EcologicalFarmingManual

FortheAgahozoShalomYouthVillageAgriculturalProfessionalSkillsProgram

"Manyorganicpracticessimplymakesense,regardlessofwhatoverallagriculturalsystemisused.Farfrombeingaquaintthrowback
toanearliertime,organicagricultureisprovingtobeaseriouscontenderinmodernfarmingandamoreenvironmentally
sustainablesystemoverthelongterm."

DavidSuzuki

By:MelissaFlint,FarmandEnvironmentEducationVolunteer,2012
 Ethics of Permaculture..................................................................23
Table of Contents Principles of Permaculture............................................................23
1. Observe and interact............................................................23
Introduction and Further Resources....................................................3 2. Multiple Functionality.........................................................23
Why Organic? Why Ecological Farming Methods?...........................3 3. Resiliency and Redundancy.................................................23
Soil Life.....................................................................................4 4. Relative Location.................................................................24
Chemical Fertilizers and their Effects on the Soil..........................4 5.Use Biological and Renewable Resources............................24
Methods of Ecological Agriculture.....................................................5 6. Catching and Storing Energy...............................................24
Compost..........................................................................................5 7. Collaborate with Succession................................................25
How to make a Hot Compost Pile..............................................6 8. Small-Scale, Intensive Systems...........................................25
Mulching.........................................................................................7 9. Obtain a Yield......................................................................25
Green manures................................................................................8 10. Use & Value Diversity.......................................................25
Fertility trees/Agroforestry.............................................................8 11.The Problem is the Solution................................................25
Crop Rotation.................................................................................9 12.Use the Edge and Value the Marginal.................................25
Plant Families...........................................................................10
Water Conservation and Swales...................................................12
How to make a swale...............................................................13
Tree Nursery......................................................................................14
What you need to establish a nursery...........................................14
Types of Trees...............................................................................15
Tree Seeds.....................................................................................16
Planting seeds...........................................................................16
Seed saving..............................................................................17
Buying Seeds...........................................................................17
Storing Seeds...........................................................................17
Planting trees from Cuttings.........................................................17
Care of Nursery Seedlings............................................................18
Planting the Trees Outside............................................................18
Grafting.........................................................................................19
Vegetable Seed Saving......................................................................20
Reasons to Save Seeds..................................................................21
How do Plants Reproduce?...........................................................21
Techniques for Seed Saving..........................................................22
Permaculture......................................................................................23

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 WhyOrganic?WhyEcologicalFarmingMethods?
IntroductionandFurtherResources
Ecologyisconcernedwiththerelationshipsbetweendifferent
ThismanualistohelptheASYVProfessionalSkillsstudentsto componentsinasystem.Whenwelookatalltheanimalsand
learnmoreaboutecologicalagriculturalmethods.Modern plantsinanecosystem,wefindthateverythingis
farmingisawidefield,andsometimesitisequatedonlywith interconnected.
chemicals,machinesandlargescalefarmingoperations.In
fact,therearemanywaysthatecologicalfarmingischanging
thefieldofmodernagriculture.Ecologicalfarmingisthe
futureofahealthy,sustainablefoodproductionsystem.
Formoreresourcesonecologicalfoodproduction:
Permaculture
BillMollisonPermacultureADesigners'Manual
GardenAfrica,JohnNziraGrowingHealth:Aguide
toEstablishingSustainableFood&MedicinalHerb
GardensinSouthernAfrica
TobyHemenwayGaia'sGarden
http://www.patternliteracy.com/
DaveHolmgren,GeoffLawton
SeppHolzerhttp://www.krameterhof.at
Therelationshipsareimportantforcreatinghealthyliving
ElliotColemanFourSeasonHarvest
systems.Afarmoragardencanbedesignedandmaintained
www.fourseasonfarm.com
inawaytopromotegoodrelationshipsandbuildsoilfertility,
MasanobuFukuokaOneStrawRevolution andsoilcomplexity.Withhealthysoilsyoucanproducemore
www.onestrawrevloution.net foodovertime.Ecologicalfarmingissimpleandtakeslittle
inputs.Itishealthierforpeople,plants,animalsandour
SuzanneAshworthSeedtoSeed:SeedSavingand
environmentthanusingchemicalsfertilizersandpesticides.
GrowingTechniquesforVegetableGardeners
JoelSalatinhttp://www.polyfacefarms.com/

