Mlowa - CVP Visit Report Feb 5-2013

2013 CVP Companion Village Project 4th Visit Year Four February 5, 2013 Village Mlowa Pastor Naboth Chaula Companion Christus Victor Lutheran Church Attendees 03 Weather for the past month Hot Ag Institute staff Pongolan and Venance Introduction It was hot as we drove down to Mlowa. Crops looked better this time as compared to the other times we visit the site. We met a small audience of only three people; the pastor and two church leaders. All the people were gone to the fields which are located far away from the village. The pastor told us that members come home on Saturday to be able to attend church services and leave to the fields again on Sunday evening. Purpose of the visit • To observe the progress of the plot, deliver thionex insecticide and solve any arising problems concerning improved farming practices. Topics 1. Review of the handouts,  4th visit instructions • Discussion about germination, Replanting and Pest control • Weeding after planting • Monthly weeding after tasseling 2. Demonstration on second fertilizer application on corn There was demonstration on planting and fertilization of beans on rows 30cm apart and 10cm between plants. Also there was a demonstration on how do second applications of fertilizer in corn 3. Insecticide Application. We instructed them on how to apply the insecticide on both corn and beans and the recommended rates to apply 4. Delivery. Most of the items were delivered before except the thionex insecticide which was delivered on the day of the visit. Corn and Bean Plots Discussion Corn was planted in two splits at the end of January 2012. The plants looked good and well-spaced. Beans will be planted in March. Rice was not planted at all. The pastor said they didn’t get land to plant rice but was optimistic that they will be able to grow rice in the next season since they have enough time to be securing land. Questions/Comments from Audience There were no questions or comments from the attendees. Conclusion This parish has a very narrow chance of performing any better in the production of corn, beans and rice because of the drought which hits the area frequently and lack of adequate irrigated land.

Mlowa CVP Visit Report - Nov 14-2012

2012 Companion Village Project 3rd Visit, Year Four November 14, 2012 Village Mlowa Parish Pastor Naboth Chaula Companion Christus Victor Lutheran Church Attendees 14 Weather for the past month Hot and Dry Reporters Fred, Pongolan, and Venance Introduction We met a good number of attendees waiting to receive inputs and learn more of the good farming practices in the church building. Unfortunately the village has been hit by drought for a couple of years in a row. We brought a little of rice seeds (10kg) for the parish to try. Purpose of the visit • Delivering seeds and fertilizers • Demonstrating planting and fertilizer application Topics covered • Review of the handouts - 3rd Visit Instruction - Plant population and Fertilizer applications • Demonstrations: Planting and fertilizer applications; The parishioners are in their fourth year of the CVP, therefore they were asked to explain how they can go about planting corn and beans. They were able to demonstrate the exercise of planting corn and beans and fertilizer application quite well. It was insisted that they should not place seeds and fertilizers together to avoid Salt injury. Seeds and fertilizers The following seeds and fertilizers were delivered: Item Corn Beans Fertilizers for corn Fertilizers for beans Variety Pioneer Urafiki NPK cereal NPK winner Amount 4bags 40kg 4 bags 2 bags In addition to the above items, 10 kg of rice seeds were provided to the Parish for planting as a trial to measure its performance. They will plant rice in an area which is irrigated by ditch water available in the village. Comments/Questions Some questions were asked on rice: 1. They wanted to know the importance of incubating rice before planting; the answer provided was to enable quick and even germination before taking seeds to the seedbeds. 2. How long does incubation of rice take place; the answer was it takes 48 – 72 hrs. Conclusion They showed a great interest in learning the farming practices but the harsh weather is a major limiting factor for their farming. However, the Pastor here has just come in and the previous Pastor has been moved away, therefore we are pessimistic on the performance of the CVP for the coming season.

