while considering traditional agricultural practices, erratic rainfall patterns, and competing demands on farmers' time and resources. Pabalelo Trust offers:
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Practical training on CA, including soil health, field preparation, pest management, etc.
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Field support and troubleshooting for CA farmers
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Material support through use of equipment and provision of trees for agroforestry
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Organizational support for farming clusters
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Connecting farmers to markets for their crops
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Monitoring, evaluation, documentation, and research
WHERE WE DO CA
Pabalelo Trust works with farmers throughout the Okavango Panhandle, including five clusters in Samochima and one in Mohembo East.
WHO WE DO CA WITH
We primarily work with women farmers and their families to grow food and earn income in an environmentally sustainable way.
WHY CA?
Food production in the Panhandle region poses many challenges, from drought and erratic rainfall, poor and sandy soils, to livestock and wildlife interference. Because we partner with community members who largely depend on subsistence food production as their primary livelihood, most do not have access to expensive solutions such as mechanized irrigation and fertilizers. Conservation agriculture offers a way of improving soil health and water retention, and thereby crop yield, in an environmentally sustainable, climate-friendly way, without expensive equipment or chemicals.
BACKYARD GARDENS
THE BASICS
Pabalelo Trust works with gardeners to design solutions that are based on traditional knowledge and wisdom and pull inspiration from:
1) Permagardening
By building soil health through double-digging beds, applying compost and manure, companion planting, and practicing crop rotation, gardeners can repeatedly use the same land for food production.
3) Sustainable Solutions
We work to increase gardens' viability through composting, natural pest management, greywater recycling, and companion planting.
2) Water-Wise Gardens
Using methods of zaii holes, greywater recycling, drip irrigation, container and sack gardens combined with mulching and other methods of increase water retention, we help gardeners overcome drought and unreliable water sources.
4) Natural Resource Utilization
Pabalelo Trust is exploring income generation opportunities, particularly for women, through the sustainable gathering and processing of the abundantly growing fruits, leaves, nuts, and roots.
HOW PABALELO TRUST SUPPORTS GARDENING
We team up with existing and aspiring gardeners, schools, and NGOs to establish sustainable gardens that meet their needs. Support includes:
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Training on permaculture, including design, bed preparation, planting, pest control, and soil health
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Planning and digging gardens
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Linking needy families with resources such as seeds and shade nets
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Advisory site visits
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Connecting gardeners to markets for their produce
WHEN WE GARDEN
We and our partner gardeners produce food year round. However, our peak season begins with training and bed preparation in April.
WHO WE GARDEN WITH
We partner with families, especially woman-headed homes, to design and support gardens that meet their needs.
WHY GARDENS?
Though food production is a primary livelihood in the Panhandle region, various reasons prevent many community members from engaging in dry-land agriculture. Changes in land use policies have relocated agricultural fields far away from village centres. Household demands, particularly for women, can further disincentive them from engaging in dry-land agriculture. Backyard gardens offer an opportunity for year-round food production, as well as income generation, at home.
DEMONSTRATION PLOTS
WHY DEMONSTRATION PLOTS?
The farmers we work with face many challenges including erratic rainfall, drought, wildlife conflict, couch grass (Cynodon dactilon) infestation, poor and sandy soils, free-roaming cattle and goats which result in shortage of crop residue for mulch, and a variety of desert climate pests. Still, their courage, resilience, and dedication inspire us. Though we work alongside farmers to find solutions, we also pilot new methods to address these challenges and identify marketable crops in our own fields and gardens before bringing them to our communities.
THE BASICS
We aim to find solutions for small scale farmers and gardeners that work with the environment and culture of our region. Some of our pilot projects include:
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Greywater recycling for small home gardens
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Natural pesticides (e.g. Neem, marigolds, lemongrass, garlic etc.)
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Drip line irrigation in backyard gardens
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Integration of animals with farming for manure harvesting and insect control
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Zaii hole gardening
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Velvet beans to fight couch grass
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Chili plots for hot sauce
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Chili elephant-bombs
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Companion planting/intercropping
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Keyhole gardens
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Liquid manure
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Living fences
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Agroforestry for green manure (e.g. Faidherbia albida and Tephrozia trees)
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Conservation Agriculture variations (e.g ripping, furrowing, basins, cover crops)
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Medicinal plants (e.g. Moringa harvesting)
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Drying of greens (e.g. traditional foods including Amaranthus species)
We try various methods of minimum tillage, including digging basins, using a haraka planter, and ripper/ripper-furrowing fields.
We are working to incorporate livestock farming into crop production methods as natural means of pest reduction and a source of fertilizer.
Keyhole gardens offer methods of recycling grey water, producing compost, and reducing water consumption by delivering water directly to plants' roots.
We try various methods of minimum tillage, including digging basins, using a haraka planter, and ripper/ripper-furrowing fields.
YOUTH PROGRAMMES
WHY YOUTH?
At Pabalelo Trust, we know that to achieve a future with sustainable food security and sustainable livelihoods, we must invest in our youth today. We take a holistic approach to youth development through two programmes:
Environmental Education Club
Working with Samochima Primary School and SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund, Pabalelo Trust leads a weekly Environmental Education Club for 40-50 students ages 10-14. Members are able to explore our environment, learn about soils and gardening, and engage in activities to conserve our ecosystem in the Okavango Panhandle. Not only does this help students foster a sense of responsibility for their environment and the livelihoods it supports, but it also supports the development of confident, mindful leaders for the future.
Out of School Youth
Pabalelo Trust, through an endowment from WildCard (Netherlands), and in partnership with Samochima Village Development Committee, Village Extension Committee, and the local Councilor, are supporting youth who were school drop-outs to enroll in a tutoring program to repeat their Junior Certificate and/or General Certificate of Secondary Education. In addition to financial support and transport, Pabalelo Trust is providing life skills training in the areas of conservation agriculture, permagardening, auto maintenance, and other topics and mentoring these youths to successfully adhere to the programme and overcome the challenges young people face in rural Botswana.