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Soil Life
Soil is made up of non-living components like
sand, clay, silt, air, water, minerals and living
components. The living components of soil are
made up of bacteria, fungi, insects, plants and
animals. All these soil organisms have the role
of breaking down and cycling nutrients so that
they can then be used by the plants. Healthy
soils will have a wide variety of soil organisms
and a stable form of organic matter called humus.
Humus is desirable in agricultural soils because
it can hold a large quantity of water, nutrients
and it buffers pH.
ChemicalFertilizersandtheirEffectsontheSoil
Inthelast80years,theuseofchemicalfertilizersand
pesticidesinagriculturehasincreased.Thesechemical
fertilizersareminedandcreatedandfactoriesandthen
distributedtofarmersallovertheworld.Chemicalfertilizers
maycauseashorttermincreaseinplantgrowth,butinthe
longtermtheirnegativeeffectswillreducethesoilfertilityand
theabilitytogrowfood.
Insoilsthathavebeenfertilizedbychemical
fertilizers,thesoillifeisdepletedofliving
organismsandhumus.Thisisbecausewhen
chemicalfertilizersareappliedinsteadof
organicmanures,thesoilorganismshave
nothingtodecompose,nothingtoeat.
Humuscannotbebuiltfromminerals.Ithas
tostartwithorganicmaterialssuchas
manures,grass,andleaves.
Chemicalfertilizersaretypicallyappliedat
higherratesthancanbetakenupbyplants.
Plantscanonlytakeupasmallquantityof
thenutrientsatatime,andtherestwashes
intotheenvironment.Highlevelsofchemicalnutrientsin
wells,rivers,soilsandlakescancauseproblemsforanimals,
plantsandhumans.Highexposuretothesechemicalscanlead
tocanceranddiseaseinhumans,animalsandplants.
Applyingchemicalfertilizersreducesthediversityandquantity
ofsoillife.Assuch,everyyear,farmersmustapplymore
chemicalfertilizerstogetthesameyields.Inaddition,plants
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fertilizedbychemicalfertilizersaregenerallymoresusceptible
topestsanddiseasesthanthosegrowninhealthysoils.Just Compost
likeyourintestinesarefullofdifferentkindsofbacteriatokeep Compostisusedasawaytobuildsoilfertilityandinoculate
youhealthy,andfightagainstbadones,soisthesoil.Ifyou thesoilwithbeneficialorganisms.Onceyoursoilstartshaving
havelowsoillife,thensomeofthebadbacteriaandfunguscan thesebeneficialorganismsandrichhumus,yourplantswillbe
growuncheckedonyourplants. morehealthy.Compostismadefromleftoverplantmaterial
likeleaves,grass,weeds,leftoverhulls,husks,andmanure
(cow,chicken,goat,etc),vegetablescrapsandwoodymaterial.
MethodsofEcologicalAgriculture
Thegoodnewsisthatgrowingorganicallyisnotdifficult.It
takeslittleininputsandcanbeveryrewardinginthelongterm
asyoursoildiversitygrows.Therearemanymethodsto
growingorganicbutthefocusisalwaysonhowtomakethe
soilbetter,becausethisiswhereyourfoodcomesfrom.Afew
techniquesforbuildingsoilfertilityarecompost,mulch,green
manuresandagroforestry.

Pit style compost for cow manure at ASYV

Compostcanbemadeofmanydifferenttypesofmaterialsand
indifferentways.Youcanputallyourwastematerialsinapit
orapileandwaitforittodecompose.Thiswayhasthe
advantageofbeingsimpleandeasy.

Youcanalsomakeahotcompostpile.Inhotcompostyouare
tryingtoachievecertainenvironmentalconditionstoattract
beneficialmicroorganismstodecomposeyourmaterials.Hot
composthastheadvantageofkillingweedseedsanddiseases
throughtheheat.Thedisadvantageisthatitismoretime
consumingtobuildandturn.

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 Yourcompostpilewillgenerallyheatupin67daysafteryou
HowtomakeaHotCompostPile makeit.Afteryourpilehasheateduptherewillbeacooling
Youmakeahotcompostpilebylayeringmanure(greens)and downphasewherehumuswillform.Then,yourcompostwill
matureandsoilanimalswillmove.Generallyyouwillsee
drygrass(browns)ontopofeachotheruntilyourpileisat
leastonecubicmeter.Breakupanybigpiecesandtrytofluff molds,bacteriaandfungifollowedbyanimalslikewormsand
upthematerialsasyouarebuildingit.Wateritandcoveryour mites,followedbypredatorysoilanimalslikebeetles,
compostpilewithbananaleavesorsheeting(tarp)toprotectit centipedesandants.Yourcompostpileisfinishedwhenitisa
fromthesunandrain.Youcanturnyourcompostoftenifyou browncolour,hasanearthysmell,finetextureandtheinitial
materialscannotbeidentified.
wantittobreakdownquickly,oryoucanletitheatupand
thenturnitonceortwice.Theturningaddsairinthepileand
makessureallmaterialsarecompostedevenly.Waitfor16
monthsdependingonclimateandmaterials.

Compost
Fiveconditionsformakinganaerobiccompost:

1. Pilesize
Yourminimumsizeshouldbeonecubicmeter.
Itwillshrinkdownasitcomposts.Youwill
probablyloseaboutthevolumewhenit
isdone.
Onecubicmeterprovidesenoughspacefor
heatingandsetsastableenvironmentfor
Hot compost pile at ASYV farm. Banana leaves cover the pile to protect
microorganisms.
from the sun and rain
2. Carbontonitrogenratio(30to1)

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 Youneedtohaveamixtureofgreens(nitrogen Mulching
rich)andbrowns(carbonrich)
Mulchinghasmanyadvantagesonanecologicalfarm.This
Greensarethingslikekitchenwaste,freshweeds
techniqueisalreadyusedinmanyplacesontheASYVfarm.
andplants,animalmanure
Manymaterialscanbeusedformulchsuchasgrass,leaves,
Brownsarethingslikefallenleaves,drygrass,
branches,bananaleaves/stemsevencardboard.
straw,choppedsticks,newspaper,sawdust,

Greens- like these weeds Browns-like these corn husks

3. Moisture
Youwantittobelikeawrungoutsponge.Micro
organismsneedwatertolive.
4. Air
Mulchingdoesthefollowing:
Createamixtureofdenseandlightermaterials.
Coarsematerialscanbehelpfulbylettingairin protectsthesoilfromerosion
thepilebutiftheyaretoobigthentheywon't
keepsthesoilmoist
breakdown.Ifyouwantyourcomposttobreak
downreallyfastyouneedtocutthingsupwell. addsnutrientsintothesoilasitdecomposes
5. Heat
reducesgerminationofweeds
Youwantittogethotenough.Ahotcompostpile
shouldheatupto3050C.Ifyouputyourhand
inthemiddleofthepile,thiswillbequitehot.