Mlowa CVP Visit Report - May 17-2012

2012 CVP Companion Village Project Visit Report 5th Visit 3rd year May 17, 2012 Village Mlowa Parish Pastor Lunogelo Mbwilo Companion Christus Victor Lutheran Church Attendees 30 Weather Warm and Dry Reporters Don, Karen, Rev. Mangu’lisa, and Venance Purpose of the visit • To explain and demonstrate how to take yield measurement Topics 1. Went through the handouts o 5th Visit handout o Yield recording sheet 2. Demonstrations Corn plants were already harvested, therefore there was no any demonstration on how to measure yield on corn. It was demonstrated on how to measure yield on beans by measuring a 10m row, counting the number of bean plants within the measured row, harvesting the counted bean plants, threshing and measuring the volume obtained in liters. Plots information Mlowa plot is fed by irrigational water from the village ditch. The corn was already harvested and we could see stalks in the plot. Later on the day, we were shown the harvested corn in store. Corn in store looked ok and was estimated to be 7bags. Beans were excitingly nice, with heavy vegetation. They were planted in rows at correct spacing between lines and plants. They were forming pods and were no sign of diseases. However, a few beetles were seen flying around and eating bean plants. We advised them to spray thionex provided to them earlier to scare the insect. Comments Our visit coincided with an important church day known as ascending day, so there were many attendees who listened the teaching and asked many questions about good farming practices. They seemed interested with using the better farming practices taught to them. When asked about if they were applying the techniques in their personal plots, a number of hands were raised up to respond. Conclusion Although this area is very dry, still the parishioners can use the opportunity of the irrigation system available and the farming techniques to multiply their productivity to get rid of hunger and raise their income. It was encouraging to hear from them that they have increased their productivity from an average of 2bags per acre to 14 bags since the beginning of the CVP.

Mlowa-Christus Victor; CVP Report Jan 26-2012

Companion Village Project
4th Visit Year 3
January, 26.2012

Village Mlowa
Pastor Lunogelo Mbwillo
Companion Christus Victor Lutheran Church
Attendees 08
Weather for the past month Hot & dry
Institute Staff Venance, Rev. Mang’ulisa, and Edman

Purpose of the visit
• Delivering fertilizers, pesticides and bean seeds
Topics:
Review of the handouts, 4th visit instructions;
• Discussion about germination, Replanting and Pest control
• weeding after planting
• Monthly weeding after tasseling
1. Demonstrations: There was a demonstration on planting and fertilization of beans on rows 30cm apart and 10cm between plants. Also there was a demonstration on how to do second application of fertilizer on corn.
2. Insecticide Application. We instructed them on how to apply the insecticide correctly on both corn and beans and the rates to apply.
3. Delivery: The following items were delivered;

Item Fertilizers Insecticide Bean seed Hand sprayer
On maize For beans
Variety/Type CAN NPK Thionex 35 EC
Amount 2bags 2bags 1 Litre 30kg 1

Conclusion
Members expressed that there was a significant increase in the harvest of corn as a result of implementing agricultural practices learned from CVP. They thought the yield doubled and tripled in some cases. When asked how many members are adopting the new practices, 4/8 (which is 50%) said they were adopting in small plots because they had less money to buy fertilizers. However, the major hindrance for good CVP program performance in this Parish is drought which is a common phenomenon.

Mlowa - Christus Victor Lutheran Church, Apple Valley, MN - Oct 31-2011

2009 CVP
Companion Village Project
3rd Visit Year Three
October 31, 2011

Village Mlowa
Pastor Lunogelo Mbwilo
Companion Christus Victor Lutheran, Apple Valley
Attendees 36
Weather for the past month Dry
Reporters Gabriel, Rev. Mangulisa, John and Pongolani

Purpose of the visit
• Delivering seeds and fertilizers
• Demonstrating planting and fertilizer application

Topics
• Greetings
Before we began the demonstration, John delivered greetings from St. Paul Area Synod and US Institute of Ag advisory committee
• Review of the handouts
Together with them we went through the handouts
- 3rd Visit Instruction
- Plant population and Fertilizer applications
- Fertilizer needs template
• Demonstrations
o Planting and fertilizer applications
We demonstrated on how to plant seeds and how to apply fertilizers. We insisted that they should not place seeds and fertilizers together.
o Seeds and fertilizers
The following were delivered
Seeds Fertilizers
Variety Amount (kg) Type Amount (bags)
Pioneer 3253 8 NPK 2

Questions/comments
 Can we also test other drought resistant corn varieties?
Yes you can do that. There other drought resistant corn varieties such as SITUKA, DK8031, SIDICO etc. In the demonstration plot we are testing Pioneer 3253 which is also drought resistant corn variety.
 Some of the bean grains had dots and they were not good for the market
These dots occur if there no enough water to irrigate at the time of the grain filling. Keep on irrigation the bean plots until the maturity has been reached and leave the plants to dry.
 This corn variety has one year only?
Two ear varieties would require higher amount of rainfall or more irrigation water. However what determine higher yield in high plant population. Close spacing and proper fertilizer application will lead into higher yield.

