Onions grown in sacks

The onion is one of the most valuable crops to grow in the garden or in the compound.

It is mainly grown as a flavor for all types of food but also it has so many other values to humans as well as crops.

This article picks out a few uses of onions to humans.

They can be grown either in the garden or in the compound. Some people grow them in sacks in case the land is small.

Onions are also a high in food value that contains protein, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin C and calcium depending on the type and maturity stage and storage.

It can be used to cure cholera. Get about 30 grams of onion and seven black peppers, pound finely and add a little sugar. Give to the patient. This calms thirst, restlessness and lessens vomiting and diarrhea in a short time.

Onions are used to treat the burning feeling while passing urine. Get 6 grams of onion and boil in 500 grams of water. Leave the water to reduce to half, then cool, sieve and give to the patient to drink.
Because of its iron content, onions are beneficial in treating anemia.

Injection of its juice to animals may prevent the development of tuberculosis in animals.

It increases sexual activeness and strengthens the reproductory organs. Peel off the white variety of onions, crush and fry in pure butter.

To kill germs in the mouth, chew raw onion for 3 minutes. And cut a small piece of onion and place on the affected gum to cure tooth aches.

If onions are planted around the garden, the smell will repel snakes.

By Mary Nakirya

In Luganda:

In English:

1. Dig a square hole in the ground of desired size.
2. Get mud and smear the walls within and out of the hole. This is to smoothen the walls and prevent possible mud slides.
3. Put eucalyptus poles at each of the corners. These help to support the frame that will be constructed at the top – acts as a cover
4. Neatly arrange plastic tarpaulin in hole, while cautious that water can easily seep through any hole.
5. Construct the upper frame that acts as a cover. Cover with tarpaulin and papyrus mats. After, add the final frame. Use eucalyptus wood.
6. Do not forget to leave a hole from where you will draw the water and also climb down to clean the tank occasionally.
7. Construct pipes that will enable you draw water from the roof tops into the tank.
8. Now your tank is complete.

By Mulopi Joseph, CELAC Mayuge

Pomegranate is a tree with fruits like oranges and the inside seeds like those of maize. It is eaten fresh while roots are used by some people to treat stomach problems.

The powder of dry leaves can be used to lessen diabetes
symptoms.

The fruit has a relatively good level of carbohydrates with substantial sugar.
It contains high levels of citric acid, root bark and dried rids contains
tannins which is essential to the development of flavor in red wines.

It grows best in dry climates and requires high temperature during
fruiting and sufficient moisture to give good yield. Does best in
well-drained ordinary soil, but also does well on acidic loam as well as
rocky soil.

Plant by either seeds or cuttings at a spacing of 2 m x2 m or 5m x 5m.
Maturity is at 4 – 8 years and the fruit matures 6 to 7 months after flowering. The crop carries good market with Asians and people from the coast.

Prepared by Christine Ndugu, Nombe Kashare Village and a Member of CELAC Mbarara District Farmers Network

Dairy cows are those that are mainly kept for milk. Milk hygiene involves keeping maximum cleanliness during the process of milking.

To become a milk producer one must have the following in place.

• Enough land.
• Dairy cows
• A variety of grass.
• Access to veterinary services nearby
• Starting capital for drugs

Preparation for a new calf

• Keep proper records
• Constant check up for delivery dates
• Buy milking salve (jelly)
• Buy milking utensils before the calf delivers
• Have a strong crash in case the animal is hostile. Prepare where to keep the calf
• Buy supplementary feeds for the mother cow and the calf

Before starting to milk the cow, clean the udder with warm water, dry the teats with a clean cloth, apply milking salve (jelly) on teats to smoothen milking.

Actual milking should be done gently because rough milking prevents the cow from releasing milk. Also, the milk should be removed completely as when some of it is left it may cause mastitis and resultant swelling of the udder.

Milk into clean containers and boil drinking milk immediately, then take it to cooling places immediately so as it doesn’t go source.

Clean all milking utensils immediately after removing it and let the utensils stay in the sun for a long time so as to dry properly (remember to use a clean table or akatandalo)

The first milk also known as colostrums cannot be consumed by people and should be consumed after seven days.

Milking should be done at least twice a day in the morning and evening. The milking period should be at least 7 months from the time of delivery.

A pregnant animal should not be milked after 6 months from the time it conceives.

Article by Mary Nakirya, Program Manager, BROSDI

It is unfortunate that many people especially in the developing countries keep cutting trees with no effort to replace them. Because trees exist, we do not take time to think of their value to the environment we all share. Planting fruit trees is important because in addition to many benefits of trees like, providing building materials, fuel, and paper making, fruit trees can at the same time serve as fruits for sale to earn income and for food to supplement meals at home.