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Greenmanures
Covercropsorgreenmanuresareusedtoprotectthesoilfrom
erosion,fromrain,toenrichthesoilwithnitrogen,toloosen
thesoil(ifitisveryhard),toreduceweeds,reducepestsand
diseasesandtoaddorganicmaterialtothesoil.Theycanbe
plantedunderneathcropsorinbetweenplantingtimes.They
growintoasolidcoveroverthegroundtoprotectthesoilfrom
rains,erosionandweeds.Whentheyarelushandgreen,
beforeseeding,theyarecutdowntofeedthesoil.
Someexamplesofcovercropsare:clover(Trifoliumsp.),
cowpeas(Vignaunguiculata),buckwheat(Fagopyrumsp),
blackeyedpeas(Vignaunguiculata),pigeonpea(Cajanus
cajan),Jackbean(Canavaliaensiformis),Lablab(Lablab
purpureus),Velvetbean(Mucunapruriens),sesbania,tephrosia
andryegrass(Loliumsp).
Ryegrass and vetch used to cover the
growing area at Linnaea farm, BC, Canada
between plantings
Fertilitytrees/Agroforestry
Treescanbeveryhelpfulonfarms.Notonlycantheyproduce
foodforhumansandanimals,buttheycanpreventerosion,
accumulatenutrients,reducewinderosion,provideshade,
firewood,materialsformulchandhabitatforanimals.In
farmingsystems,theyaremostoftenplantedinrowsaround
thefarm,alongpaths,fencesandinsidethefarmlandin
narrowstrips.Thiswaytheycanprovidethemostbenefit
whilereducingharm(usuallyshadeandnutrientcompetition).
Agroforestryspeciesareusuallyspeciesthathavedeeproots
thatdon'tcompetewithfoodplants,arenitrogenfixingorare
goodfoodproducers.Someexamplesofagroforestrytrees
usedinRwandaare:
Calliandracalothyrus
nitrogenfixingshrub,itcanbeusedtostabilizefrom
erosion,providefodderforcowsandgoatsandhelp
improvepoorsoil,rootsdonotcompetewithcrops
Cedrelaserrata
usedforwoodforfurnitureandpoles,plantedasa
shadetreeinteaandcoffeeplantations,young
leavescanfeedcows
Grevillearobusta
flowersforattractingbees,usedforwood,usedasa
windbreak,hasdeeproots
Leucaenadiversifolia
nitrogenfixingplant,shade,tostabilizeerosion,to
improvethesoil
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 Moringaoleifera
sparsecanopysogoodforintercropping,fixes
nitrogen,leavesareverynutritiousforpeopleand
animals,windbreak,canwithstandlongdryperiods,
protectsfromsoilerosion
Alnusacuminate
fixesnitrogen,hasathickcanopysoconservessoil
moisture,goodforstabilizingslopes
CropRotation
Croprotationiswhenyoumovethetypesofcrops,specifically
withinfamilygroups,aroundeveryyearsothatpests,diseases
andweedsdon'tbuildupinthesoilandthenutrientbalance
canbemaintained.Italsoplansindiversitytothefarm
ecosystemwhichisimportantforhealthysoilsandcropsas
wellasdiversifiedfarmincome.Acroprotationisusuallyona
4yearcycle.Oneofthosefouryearsisusuallyplantedwith
cropsorplantsthatwillenrichthesoil.

In this diagram Brassicaceae follow

Sesbania, Grevilla, Croton, Eucalyptus surrounding a fodder
field growing at Balitah Permaculture Farm, Western Kenya
Apiaceae/Chenopodaceae, Fabaceae,Solanaceae,
and Curcurbitaceae
Sometimesfarmersforgetaboutcroprotationbecausetheyare
notinthehabitofkeepinggoodrecordsorrememberingwhat
theyplantedwhere.However,croprotationisjustas
importantifnotmore,thanfertilization,tillingtechniquesand
weeding.

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Whyiscroprotationimportant? Allowingthelandtorestisalsoanimportantpartofcrop
rotation.Oftentimesthismeansgrowingacovercrop.
Varietygivesstabilityinthefarmecosystem
Althoughthiscropwillnotproduceanyincome,itisimportant
Cropshavedifferentnutrientneeds
forthehealthofyoursoilandplants.Ifthelandislefttorest
Somecropsareheavyfeederssuchastomatoes itisimportanttostillhavemulchoracovercropsothatthe
andcucumbers.Addcomposttotheseplants,and soildoesnotleachawaynutrientsintherainandwind,or
thenthenextyeargrowsomethinglikelegumes growmanyweeds.
thathavelowernutrientrequirements.
Youdon'tneedtoputcompost,manureorother
amendmentseverywhere.Youjustneedtodoit PlantFamilies
foraspecificcropandthenitwillbenefitthenext Hereisanoverviewofsomeofthe
plantsinthecroprotationcycle.Eg.When commonvegetableplantfamilies.
plantingbrassicas,addsomewoodashbecauseit
isalkalineanditbenefitsthebrassicas.Thiswill Solanaceae(Tomatofamily)
alsobenefitthewholegardenbykeepingthesoil Thisfamilyincludestomatoes,
atamoreneutralpH. peppers,hotpeppers,eggplants,
Croprotationbreaksupthecyclesofpestsanddiseases tobaccoandpotatoes.Thisfamily
Vegetableswithinfamilygroupslikesolanaceae usuallyfeedsheavilyandis
(potatoes,peppers,tomatoes,eggplants)and susceptibletofungaldiseases,
brassicas(cabbage,kale,broccoli,cauliflower) bacterialwiltsandnematodes.
willsufferfromsimilarpestsanddiseases. Brassicaceae(Cabbagefamily)
Weedcontrolsomecropsreduceweedsbecauseofthe
waytheygrow,orhowtheyarecultivated(ex.potatoes, Thisfamilyincludescabbage,mustards,kale,cauliflower,
squash). broccoliandradishes.Thisfamilylikesfertile,wetsoil.Itis
Soilstructuredifferenttypesofplantshavedifferent susceptibletoclubrootfungusaswellassometypesof
rootstructuressotheywillbringnutrientstothesurface caterpillars.
andpenetratethesoilindifferentways.Varyingthetype Cucurbitaceae(CucumberFamily)
ofplantsthatareinthesoilbenefitthesoilstructure.
Thisfamilyincludescucumbers,melons,squashesandgourds.
Itisaheavyfeeder.Thisfamilyissensitivetofunguslike
powderymildewandfusariumwilts.