Conclusion
We had big crowd today. We told them that their plot last year had better improvements. We expect more improvements this year. They should follow instructions and manage well the plots.

Mlowa-Christus Victor; CVP Report for July 29, 2011

2010 CVP
Companion Village Project
Visit Report
6th Visit 2nd Year
July, 29 2011
Village Mlowa
Pastor Lunogelo Mbwilo
Companion Christus Victor, Apple Valley
Attendees 15
Weather Sunny
Reporters Nafeti, and Pongolani
Purposes of the visit
• To collect the yield measurement
• To deliver grain storage chemical “Shumba”
• End of season discussion and planning for the next farming season
Topics
1. Review of the handouts
• 6th Visit instruction handout
• Yield recording sheet
2. Harvesting
Both corn and beans have been harvested. They got more corn this year compared to last year but still they have not reached the expected yield of not less than 15 bags in half acre.

Crop Corn Beans
Yield per ½ acres 6 bags 1bag and 1 tins

3. Storage
We instructed them on how to store grain for home usage and for selling at the time of high price. We instructed how to mix grain storage pesticides “shumba” and the appropriate volume of grain per bottle recommended. We left the pesticides to them to mix with their harvested grains.
4. Discussions about the farming season
They didn’t rotate the plots as we recommend to rotate the plots beans and corn. During the season they faced severe drought and they were not able to get enough water even to irrigate.
5. Adaptation
Six out of the attendee have been practicing some of the techniques we have been teaching them. More people are expecting to start using the techniques from next season.

Comments/questions
Beans were drying after having three to four leaves; we realized that the problem was bean maggot and can be controlled by applying pesticide within five days after germination.

Conclusion
We encouraged them to do better next farming season. Also we told them that we want to see more people utilizing the techniques on their own farms next season.

Mlowa-Christus Victor; CVP Report for May 31, 2011

2009 CVP
Companion Village Project
5th Visit Year Three
May 31, 2011

Village Mlowa
Pastor Lunogelo Mbwilo
Companion Christus Victor Lutheran, Apple Valley
Attendees 12
Weather for the past month Dry
Reporters Gabriel, Don and Karen

We got here a little bit earlier. We sat down with the Pastor discussing about the demonstration plot. He also added that members of this congregation are very eager to establish the Saving and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOS) which can be used to finance rice crops which is more popular here.
Purpose of the visit
• Explain and demonstrate how to take yield measurement
Topics
1. Greetings
Don delivered greetings from Christus Victor Lutheran-Apple Valley, St. Paul, Saint Paul Area Synod and US Ag Advisory Committee. He spoke about the importance of getting the right yield measurements and explained why they are highly needed.
2. Went through the handouts
o 5th Visit handout
o Yield recording sheet
o Rain record sheets to know the amount of rain received during this season
3. Demonstrations
We demonstrated how to measure the 10 m row (in three different locations within the demonstration plot) for the yield determination, this was demonstrated by using a miter tape, we used spray paint to mark the demarcations within which the measurements should be taken.
Plots information
We drove long way to get to the plot. The road we have been using previously has been flooded therefore we had to go another toad. They have termite’s problem here. To avoid the attack of the termites to the corn crop, they had to harvest earlier. Therefore the corn plot has been harvested and preparations for the next season have started.
Beans plot is good too. This time the spacing was properly followed, and they expect a better harvest than last year.



Comments
 They said “The bean variety introduced this season is very good. We like the was it performed in the field, however we have to wait and see the way it taste and the cooking duration it taste”
We told them that in the places we have introduced it, they said it is good. However we would like to get your views when you harvest and start to use them
 They said that they still have problems with the livestock keepers because soon after they harvest, the animals are left to graze in the fields therefore they do not get to keep their crop residues for adding organic matter in their soil. We advised them to trade the crop residues with cow manures from the livestock keepers. That seems to be impossible because the livestock keepers are nomads, they do not stay in one place for a long time therefore, cow manure do not get accumulated enough.
 This season, the problem of the elephants eating crops has been decreased.