Many trees are used to provide various types of medicine which is very important especially to the people in un developed world who can hardly afford to buy more expensive drugs both for animals and people. The leaves and stems are also used to eliminate pests which can be a threat to crops and animals. For example pawpaw seeds are used to treat worms in poultry.

Trees absorb harmful chemicals such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and in turn give off oxygen there by improving the air we breathe. Researchers say that, one big tree can produce oxygen for four people for a lifetime.

Trees filter and purify pollutants like gases emitted from industries, cars, smoke, dust and ash there by cleaning up the air. Leaves, keep moisture near to the ground helping to trap chemicals there by keeping them out of lakes and rivers. This helps to improve water we use and drink.

Forests play a big part adding water vapor to the atmosphere, increasing cloudy conditions which eventually lead to rainfall and cooling of the environment. When trees are cut, the result is increase in temperature and general global warming which means gradual rise of the earth’s surface temperature, thought to be caused by the greenhouse effect. It is probably responsible for climatic changes worldwide.

They prevent soil erosion by reducing the force of rainfall at the soil surface and by reducing the water force and absorbing it, preventing direct run off. Slow down rain runoff by either holding or absorbing water and reduce flooding with its effects. Because they retain water, trees help reduce runs offs into our drainages and streams.

Trees attract birds and other wildlife, making a beautiful landscape which attracts tourists. They provide shelter for people, animals, and other plants.

By Maria Nakirya

Introduction:

Swine flu also known as swine Influenza is a disease of the respiratory
System of pigs caused by a type of influenza that often causes epidemics of Influenza among pigs. This disease though originated from pigs can now be spread among human beings.

Spread:
It is believed to spread in the following ways:
• From person to person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• Touching one’s nose or mouth

Eating meat of pigs (pork) may not cause it because it is destroyed at a high temperature.

There is an outbreak of this flu in some parts of the world. The virus spreads so fast and hence every one should be on the alert and take precautions.

Symptoms
• Loss of appetite
• Fever
• Body weakness and pains
• Sore throat
• cough
• Severe pneumonia
• In some cases diarrhea and vomiting
• Death.

It is important to report symptoms of the flue as soon as noticed. This will reduce its impact as affected people will then be able to get urgent attention.

In case some one is identified with symptoms

• Avoid close contact with such people
• Cover your mouth and nose when caring for the sick person with a clean piece of cloth and through it in the dust bin after use
• Confine the person a separate room
• Wash your hands with soap/detergent and water after contact with such people

A small group of agriculturalists say it is possible to boost food production and cut malnutrition in Cape Verde by farming with less water – and no soil.

Less than 10 percent of the volcanic Cape Verde archipelago is cultivable and almost all of the country’s food is imported, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Hydroponics – which comes from the Greek words for water and labour – replaces soil with a nutrient solution.

Hydroponics farmer Sergio Roque Monteiro told IRIN he learned to farm without soil in Brazil before moving to Cape Verde in 2000.

Since 2006 he said the government and non-profit groups have asked him to train more than 100 people – but he knows of only six people who have continued soilless cultivation professionally.

“People are traditional and generally do not like new technology,” Monteiro said. “The big problem is lack of awareness.”

In his 15-sqm greenhouse on Santiago Island, home to the capital Praia, Monteiro grows watercress, lettuce and other vegetables, which he sells to local hotels and restaurants.

By substituting gravel for soil and recycling a continuous stream of water and minerals through trays that hold 600 lettuce and 200 watercress plants, Monteiro told IRIN he uses less than one-fifth of the water and a fraction of the land that traditional farmers use.

Still his yield is higher, he said. “Soil is full of contaminants that weaken plant growth.”

He said if there is no electricity to power his water pump, hand watering is vital. “The biggest disadvantage is the plants need constant watering because there is no soil to keep them moist. If they go without water for a few hours, they die.”

But more than the continuous energy and constant watering needed to run a hydroponics system, high start-up costs discourage converts, said Monteiro. “I spent $17,000 (slightly more than Shs33 million) to set up my system, but I made that back within one year. And I am ready to expand now, four years later. I cannot keep up with demand. ”

Most set-up materials are available for local purchase: tank, netting, iron or wood and cement. In order to test the acidity of the mineral nutrient solution, farmers must either hire a local agricultural company or import special equipment.

Monteiro said he earns up to $2,300 (Shs4.4 million) per month, a third of which is reinvested in business costs, but that hydroponics can raise more than just income.

“This is a country where people lack nutrients. Bad soil, lack of sunlight and water limit local production. But hydroponics can help fill that production and nutrition gap by planting products that used to be grown when the island had more water.”