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Liliaceae,Alliums(OnionFamily) Therearemanyotherplantsandplantfamiliessuchascassava,
Thisfamilyincludesonions,leeks,shallots,chivesandgarlic.It taro,yams,sweetpotato,thataregoodcropsasacleanercrop
forthesoilbeforetherotationbeginsagain.
isamoderatefeeder.Alliumsaresusceptibletofungus,
particularlywhiterot. ExamplesofCropRotationPlans
Apiaceae(Carrotfamily) Example1
Thisfamilyincludescarrots, 1. fertilitybuilding(covercrop)
celery,parsley,cilantro,fennel 2. brassicaceaeorsolanaceae
anddill.Theyaremoderate
feeders,andcarrotsdonotdo 3. maize,cucurbitaceae
wellinsoilwithnewmanure. 4. legumes
Carrotsaresubjecttocarrotrust
flyandsoilnematodeswhichcan 5. rootcrops(cassavasweetpotato)
causeholesinthecarrots. Example2
Fabaceae(BeanFamily) 1. fertilitybuilding
Thisfamilyincludesbeans,peasandpeanuts.Allmembersof 2. brassicaceaeorsolanaceae
thisfamilyhaveasymbioticrelationshipwithbacteriaintheir
3. onionorbeets
rootswhichhelpstofixnitrogen.Thisfamilycanbeweakened
byfungusandnematodesthatattacktheroots. 4. legumes
Chenopodaceae(BeetFamily) 5. carrots
Thisfamilyincludesbeets,chardandspinach.Thesegenerally Example3
requireamoderateamountofsoilfertility. 1. fertilitybuilding,chickens,miscellaneous
2. beans,cornandmisc.(addcompost)
Asteraceae(LettuceFamily)
3. solanaceae(addcompost)
Thisfamilyincludeslettuce,andsunflowers. 4. brassicaceaeandpeas
Poaceae(CerealsFamily) 5. cucurbitaceae,miscellaneous

Thisfamilyincludesmaize,sorghum,riceandmillet.

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 Swalesareditchesalongthecontourlinetocapturewater.A
Water Conservation and Swales contourlineisanlinemadeupofpointsofthesameelevation.
Waterisapreciousandlimitedresourcesoitshouldbe Theyacttocapturewatersothatitcandraindeepintothesoil
conservedandusedefficientlyinanecologicalgarden.Some andreplenishthewatertableunderyourgarden.Thiswill
ofthebestwaystoconservewaterinthesoilcomesfrom: increasethemoistureonthelandandmakeitmoreproductive.
increasingorganicmattercontent
Theswalesshouldbeplaced
deepmulching
alongthecontourlinesothatit
locatingplantsaccordingtotheirwaterneeds
canholdthewater.Ifitis
denseplantings slightlydownhilloruphillthe
soilcontouring. waterwillbelost.
Mostpeopleknowaboutterracingasawaytocapturewater Thelowersideoftheswale
andreducesoilerosion,butsoilcontouring,orswalescanalso wallscanbeplantedwith
beaneffectivetooltoconservewaterinthesoil. shrubsortreestosecurethe
wallduringheavyrains(pigeon
peas,tephrosia,etc).

Theinsideoftheswalescanbe
plantedwithfastgrowingtrees
toactaswindbreakstothe Swale with bananas planted
cropsgrevillea,bananas, inside at Balitah Permaculture
sesbania. Farm, Kenya

Theswalescanbeplaced10mapart.Onsteepslopesplacethe
swalesclosertogether,oronslopesthathaveheavy,compacted
soils,whereitismoredifficultforwatertoinfiltrate.

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 Choosethestartingpointoftheswale.MovetheAframeacross
How to make a swale thelandbyreversingthefeetandbalancingtheweightto
FindthecontourlinebyusinganAframe.Aframesarevery determinethecontour.KeeptheAframeuprightwhilefinding
simpletomake. thecentre.Itisimportanttoreversethefeetbecauseoneside
1. Taketwopieceofwood(orothermaterial)thatareof oftheAframewillmeasuretheelevationslightlydifferentthan
equallengthandattachthemwithsomenails.Thefeet theother.Whenyoureversethefeeteverytimeitaverages
oftheAframeshouldbeatleast1.5mwide. alongtheline.Markthecontourlinewithsticksorrocks.
2. Putacrosspiecetoforman'A'.
3. Placeastringwithaweightthatcomesjustbelowthe
crossbar.Theweightcanbeastone,abottlewithwater,
orsomethingelse.Theweightmustbeheavyenoughto
pulldownthestringandnotwaveronawindyday.
4. TofindthecentreoftheAframe(orwheretheAframe
islevel),placetheAframeuprightandmarkonthe
crossbeamwherethestringcrosses.ThenreversetheA
frame,placingeachfootwheretheoppositefootwas
before.Markonthecrossbeamagainwherethestring
crosses.Thecentreishalfwaybetweenthetwomarks.