Conclusions
Pastor of this Parish is very active. He promised to work properly with his Parish members in taking the yield measurements. Their plots have much improvement this season. They said they have been getting enough water for irrigation.

Mlowa - Chistus Victor CVP Visit Report 1/25/2011

2009 CVP
Companion Village Project
4th Visit Year Two
January 25, 2011

Village Mlowa
Pastor Lunogelo Mbwilo
Companion CHRISTUS VICTOR, Apple Valley, MN
Attendees Male 12 Female 3 (1st Time attendees: None)
Weather for the past month Dry
Reporters Gabriel and Pastor Mang’ulisa

In this visit we were accompanied by Michael Onesmo (from Group consultancy) and Itiwen Luhwago (Microfinace Institute of Tumaini University), we together with Michael and Itiweni are conducting Agricultural Market Research onthe small holder farmers sponsored by Thrivent Financial Services for Lutherans.
Purpose of the visit
• Bean planting demonstration
• Fertilizer applications demonstration
• Bean seeds and fertilizers delivery
Topics
1. Going through handout with attendees
 4th Visit handout
2. Demonstrations
We demonstrated how to plant beans in the appropriate spacing and how to make the fertilizer application to the beans. We also demonstrated how to make the second application of fertilizer to the corn.
3. Delivery
Type/Variety Amount
Bean seeds Wanja 30kg
Fertilizers NPK 2 bags
CAN 2 bags
Pesticides Thionex ½ litres

4. Plots
Corn
The corn plot looks very good. Spacing has properly followed and the weeding has been done frequently. Since this is an irrigated plot, they will soon allow water to flow to the plot.
Bean
The plot for bean has been prepared and soon will be planted. We have changed the bean variety here. Last year we gave them the variety called Uyole 96 and it did not perform well. This year we are introducing another variety called Wanja, which we expect will do better.

Discussion
There are 15 attendees, and 4 said they have adopted the techniques.
Pastor said he has been using the techniques and has seen increase in yield from what he used to get
Another member said he has started to use the techniques, he does not do intercropping and he uses fertilizers. From what he has seen now (green and strong plants) he expect to harvest more than he used to before
During our discussion, the issue of irrigation was raised. As the village population increases, the scramble for irrigated land increases. It looks like there will not be enough irrigated land for everyone. We advised them to start thinking of having efficient irrigation schemes where by water is not lost along the way in the sand soil. Paved tunnels and paved ditches would help. However introduction of more drought resistant crops will also help. This village has a problem with elephants coming to eat crops during the night. Seems like we do not have clear solution for that!!

Comments/questions
 The Pastor said that they had the problem with the livestock keepers feeding their cattle on other people’s crop residues. They now do the grazing at night therefore it is very difficult to prevent them from doing it
We advice them to go to the livestock keepers and get the cow manure as the compensation of their crop residues and they should apply it to their farm to increase the organic matter in their farms

Conclusion

This year the Pastor and the Parish members are more determined. They work hard trying to adopt what is taught and the Pastor does a good job of keeping records. We told them to keep up the good work.

Mlowa-Christus Victor; CVP Report for Nov. 5-2010

2010 CVP
Companion Village Project
Visit Report
3rd Visit 2nd Year
November, 05 2010

Village Mlowa
Pastor Lunogelo Mbwilo
Companion Chritus Victor, Apple Valley
Attendees Male 9 Female 9
Weather Sunny, hot
Reporters Nafeti,Phil, Pongolani

Purpose of the visit
• Delivering seeds and fertilizers
• Demonstrating corn planting and fertilizer applications

Greetings
Before we began the demonstration, Phil delivered greetings from St. Paul Area Synod and US Institute of Ag advisory committee
Review of the handouts
Together with them we went through the handouts
• 3rd Visit Instruction
• Plant population with 60 cm. rows and Fertilizer applications
• Fertilizer needs template

Demonstrations
o Planting and fertilizer applications
We did our demonstration regarding fertilizer and corn planting behind the church building, the demo plot is about 1Km away from the church. We demonstrated on how to place seeds and how to apply fertilizers. We insisted that they should not place seeds and fertilizers together. There should be at least 5cm apart.
o Seeds and fertilizers
We delivered 2 bags of NPK one bag and 2bag of corn seeds (Pioneer 3253) for planting quarter an acre. The remaining bag of fertilizer will be used for planting cowpeas.

