Kilolo - CVP Visit Report Nov 8-2012

2012 Companion Village Project Extension Program, 5th Year 1st Visit November 08, 2012 Village Kilolo Parish Pastor/Evangelist Yona Kinganga Companion King of Kings Lutheran Church Attendees 04 Weather for the past month Dry Reporters Fred, Pongolan, and Venance Upon arrival, we met only 04 members of the church waiting to begin the discussion; many were gone to their personal fields. We made introductions; Fred conveyed greetings from King of Kings Lutheran Church and the Advisory Committee in US to the people of Kilolo. He gave a brief explanation on the evolution of extension education and its purpose. After the introductions, we invited the attendees to participate in the discussion on the fertilizers and seed topics which they were all familiar of. Purpose of the visit • To introduce extension program and share ideas about the topics to be taught. • To deliver fertilizers provided by Yara Fertilizer Company and corn seeds provided by the CVP Topics covered • To explain fertilizer details and answer FAQ’s about fertilizers • To explain seed details and answer FAQ’s about seeds The details about fertilizers and seeds were covered through discussion involving them/participatory method whereby reporter’s role was to lead, provoke them by asking questions and let participants explain and ask questions too. Some important issues covered on fertilizers included:  types of fertilizers locally available, when to apply them, pros and cons of each type  clarification on the myth that “fertilizers are poisonous” to the soil and hence to the consumers of fertilized crops  fertilizer application frequencies and its side effects  simple ways of detecting nutrient deficiencies in the field without necessarily taking the soil to the lab for analysis  effect of excessive fertilization in the field  differences between CAN and Urea fertilizers in terms of its functions  How best can one integrate the use of manures and industrial fertilizers  Other methods besides fertilization that can be used to improve soil fertility in Iringa region Some important issues covered on seeds included:  Good quality seed is the foundation for the yield expected  Hybrid seeds productivity decrease with number of replanting  The importance of using the best quality seed in order to maximize the expected crop yields The attendees showed a great interest on the discussion and posed some questions/issues of concern. Finally they suggested the topics they would like to be taught in the next extension lesson. The following questions/ views were asked or given by the attendees:- Attendees thought natural fertilizers or manures favor crops better than industrial fertilizer; we thought organic matter present in manures build soil structure for the betterment of crop growth, but in terms of nutrients generally manures have low content of nutrients as compared to the same quantity of industrial fertilizers. The soil mounds made by ants are usually rich in fertility, attendees wanted to know the cause of that. We thought the ants collect vegetation for consumption and when they die leave organic matter in the soil raising its fertility in the process. The attendees wanted to know if Industrial fertilizers can remain in the soil for more than one cropping season. We thought depending on the type of fertilizer, most of P containing fertilizers remains in the soil longer because of the slow nutrient release process but N containing fertilizers such as CAN or Urea will dissolve and release nutrients rapidly, therefore cannot remain soil for more than one cropping season. The members expressed their wish to have H6302 corn seed which was available in the 1980s and 90s and now are no longer in the market. They commented the variety to be of high quality and resistant to ear rot as opposed to the current H6303 which is prone to ear rot. Unfortunately the H6302 is no longer produced in Tanzania and it seems H6303 took its place. So, no way we can get back H6302. Their suggestion for topics to be taught in the next extension class included:- 1. Disease symptoms and how to control diseases on the following crops: maize, beans, and vegetable crops. 2. Livestock diseases and how to control them; livestock list includes - pigs, chickens, goats, cattle, Rabbits Deliveries After the discussion we delivered 2 bags of NPK cereal fertilizer, 2 bags of NPK winner fertilizer and 4 bags of corn seed Conclusion The extension program being conducted for the first time was perceived as positive and educative to the farmers. It seemed interesting and farmers were eager to learn more and more from the discussion. They thanked the King of Kings Lutheran Church for being kind to continue supporting them for extension network.