Professional Agriculture Students finding the

contour line using an A-frame at ASYV
Digtheswales0.3mdeepand0.45mwide.Putthesoilonthe
downslopesideofthehill.Youcancheckthebottomofthe
swalewiththeAframetomakesureitislevel.Youcanalso
digpitsand/orplantwaterlovingplantsinthesepitsalongthe
lengthoftheswale.Sometimesyouwillneedtocleanoutthe
swaleifitstartscollectingsedimentfromrunoff.

Ingeneral,themorewater(fromrainfallornonabsorbent
soils),thebigger,andmorenumeroustheswales.Afterdigging
theswalesyoucanplanttheberm(downslopehill)tomakeit
A -frame with wide base and a water bottle as a
weight morestableandmultifunctional.

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 isanaturalprocessbywhichgrasslandturnintoshrubs,into
TreeNursery youngforestandintoamatureforest.Theshrubswillprovide
shadefortheyoungtreeswhichwillcreatedtheyoungforest
InRwanda,woodisusedforbuildings,furnitureandfirewood. andthenthematureforest.
Treesneedtobereplantedinordertoreplenishwhathasbeen
taken.Ifnobodyreplantsthetreesthataretaken,thenthe
futuregenerationswillsufferbecausetheywillnothave
buildingmaterials,firewood,andtheenvironmentwillalso
suffer.Atreenurserycanbeusedtohelpreforestation,for
agroforestry,togenerateincomefromthematuretreesandasa
businessbysellingsmalltrees.
Treescan:
buildsoil
preventerosion
conservesoilmoisture
providefruit
shade
foodforanimals
woodforcookingandheat Whatyouneedtoestablishanursery
woodformakinghouses,furniture,fences Water:Youneedagoodwatersourcetoestablisha
nursery.Withoutwateryourseedlingwilldie.The
habitatforanimals source,quantityandreliabilityofyourwatersourcecan
buffertheeffectsofclimatechange determinehowmanytreesyoucangrow
Soilcanbemadebymixingcompostoragedmanure
withlocalsoilandsand.Thesoilmixtureshouldbewell
Sometreescantakeaverylongtimetoestablishthemselves,
drainedandrelativelyhighinnutrients.
andsomegiveayieldwithin13years.Plantadiversityof
treestoencouragethenaturalprocessofsuccessionandto Ifyoufindyoursoilmixtureistooheavy,addsandto
spreadouttheincomeandproductsoftheforests.Succession makeitbetterdrained.

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 Itisalsoimportanttosieveyoursoilbeforeyouplace
itinthetubes. TypesofTrees
Mixonewheelbarrowofcomposttoone Decidingthetypesoftreesyouwanttogrowmaydependon
wheelbarrowoflocalsoil.Mixandsieveitandthen themarket,theneedandtheavailabilityofseedsinyourarea.
placeitinthetubes. Therearemanydifferentkindsoftrees:treesthatprovidefruit,
nuts,wood,medicine,beauty,shade,foodforanimalsetc.
Shade.Shadeisneededsothatthesoildoesnotdryout
quicklyandbecausethesmalltreescanbesensitiveto Table1:TreesgrowninEastAfrica
intenselight.Usuallynurseriesaresituatedunderabig
Scientific English MainUses Indigenousor
treeorundershadecloth.
Name Name Exotic
Artocarpus Jackfruit Fruit,shade Exotic
heterophyllus
Calliandra Calliandra Fodder,erosion Exotic
calothyrsus control,nitrogen
fixation
Cyphomandr Tree Fruit,beeforage Exotic
abetacea tomato
Acaciasp. Acacia Shade,beeforage, Indigenous
fodder,livingfence (someare
exotic)
Annona Wild Fodder,fruit, Indigenous
senegalensis custard medicine
Screen for sieving soil and compost apple
Markhamia Markhamia Poles,furniture, Indigenous
lutea (Umusave) boatbuilding,bee
forage
Moringa Moringa Medicine,oil, Exotic
oleifera vegetable,
Nitrogenfixation