Crop Seeds Fertilizer
Varieties Amount Type Amount
Corn Pioneer 3253 4kg (2 bags ) NPK 100kg (2 bags)

Questions from the audience
• We have problems with thorny bushes so how should we handle them?
They should cut them while are green and small so that they can avoid them to grow big and become strong.
• If they leave crop residue on field termites feed on corn residues, how to handle that?
Termites eating crop residues is not a problem they just enhance the decomposition of the residues but if they eat on plants after germinating insecticides should be sprayed.
• What is the appropriate time CAN application as side dressing?
Appropriate time for CAN application is after 60 days after planting or after plants are knee size tall.
• What new things have you learned from the Demo plot? ( Phil)
If we use proper spacing and follow the Ag. Institute recommendation yield is increasing and we are going to start using the techniques in our farms. We learned that you can just farm on small area and end with better yield than what we do harvest from our farms.
• What do we do with the income from our Demo plot?
We don’t take anything from demo plot and the income from the plot can be used in various ways depending on how the pastor and the congregation will agree on. But still you can decide to start a demo plot at another preaching point using seeds and fertilizers bought from that income.

Conclusion

• They asked for rain gauge they lost the one they had
• Pastor not present
• Demonstration plot 1KM from the church
• They have doubled yield of corn
• Mlowa is about one hour drive from Iringa town.

Mlowa July 21, 2010

2010 CVP
Companion Village Project
Visit Report
5th Visit Year One
July 21, 2010


Village Mlowa
Pastor Lunogelo Mbwilo
Companion Christus Victor, MN
Attendees 20
Weather for the past month Dry
Reporters Ibrahim, Gabriel and Lunodzo

Purposes of the visit
• To collect the yield measurement
• To deliver grain storage chemical “Shumba”
• End of season discussion and planning for the next farming season
Topics
1. Review of the handouts
• 6th Visit instruction handout
• Yield recording sheet
2. Harvesting
Both corn and beans have been harvested here. The beans were harvested earlier than our 5th visit.
Amounts in bags/plot
( ½ Acre) Yield in 3 lines( For further analysis) Remarks
Corn 3bags 2tins Litres 6 8 4 Drought
No. of plants 25 35 20
Beans 3tins Litres Bean variety did not perform well
No. of plants

3. Storage
We instructed them on how to store grain for home usage and for selling at the time of high price. We instructed how to mix grain storage pesticides “shumba” and the appropriate volume of grain per bottle recommended. We left the pesticides to them to mix with their harvested grains.
4. Discussion about the farming season
• Corn
The improved variety (Pioneer 3253) we introduced here works better than the local variety. They had termites’ problem. Moreover they had irrigation problems too (They depend on the irrigation water for farming here)
• Beans
The Urafiki variety does not perform well here, the beans do not look good and some of the grains seem to dry before reach maturity. We are planning to introduce a different variety next growing season
We encourage them to form farmers’ cooperatives. This will help them to get farming loans, buying inputs and selling their grains for better price. Now they have to sell to the middle men in very low price and later on they go back to them and buy the crops for food.

Comments/questions
 We told them that the termites are controllable. They would have informed us earlier and we would give them the pesticides to control the termites. They said next season they will be passing information (about pest and disease in the demonstration plots) as earlier as possible.
 They were wondering why the Pioneer do form single ear only while local varieties form single and sometimes double ears
We told them that some of the varieties developed for the dry areas do have a characteristic of either forming single ear or having short plants. Sometimes the single ear helps the plant to reach maturity earlier.
 They asked us if we can try the more drought resistant variety of corn.
We told them we will look for more drought resistant variety of corn especially those developed in Tanzania and try in their village next season.

Conclusion
Most of the villagers here depend on irrigation water for farming. We told them they should utilize water efficiently by plant improved seeds and use fertilizer. They express their thanks for the agricultural training program and for their companion congregation for supporting the demonstration plots.