Climate change has been blamed for the islands’ declining rainfall, which has caused water shortages.

About one in 10 people – slightly more in rural areas – is malnourished with less than 65 cents a day to buy food, according to a government study conducted with the Food and Agricultural Organisation; the recently released report used 2002 data.

Residents cautiously embrace the technology. “I would think a tomato grown in soil would be richer,” said Praia resident Raul Pereira Mendes. “But I do not know. I have heard people say food grown without soil attracts fewer bugs.”

Article published in The Monitor Newspaper, 15th March 2009

By Mary Nakirya

Many farmers would like to make manure but they fail because they are lazy, or they assume it takes much time to be ready. One of the aims of making liquid manure and plant teas is to quickly provide a crop with adequate natural plant food during the growing season. Liquid Manure and plant teas are ready for use after two or three weeks, as compared to more than eight weeks for compost.

There are situations when liquid feed is the only answer to feed crops urgently. For example when crop roots have been damaged and cannot take up enough solid nutrients. Liquid feed from animal manure or plant leaves supplies nutrients much faster. Liquid manure is also essential when plants are grown in limited space like pots, plastic or polythene bags.

To make liquid manure; get animal manure e.g. dung, chicken droppings, rabbit droppings etc. Each can be used alone or mixed. Also get a drum or bucket, a strong bag and a pole/strong stick with a rope.

Put dried animal or poultry manure in a polythene bag and tie it properly. 50 kg of animal manure are enough for every one drum of water which takes about 100 liters.

Put about three quarters of clean water in the drum so as when you finally put the bag water does not spill out. Hang the bag containing manure in the container/drum. Suspend it on a strong pole placed across the top of the drum/bucket.

Prepare plant tea using soft crop branches and green leaves. Cut them into pieces and place in a drum or bucket, full of clean water. There is no need of putting them in a bag.

Cover the container to prevent excessive evaporation.

Leave the liquid manure / plant tea to stand for 15 days.

Stir the solution after 3 days and thereafter, stir every day drum. For liquid manure stir by lifting the bag many times using the pole/stick.

Within 15 days the water will have turned black and most of the plant nutrients in the manure will have dissolved into the water. Remove the bag.

Dilute the solution by one part of the solution to 2 parts of clean water i.e. 1:2

Spray the manure around the base of the crop.

“Never apply liquid manure or plant tea on plant leaves because it may have a burning effect”

It is rather uncommon for farmers to team up together in a way those of CELAC Tororo farmer’s network do. They practically join hands while cultivating the group garden. They say this does not only help them to save the little funds they have but it also helps them keep together as a network and to learn from each other. Those who are unable to cultivate physically buy sugar, tea leaves etc for the group and advance for them to eat as they work. The CELAC flower girl spices up all the activities including the forums and garden activities. Her major work is to act as the energizer for the group. She practically sings and demonstrates whenever the farmers get bored, tired or when they need a bit of rest in between the activity. She also sings for all visitors to the group including new farmers who come to attend forums.

CELAC farmers working in a group to plant potatoes in the demonstration garden

Mary Nakirya

Horticulture is farming with perishable crops. Farmers, who grow crops like vegetables, apple bananas, flowers, paw paws etc, fall in this type of farming which means they are dealing with crops which decay very soon and it is important to invest in production of fruits and nuts.

Why invest in horticulture?

Two main reasons for farmers to invest in horticulture are

1. generate income and provide employment
2. improve nutrition and food security

Income Generation

v Intensive production of fruits, vegetables, and nuts has the potential for producing a higher income from small pieces of land although considerable inputs must be added to achieve higher yields. Commercial horticulture can be rewarding in areas with high population densities.

v Market; Horticulture farmers in rural areas complain about market but this problem can be overcame when we have a joint voice so that jointly we can be heard. Horticulture farmers are strongly urged to form Associations or societies, unless we come up with a group farming system, markets will not be developed adequately

Nutrition:

Improving nutrition and food security;

Traditional agriculture was practiced in such a way that the various systems provided a variety of food. Grass lands and forestry provided a variety of fruits and other edible products. Children used to eat these naturally occurring fruits and nut while they were herding cattle but nowadays they depend almost entirely

On food from home, although undoubledly malnutrition did at time exist under the traditional agriculture system, the nutritional benefits that resulted from a wide variety of trees and crops have been lost in the modern times.

Fruits and nuts in the diet may prevent many nutritional disorders whether fruits are grown on small scale for home consumption or on a large scale the consumer gains important nutritional benefits from them

BY: MULOPI JOSEPH

Chairman Mayuge CELAC