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Scientific English MainUses Indigenousor TreeSeeds
Name Name Exotic
Morusalba Mulberry Feedingsilkworms, Exotic Planting seeds
fodder,fruit, Seedsneedtobeburiedabout12timestheirsize.Thuslarge
ornamental,shade seedsareburieddeeperandsmallseedsareplantednearthe
Persea Avocado Fruit,oil,shade, Exotic topofthesoil.Seedsandplantsneedtobestartedsothatthey
americana timber canbeplantedoutfortherainyseason.Somelongermaturing
plantslikeEucalyptus,Grevilleaandindigenousspeciesshould
Eribotrya Loquat Fruit Exotic
beplantedinMayandSeptember.Fastgrowingnitrogenfixing
japonica
speciescanbeplantedinJuneandOctober.Thesetimingdates
Erythrina Flametree Furniture,soil Indigenous mightvarydependingontheclimaticconditionsinyourarea.
abyssinica (Umuko) conservation, Generallyyouwantthetreetobebigenoughtoplantoutside
timber,habitatfor bythetimetherainyseasoncomes,withniceroots,butnot
animals rootbound.
Eucalyptus Eucalyptus Poles,timber,fire Exotic Someseedsneedpretreatmenttoencouragegermination.In
sp. wood,essentialoil nature,someseedswillonlygerminateafterpassingthrough
Grevillea Grevillea Furniture,poles, Exotic thedigestivesystemofananimalorbybeingburnt.Some
robusta shade,timber seedsdonotneedanypretreatment.Askalocalagricultureor
forestryagent,andneighboursifyouarehavingdifficulty
Jacaranda Jacaranda Ornamental,shade Exotic germinatingcertainkindsofseeds.Pretreatmentcaninvolve:
mimosifolia
soakinginhotorcoldwater
Macadamia Macadamia Nut,oil, Exotic
integrifolia nut ornamental,timber chipping,filing,cracking,burning,nicking
Mangifera Mango Fruit,shade Exotic soakinginacid
indica
Sesbania Sesbania Soilimprovement Indigenous Manytreeshaveseedsbigenoughtoplantinthetubes.
sesban HoweverforsomeseedslikeEucalyptusandAlnus,arequite
smallandwillneedtobeplantedinbeds.Whentheyhave
developed23trueleavestheycanbecarefullytransplanted
intopotsandtreatedliketheotherplants.

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Seed saving Storing Seeds
Seedsavingcangreatlyreducethecoststoyournursery.At Placetheseedsinapaperbag,sackorothercontainerand
AgahozoShalom,thereisadecentdiversityoftreespeciesin clearlylabelthespecies,dateofcollectionandplaceof
theNaturePark,andaroundthevillage.Treesproduceseedat collection.Storeinacool,dryplace,awayfromdirectlight.
differenttimesoftheyeardependingonthespecies.
Manytypesofseedsareproducedbysexualreproduction.The PlantingtreesfromCuttings
seedswilltakeoncharacteristicsofbothparents.Youmaynot
Growingtreesfromcutting(piecesofbranchesorroots)isa
beabletotellthecharacteristicsofthemaletree(ifthespecies
typeofvegetativecloning,sothenewplantswillbecopiesof
hasmaleandfemaleflowersondifferenttrees),butyoucan
theparentplant.Assuch,itisimportanttoonlytakecuttings
stillevaluatethecharacteristicsofthemothertree.Youwant
fromhealthytreesthathavedesirablecharacteristics(eg.good
toselectseedsfromhealthytreeswith,forexample,nicefruit.
qualityfruit,nicecanopy,straightwoodetc).
Ifpossible,collectseedsfrommorethanonetreethatare
distancedawayfromeachotherfordiversity.

Umuko (Flame tree, Erythrina abyssinica)

seeds collected at ASYV

Buying Seeds
SeedscanbeboughtfromlocalcooperativesinRwanda,as
wellastheUniversityofButare.Makesuretheseedsarenot Student at Bukati Primary School ,
morethanayearold. Western Kenya, taking cuttings from a
Mulberry Tree (Morus alba)

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Howtoselectcuttings
selecthealthy,diseasefree,youngtrees
cuttingsshouldhaveatleast4budeyesornodes
makeaslantingcutatthebase(forlargersurfacearea
forrootformation)
makeastraightcutatthetop(toreducesurfaceareafor bedsorpots.Examinethe
dryingout)
Node with eye buds
Plantthecuttingsimmediatelyinpreparedpots,bedsor
directlyintotheground(intheearlyrainyseasononly).
CareofNurserySeedlings
Asthetreesgrow,youwillneed
tomakesuretowaterona
regularbasis.Makesureyou
arenotlettingthemgodry,or
wateringtoomuch.Weedthe
bottomofthepotsfortaproots.
Cutthemoffiftheydevelop.
Althoughtaprootsare
beneficialwhenthetreesare
plantedoutside,theyarenot
goodinyournurserybecauseit
willmakeitmoredifficultto
transplantthetrees. Students at Buduma School,
Kenya, taking care of the tree
nursery
PlantingtheTreesOutside
Beforethetreesareplantedoutside,youcangraduallymove
themtothesunandreducewater.Plantingshouldoccurinthe
earlyrainyseasonsothetreeswillhaveenoughtimeto
establishtheirrootsbeforethedryseason.
Clearawayvegetationintheplantingsite.Digaholelarger
thanthesmalltrees(30cmwideanddeep).Itisbeneficialto
makeasmalldepressionaroundthehole,pilingsoilonthe
downslopesideofthetreesothatwhenitrains,therainwill
bekeptinthehole.Gentlyremovethetreefromit'spotand
plantinthehole.Pilethesoilaroundthetree.Waterifthere
isnorainthatday.Youcanalsoputbranchesaroundthetree
tomakeacagetoprotectthetreesfromgrazinganimals.
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 toprovidepollensource(manytypesoffruitneeda
differentvarietyoffruittopollinateit,toensurea
betterfruitset)

Therearemanydifferenttechniquesforgrafting.Themain
ideaistoconnectthevasculartissue(cambiumlayer)ofthe
rootstockandthescionwood(woodyouhavecutfromthe
Mango tree planting at ASYV village goodtree).Vasculartissueisthetissueunderthebarkthat
Grafting transportswater,nutrientsandsugarsintheplant.Themost
typicalgraftsarecleft(v)grafts,whipandtonguegraftand
Treesaretypicallygraftedtopropagateagoodvarietyoffruit. budgrafts.
Treesgrownfromseedsdonottypicallyyieldthesametypeof
fruitastheirparents.Thetreesaregraftedinstead.The
rootstockswillgivethetreeitsoverallshapebutthescion
woodthatisgraftedonwilldeterminethetypeoffruit.Some
rootstockshavebeendevelopedsothatthetreesgrowsmall
(dwarfrootstocks)orarediseaseresistant.Dwarftreesare
generallyeasiertopickthanstandardtrees,andgivefruit
faster,buttheydon'thavethelongevityofstandardtrees.
Treesarealsograftedto:
decreasetimetofruit(sometypesoftreestake56
yearsbeforetheybearfruit,soscionwoodistakenfrom
maturetreesandgraftedontorootstockstoreduce
timetofruit)
toincreasehardiness(rootstockscanbeselectedto
growinheavysoils,wetconditions,dryconditionsetc)