Mlowa-CVP Visit May 20-2010

2010 CVP
Companion Village Project
Visit Report
5th Visit Year One
May 20, 2010


Village Mlowa
Pastor Lunogelo Mbwilo
Companion Christus Victor, MN
Attendees 7
Weather for the past month Rainy
Reporters Ibrahim, Gabriel and Lunodzo

Purpose of the visit
• Explain and demonstrate how to take yield measurement.
• Deliver two containers (20 liters and 1 liter size) and a 10 m string.
Topics
1. Greetings
Pastor Lunodzo gave greetings on behalf of the DIRA, Christus Victor, Saint Paul Area Synod and US Ag Advisory Committee for volunteering to provide fund and to implement of Ag training program
2. Went through the handouts
o 5th Visit handout
o Yield recording sheet
o Rain record sheets to know the amount of rain received during this season
3. Demonstrations
We demonstrated how to measure the 10 m row (in three different locations within the demonstration plot and neighbors farm) for the yield determination, this was demonstrated by using a 10 m string, how to measure and count the number of corn plants and ears. After shelling they are supposed to measure the amount of grain by using one liter container that was given to them by the institute of Ag. These measurements are done to both corn and beans.

Plots information
Beans plot is a little bit good; however this is due to shortage of water for irrigation. They are interested with bean variety introduced to them. Beans are still in the field, not yet harvested although they are matured enough and about to start drying.
Corn are already harvested and piled at pastor’s house.



Comments
 The drought affected the corn and beans besides using irrigation, the amount of water for irrigation depends to the amount of rain received in the catchment areas(where the river flow starts)
 We had few people who attended the meeting, because they are busy harvesting their crops. The last three days Elephants came to attack /eat their crops so they spend nights to scar the animals by making noise through beating iron sheets or metal containers.

Questions from audience and answers

 They asked how to control pests such as birds eating matured corn (kernels)
We told them, to use string around the corn field, they said they did it. But when we went there we found out they only kept string around the plot, so we told them they should also put in the middle as well. This will prevent the birds to fly directly in the plot.
Ø They were wondering why we are teaching them to measure yield from 10 m within the rows in three different locations.
This will give them an ability to estimate their yield for the whole plot.

Conclusions/Recommendations
We appreciated them for working on the plots and encouraged them to practice what we are teaching them for their life improvement.

Mlowa-CVP Visit Jan 12-2010

2010 CVP
Companion Village Project
Visit Report
4th Visit Year One
January 12, 2010


Village Mlowa
Pastor Lunogelo Mbwilo
Companion Christus Victor
Attendees 11
Weather for the past month Heavy Rain
Reporters Ibrahim and Roger

Purpose of the visit
• Planting bean and fertilizer application demonstrations
• Demonstration on second fertilizers application in corn
• Deliver fertilizer bags, Bean seeds, bottle spray, and insecticides
Topics
1. Greetings
Roger gave greetings from Christus Victor, Saint Paul Area Synod and US Ag Advisory Committee
2. Went through the handouts
o 4th Visit handout
o Quiz handout
o Rain record sheets. They have received 214 mm or 8.4 inches of rain since early November.
3. Demonstrations
We demonstrated how to measure inter row spacing (30cm). Using a string and a hand hoe it was demonstrated how to make a trench for planting the bean seeds. One seed was placed after every 10 cm. It was demonstrated how to place one full bottle cap of fertilizer between 2 seeds i.e. Seed-seed-fertilizer-seed-seed-fertilizer etc.

4. Fertilizer and seed delivery
According to the analysis of the soil of this area, the type of fertilizer recommended was NPK (10-18-24) for bean seed planting. The congregation was given 2 NPK bags and 40 Kg of bean seeds, variety of bean seeds delivered is Uyole 96. Also 2 bags of CAN were given to them for second fertilizer application for corn.





Comments
 They planted corn on December 29, 2009 and they received rainfall (24 mm) on the same day and when we visited the plot they have had very good germination. We were impressed by what the plot looks like as compared to all near by field.

 It was recommended to plant their beans in March because they are expecting to use Irrigation and that is their best time to plant beans based on the weather patterns.

 After observing the bean seed we delivered, they were happy to see the seeds were in good condition compared to the local seeds they have been using.

