Nduli-CVP Visit Report Nov 5-2012

2012 Companion Village Project Extension Program, 5th Year 1st Visit November 05, 2012 Village Nduli Parish Pastor/Evangelist Laiton Muyinga Companion Christ the King Lutheran Church Attendees 16 Weather for the past month Dry Reporters Fred, Pongolan, and Venance We went to Nduli to do the first extension class with many questions in mind about the acceptance of the program which was very different from the previous program which included input package. Probably there wasn’t much difference to the Nduli Parish because fertilizers are provided by Yara Fertilizer Company. Upon our arrival, we were overwhelmed by the big number of attendees; there were 16 members of the village (12 women and 4 men) anxiously waiting to attend the meeting. In the meeting, they asked questions, shared experience and gave opinions on fertilizers and seed topics covered. Purpose of the visit • To introduce extension program and share ideas about the topics to be taught. • Deliver fertilizers provided by Yara Fertilizer Company and corn seeds from the CVP program for the demonstration plot Topics covered • To explain fertilizer details and answer FAQ’s about fertilizers • To explain seed details and answer FAQ’s about seeds After introductions, Fred briefly explained the evolution and purpose of extension education in the US about 100 years ago and its translation to our parishes today. Then the details about fertilizers and seeds were covered through discussion involving them/participatory method whereby my 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 and 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 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 as the foundation for higher expected yields  Hybrid seeds productivity decrease in successive generations  The importance of selecting high quality seed in order to achieve maximum yield The attendees showed a great interest on the discussion and posed some questions/issues of concern. Below are some concerns raised in the meeting:- Termite problem; they mentioned termite as a growing problem in some parts of the village especially when a farmer attempts to leave crop residues on the field. Crop rotation could be part of the solution; however, it is limited in villages with small land such as Nduli where crop rotation is not possible. Pastor Laiton was planning to make a termite control trial by putting the anti-termite available at TFA in 1.5ft deep holes after every 6m apart as an attempt to control termites. We are looking forward to learn from his trial. Minjigu Rock Phosphate (MRP); members wanted to know the working efficiency of MRP. We provided a brief explanation about the slow working of MRP to release the required plant nutrients and thus the delay in showing impact after its application. Crop residues blown by wind; they expressed a concern about strong winds removing some crop residues which are left on the field after crop harvest. We advised establishing windbreaks where possible, though it seems not possible at the demo plot just outside the church at Nduli but can be done in other places.