19

Whip and tongue graft Healed whip and tongue graft
Bud (T) grafting
Once the graft is made, the area is usually wrapped with plastic, or
coated with wax to help the graft take. You will know if the graft
was a success if leaves start to grow out of the grafted scion wood.
VegetableSeedSaving
Seedsavingcanberewarding.Itcanbedonecasuallyina
smallgardenorasabusinessonalargerscale.Infarming,
therearegenerallythreedifferenttypesofseeds:Hybrid,Open
PollinatedandGM.
Hybridseedsareseedsproducedbyartificiallycrossingtwo
differentinbredparentplantsthatmakesahybridoffspring
thathasgoodqualitieslikehighyield,diseaseresistant,
uniformity,colour,fastmaturity,etc.Theseareoftenmarkedas
F1(firstgeneration)orhybridseeds.Youcannotsaveseeds
fromhybridplantsbecausetheywillnotbethesameastheir
parents.Manytypesofcorn,squash,zucchini,broccoli,and
cauliflowerarehybrids.
OpenpollinatedorHeirloomseedscomefromplantsthatare
bredovergenerationstobestable.Youcansaveseedsfrom
theseplantsbecausetheiroffspringwillbethesameasthe
parents.Openpollinatedseedsareoftenmorevariableinhow
theygrowthanhybridseeds(datestomaturity,yields,disease
resistance).However,youcansavetheseseedsfromthese
plants,manyhavericherflavoursthanhybridplants,they
providefoodsecuritytofarmersandtheyincreasethegenetic
diversityofafarmecosystem.
GMseedsareseedsthathavebeengeneticallymodifiedto
includeDNAofotherorganisms.TheDNAisinsertedintothe
seedtogivetheplantatraitlikediseaseordroughtresistance.
GMseedshaverecentlybeendevelopedandthereisabig
questiononwhethertheyaresafefortheenvironmentorfor
peopletoeat.Inaddition,theymustbepurchasedeachyear
20
fromalargecorporation.Theseseedsareexpensiveandtake
awaytherightsandfoodsecurityofthefarmer.Youcannot
saveseedsfromGMplants,andinfactitisillegaltodoso Thereareplantsthatproduceseedeveryyear(annuals),those
becausetheseedshavebeenpatentedasintellectualproperty.
ReasonstoSaveSeeds
Savemoney(youwon'tneedtobuyseeds,orasmany)
Theseedsyousavewillbeacclimatizedtoyourlocal
conditions.Assuchyourplantswillbehealthierand
growbetterthanseedsavedfromanothercountryor
location.
Youcansavegoodvarietiesofvegetablesthatyoulike,
producewell,andhaveagoodflavour.
Savingseedsincreasesyourfoodsecurity.
HowdoPlantsReproduce?
thatproduceseedintwoyears(biennials).Generallythese
plantsdieafterproducingseed.Therearealsoperennials,
whichareplantsthatcanliveformanyyearsandmayproduce
seedseveryyearoncetheyaremature.
Plantsaretypicallypollinatedinordertoproduceseeds.There
aretwotypesofpollination:selfpollinationandcross
pollination.
Selfpollinationoccurswhenpollenfertilizesthefemaleparts
(stigma)onthesameflower,oranotherflowerofthesame
individual.Theseplantsaretheeasiesttosaveseedsbecause
theydon'tcrossveryoftenwithothervarietiesbecausethe
pollinationoccurswithinthesameflower.Examplesofself
pollinatedplantsarepeas,beans,lettuce,tomatoesand
peppers.
Crosspollinationoccurswhenpollenfertilizesthestigmaof
anotherplantorflower.Examplesofcrosspollinatedplants
arespinach,beets,corn,squash,carrots,brassicas.Ifyouare
savingseedsfromcrosspollinatedplantsyouneedatleast30
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plantsinordertohavegoodgeneticdiversityandpollination. 3. Winnowtheseedsbyblowingonthethemormoving
themfromonebuckettoanother.
4. Sortthroughtheseedstotakeoutanyabnormalseeds.

WetMethod
Someseedshaveapulp,orouterlayerthatneedstobe
fermentedinordertoprotecttheseedsfromdiseaseand
tobreakdowntheouterlayer.Tomatoesandmost
speciesofcurcurbitaceae(eg.cucumbers)needtobe
treatedthisway.
Seedsthatyousavefromyourgardengenerallywilllastfor34
years.Smallseedswillloseviabilityfasterthanbiggerseeds. 1. Fermenttheseedsfor3daysinthepulp.
Storetheminacooldarkplaceandremembertolabelthem. 2. Rinsetheseeds,pouroffthepulp.
3. Drytheseedsbyleavingtheminawarmplacefor12
TechniquesforSeedSaving days.
DryMethod
Formanyplantslikebeans,peas,lettuce,brassicas,youusethe
drymethodofseedharvest.
1. Waituntiltheseedpodsare
papery,andtheseedsinsideare
dryandhard.Youwanttoletthe
seedsdevelopasmuchaspossible
beforeremovingthemfromthe
plant.
2. Removetheseedsfromtheplant,
drytheseedsandthreshthem.
Tomato seeds fermenting in their pulp
Thismeanstobeatthemto
removethedrypodsfromthe Winnowing beans
seeds.