 Eight of the nine people who attended the meeting have already started to practice some of the techniques taught.
One farmer planted corn in rows in his irrigated plot last year (NB: we started training in March, 2009) and managed to harvest. His children helped him to harvest both this time and in the past. Since he used to plant randomly he was supposed to re-harvest again in all areas which were harvested by his children and got 3 tins of shelled corn but this time his children harvested very well because he planted in rows.

Questions from audience and answers

 They asked if the spacing of 30 cm by 10 cm will form the canopy to shade the ground
We explained to them that this variety will form a canopy since it is a bush type, there are some other varieties will not form canopy if planted at that spacing- like a climbing type.

In there past experience on planting beans they found out some beans will get infection just after germination and that might cause to a total plant death or poor growth. What are the causes?
We answered them that the disease is most likely caused by seed born diseases due to re use of selected seeds from last year’s crop. So we highly recommend that they buy new seeds and do crop rotation such as beans followed by corn.

Seed born diseases can they be treated?
This can be solved by using good/clean seeds and crop rotation as explained above.

 They asked if spacing for beans is specific to a certain type or variety.
The Answer is yes, such as bush type Vs climbing type.

 The pastor asked if after harvesting corn and beans in the demonstration plots can they sell and open an Agriculture account so that after 3 years when the project phase out they can support themselves?
The answer is absolutely yes, it is a good idea to start thinking about being independent.

Conclusions/Recommendations
We emphasized the importance of following instruction because the success of the program depends upon them following what we instructed. They promised to follow all the instructions.

Mlowa CVP Visit of Nov 9-09

2009 CVP
3rd visit, November 9th, 2009, YEAR ONE

Village Mlowa Parish
Pastor Lunegelo Mbwilo
Companion Victor Christus
Attendees

Weather for the past month
Reporters
30; 16 female, 14 male ( Including One pastor and Four Evangelists)
Sunny, dry, and just received 13 mm rain on Nov. 6th, 2009
Ibrahim Wikedzi and Fred Bergsrud

We started the meeting with about 25 people and five(5) came a few minutes later, they told us we could have more people but there was a funeral going on in a house about 30 meters from where the church is located.

Purpose of the visit
• Planting and fertilizer application demonstrations
• To deliver seed and fertilizer

Topics
1. Greetings
Fred gave greetings from Saint Paul Area Synod, Victor Christus and US Advisory Committee
2. Review of Handouts
o Fertilizer needs template was filled and left to the box file of the congregation
o Plant population handout was reviewed
o Fertilizer application handout was reviewed
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 put after every 20 cm and by using a bottle cap fertilizer was applied 5cm from the seed on each side. We teach them about crop rotation and its importance.

4. Fertilizer and seed delivery
According to the soil analysis of the soil of this area the fertilizer recommended is NPK (10-18-24). The congregation was given 2 NPK bags (each 50 Kg) and 4 bags (each 2 Kg) of seed. They were told to apply this fertilizer at the time of planting, and we recommended corn variety called Pioneer.


Comments/questions from audience
 Comment; One person said, back in those years they used to plant without cultivating.

 They asked if the Pioneer seed will work out in their area, since they use local seeds which need 60 days to mature.
We told them, based on the description of the seed (Pioneer) and trials conducted at the Mgongo farm (Similar weather like Mlowa), we will give them and through demonstration we will see if the seed will work out. We insisted that they need have improved variety (ies) for high yield. We also explained with reference to what happened in the 2008-CVP plots which have almost similar weather with them.

 They asked should they mix CAN and UREA and apply as a second application.
We recommended them not to mix rather apply it separately and in most cases only one kind will be recommended to be used.

 They asked if they can use seeds (yield) that will be obtained from the demonstration plot.
We told them, we are highly advice them to buy new seeds every growing season if they can. If not we told them they can re- use seeds only once.

 They asked how to apply fertilizers and seeds during planting.
We explained that we will demonstrate outside after teaching, so when we got outside we demonstrated and they understood.

 Comment, they have been farming big plots/farms which they can’t manage. So from now they will try farm areas which they can manage such as weeding etc.

