Sticky pesticide!
I have recently received some back issues of Footsteps and was very interested in all the correspondence about the use of neem as a pesticide and would like to add a further piece of information.
I am currently working in Cross River State, Nigeria, in the rain forest belt and one of the wettest places in the world. Here, one of the problems is that neem pesticide is soon washed off by the rain. However, it has been found that by breaking up pods of Tetrapleura tetraptera and boiling the pieces, a mucus-like liquid is formed. When mixed with the neem pesticide, this helps to ‘stick’ it onto the crops for three to six weeks. I include a diagram of the distinctive seed pod, (about 150 cm long) – often known as four corners or four sides – to help people see if they have it in their area. If it is not present, why not try using another plant which is able to produce the same sort of sticky substance? I am thoroughly enjoying Footsteps and hope to make good use of it in my work.
Justine Dunn, Calabar, Nigeria
Rabbits for healthy diets
Our work is mainly concerned with the nutrition of children under five in Nicaragua and Honduras. We try to encourage vegetable production and small livestock – mainly goats and rabbits. We now help over 800 projects. The rabbit dens are made with local materials. People feed the rabbits with local food – banana leaves, bananas, vegetable left-overs, etc. Each family needs four or five female rabbits plus a male rabbit to ensure at least one plate of meat a week. The skins are also sold. At first it was hard to convince people to drink goat’s milk – but now many people like it.
We find Footsteps very helpful and would like more copies to share with our groups.
J Francisco J Zapata, PROVIDENIC, Apdo 5051, Managua, Nicaragua
Reducing our need for chemical fertilisers
I recently compared the yield of maize using poultry manure and chemical fertiliser on an acre of my land. I divided the plot into two and dug in poultry manure on one half Plot A) and prepared the other plot B) where I planned to use NPK fertiliser. Then I planted maize seed the same day. Two weeks after germination I applied NPK fertiliser using the ring method to Plot B.
Both plots grew well and looked alike. When the maize matured I harvested each plot separately. Again, I wanted to avoid the use of chemicals in storage and knew that it was therefore very important to dry the cobs well. I tied cobs together in pairs and hung them in the branches of a large tree in front of my house.
The plot which was given NPK fertiliser gave a yield of 325 kg per half acre. The plot which received poultry manure gave a yield of 311 kg per half acre. Because the grains were dried well, I had no pest damage during storage.
The high cost of fertiliser in Nigeria has made it almost impossible for small scale farmers to buy it. Why don’t we launch a strong campaign to encourage farmers to use organic manure when the yields from its use are comparable to chemical fertilisers? When roasted, maize grown with organic manure tastes better. The same applies to crops like yam which store better if grown with organic manure. Organic manure improves the soil structure as well.
Jepshi M Yonbish, Boys’ Brigade, PO Box 9, Yaba Lagos, Nigeria.