22
 PrinciplesofPermaculture
Permaculture Theprinciplesofpermacultureareguidelinestohelpdesigna
Permacultureisawaytodesignsustainablehumansettlements. sustainablesystem.
Itisamixtureofthewords'permanentculture'and'permanent
agriculture'.Permaculturegivesussometoolstodesign 1.Observeandinteract
landscapes,gardens,farms,villagesandhomesthatmimic Observe the land in all seasons. Use long, thoughtful, observation. It
naturebutincludehumans.Itfocusesonrelationships is better to observe first before taking action. The more time you
betweendifferentelementsandtriestoconnectthemtomake have, the better. Walk the land in all kinds of weather, in extremes,
asustainable,lifebuildingsystem. up high, down low. Look at the land from different angles. Start to
recognize patterns of the ways things grow.
EthicsofPermaculture
Therearethreeethicstopermaculture.
2.MultipleFunctionality
1. Takecareoftheearth
2. Takecareofpeople Stackfunctionsinboth
3. Fairshareforeveryone/sharethesurplus timeandspace.Choose
andplaceeachelement
toperformasmany
functionsaspossible.
Thiswillincrease
beneficialconnections.

3.Resiliencyand
Redundancy
This passion fruit vine provides multiple
Eachfunctionortask functions: food, shade, privacy and wildlife
shouldbedoneby habitat
multipleelementstoprotectfromfailure.Thisgoeswellwith
themultiplefunctionalityprinciple.Creatediversitysothatat
leastoneaspectwillalwayssucceed.Createniches(or
specializedenvironments)forplantstogrow.Theweirderthe

23
climategets,themorediversityyouneed.Buildineconomic 5.UseBiologicalandRenewable
andculturaldiversity. Resources
Itemsthataren'trenewableorliving
4.RelativeLocation willautomaticallylosevalue.
Usuallylivingorganismswill
Designinawaythatmakesenseintermsoftheirplacement.
reproduce,storeenergyandinteract
Forexampleplaceplantsthatneedspecialcarelikeanursery,
withotherelementscreatingamore
closetoyourhouse.Orplace
sustainableenvironmentthanusing
themaccordingtohowoften
nonliving,nonrenewable
youneedtousethem.
resources.
Naturally,theareasthatare
closesttoyourhousewillget
themostattention.Thiswill
saveyoutimeifyoudesign 6.CatchingandStoringEnergy Living fence on the right of a
usingrelativelocation. Reusetheenergyas walking path at Linnaea Farm
manytimesas
possible,collectand
Zonesareadesigntoolto holdenergyasit
organizeafarm/gardento movesthroughthe
followrelativelocation.Zone system.Findwaysto
1istheareaclosetothehouse getthemostfoodout
thatgetsthemostintensiveuseandcare.Zone2issemi oftheleastamount
intenselycultivatedincludinggardenplantsoranimalsthat ofspace.Capture
needsomeattention.Zone3islowintensitylikegrazingareas waterasitmoves
andlargefruittrees.Zone4isminimalcare,aforagingzone. throughyourlandin
Zone5isanunmanagedwildernesszone. swales,dams,ponds
etc. All excess water from swales goes to this pond,
where fish are grown. Bukati Primary School,
Western Kenya

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7.CollaboratewithSuccession 10.Use&ValueDiversity
Innaturalecosystems,thetrendistomovefromimmaturityto Diversitycreatesstabilityinasystem.Don'tputallyoureggsin
maturity.Onceweacceptthisasabasicbiologicalrule,and onebasket.Createadiversityofcrops.
useitinoursystem,
itwillbemore 11.TheProblemistheSolution
sustainable.
Generallymature Sometimesconstraintsorproblemscanpushforcreative
ecosystemsaremore solutionsanddesigns.Someproblems,whenexamined,have
diverseand thekeytosolvethem,aswellasothers.Wearesurroundedby
productivethan insurmountableopportunitiesPogo(WaltKelly)
youngones.
12.UsetheEdgeandValuetheMarginal
In natural systems, bare landscape will be Optimizeedge
8.SmallScale, colonized by lichen, moss, then grasses, flowers,
space.Theseare
IntensiveSystems shrubs, small trees and then big trees
oftenplaceswith
Startsmallandincreaseslowly.Smallandslowsystemsare manyaccesspoints.
easiertomaintainthanbigones,makingbetteruseoflocal Themeetingarea
resourcesandproducingmoresustainableoutcomes.For betweendifferent
exampleifyoudecidetofarmgoats,startwith5insteadof100 plants,landscapes,
untilyouknowhowtomanagethem. soils,topography,is
wherethemost
interestingevents
9.ObtainaYield takeplace.The
Designyoursystemtogiveshorttermandlongtermyields. edgecanbea Bukati School Permaculture design, Western
Createpositivefeedbackloops,tobuildyoursystem.For valuable,diverse Kenya. Trees are planted at the edge to provide
example,somefruittreesdonotgivefruitfor25years.Soin andproductive shade, food, firewood, timber and shelter. Sheep
themeantime,plantvegetablesunderthetreeswhiletheyare elementinthe cutting the grass on the playing field, and
toosmalltoproducefruit. system. providing meat. Extra water transferred to a pond
which grows fish.

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