Tungamalenga CVP Visit of Nov 9-09

2009 CVP
Companion Village Project
Visit Report
1st visit, YEAR TWO
November 09, 2009

Village Tungamalenga
Pastor Naftali Nga’amilo
Companion Shepherd of the Valley, Apple Valley
Attendees 11 (3 Female, 8 Male)
Weather for the past month Sunny and dry
Reporters Gabriel Malima, Phil Larsen

Before the meeting we asked the Pastor and other church leaders why they want to move the plot from nearby the church to another site. The Pastor said they sometimes face drought as the situation they had last year. The place where they want to move the plot can be irrigated. Moreover, the new site is along the road to the church therefore the people will be able to see it on their way to the Sunday services.
Purpose of the visit
• Planting and fertilizer application demonstrations
• To deliver seed and fertilizer
Topics
1. Greetings
Phil provided greetings from Shepherd of the Valley (Apple Valley), Saint Paul Area Synod and US Advisory Committee
2. Going through the handouts
o Fertilizer need template
o Plant population handout
o Fertilizer application handout
3. Demonstrations
It was demonstrated how to measure inter row spacing (60cm) and intra row spacing (20cm). Using a string and a hand hoe, it was demonstrated how to plant and apply fertilizer. One seed was placed every 20 cm and by using a bottle cap, fertilizer was applied 5cm from the seed on each side.
4. Fertilizer and seed delivery
According to the soil analysis of the soil of this area, the types of fertilizer recommended are NPK (10-18-24) and CAN (27-0-0). The congregation was given 2 bags of fertilizer (NPK) and 4 bags of seeds, DK 8031. DK 8031 is drought resistant and is suitable for this area.




Comments/questions from audience
 They normally do not use fertilizer because they believe their soil has enough nutrients
We told them that according to the soil analysis we conducted, it was found out that their soil has nutrient deficiencies and they have to use fertilizer on their farms
 They said that fertilizer is poisonous and they were worried it will destroy their soil
We told them that fertilizers are not poisonous to the soil as long as the right type is used in the right amount.
 They asked sometimes one farm may have corn with different heights (some may be shorter than the other), what can be done in to bring the uniformity in the plants?
We told them using one corn variety and applying fertilizer will bring the uniformity in the field
 They asked whether it is OK to use herbicides in their farms to control weeds
We told them it’s OK as long as they can afford that and they use the right kind and the right amount recommended for maize.
 They asked whether they have to apply different types of fertilizers in different parts of the village because of having different kinds of soil?
We told them that we took soil samples from one site and we believe that the site is the representative of whole village. We asked them to use the same recommended type of fertilizers throughout the village.
 They wanted to know what are the causes of soil acidity especially in their paddy farms
We told them that that might be caused by the use of one type of nitrogenous fertilizer especially urea for many years. To solve the problem the type of fertilizer should be changed and if the problem is severe, lime can be used to neutralize the acid.

Conclusions/Recommendations
After the discussion we agreed with them that they should move the plot to the new site. Pastor and the audience were very attentive and they had many questions. We enjoyed the discussion here.

NB:
• 1 bag of NPK is 50kg and 1 bag of seed is 2kg