 They asked if the soil is fertile do they need use fertilizer.
The answer is yes; sometimes putting recommended fertilizers will give you more yields than not using fertilizers at all. One person said he thought his farm was fertile because he was able to harvest 6 bags per acre but when we told him in other parishes this year (2009) harvested 9-11 bags per half acre, he agreed he should use some fertilizers to increase his yield per acre and also another person made a comment saying that it is true because in the same farm some area will do better than other side of the farm.

Conclusions/Recommendations
We highly recommended them to follow all agronomic practices we are and will be teaching them, and they will see success in their crop production, we referred to other CVP’s like Kilolo, Nduli etc. which harvested 11 bags and 3 tins and 9.5 bags of shelled corn from half acre plot respectively.

Mlowa - Christus Victor Lutheran Church, Apple Valley, MN

2009 CVP
2nd visit, October 2, 2009

Village
Mlowa
Pastor
Lunogelo Mbwillo
Companion
Christus Victor , Apple valley
Attendees
15

This is the dry area, located on the road to Ruaha National Park.
Review
After an introduction, meeting started with the quick review of the handouts:
· DIRA – Institute of agriculture agreement
· CVP plot management FAQs
· CVP Plot record of events
Demonstrations:
· It was demonstrated how to measure an acre using actual length measurements (63.5m by 63.5m) instead of using pacing (70 by 70)
· The Rain gauge and a recording sheet were given to congregation. Instruction on how to use was given too. They were wondering where to place the rain gauge because farms are out of the village and sometimes one part of the village receives rain, the other do not and vice verse. They were told that an average of the rain the village receives will not make big difference from one part to another.
The plot is in a river valley located about 2 km from the church in the farming area. There are some irrigated plots (Irrigation uses hoe-made ditches and is done by hand). The parish bought the plot last March. The pastor cultivated beans last season. They have 3835m2 but that is all they have. As we were measuring the plot, the group grew. Farmers who were in that area joined us. A neighbor (who sold part of his plot to the parish) sought an advice on how to improve his yield. He was told not to burn the crop residues. Moreover he should use the fertilizers recommendations from the soil analysis of that area. However Ibrahim taught him how to determine soil fertility by observing the plant appearance and type of vegetation on the area. Hi was invited to the meeting in the next visit.

Mlowa - 1st Visit

March 9, 2009
Village: Mlowa
Pastor: Lonugelo Mbwila
Companion: Christus Victor, Apple Valley
Attendance: 70

This morning the four of us (Ibrahim, Godwin, Alfred, and Roger) drove to Mlowa, about one and a half hours west of Iringa on the road to Ruaha. The area around the main church is pretty dry. We arrived about 9:340 and since we weren’t expected till about 11:00 we went out to the plot to take soil samples. Once we left the “main road” we had to cross two creeks, one river and drive with one wheel in a creek for a period of time. The plot is about 2km by walking trail from the main church, but about 10 km via drivable (?) road. The plot is located in a low area that is irrigated. There are a number of other farms adjacent to the plot. The next field is planted in rice and was being irrigated while we were there.

We took soil samples from 6 inches and 12 inches at three locations in the plot. Four parishioners rode with us in the truck, and about another six walked from the church.

When we got back we had our meeting in the church. By the time everyone signed up there were 70 attendees. This was the largest attendance we have had so far. After a brief introduction, Ibrahim went through the handouts:
1. DIRA – Institute of Agriculture Village Plot Agreement
2. Plot Management
3. Chronological Plot Management of Crops Planted in December of 2009
4. Frequently Asked Questions
5. Record of Events

The group was very interested and asked a lot of questions. According to the pastor people moved to this area from the Njombe area in the mid 60s because of the potential for agriculture. The pastor also said that the people in his parish loved to farm. Based on the attendance and the interest shown, he was correct. There were a number of Massii, probably close to 20% of the group. The pastor also said that they were in discussion and planning to start a SACCOS. I told them that a SACCOS would be very complementary to the CVF program and could be a way for farmers to be able to purchase seed and fertilizer for their own farms.

The average yield in the area is between 3 to 5 bags of corn per acre. They were excited when we told them that using the techniques from the CVP program at Mgongo we were able to harvest over 15 bags per acre.

Questions and comments were:
· Pastor Lunogelo Mbwilo said he was thankful that the Mlowa parish could be part of this program and have a CVP plot. He was thankful that their companion congregation Christus Victor was willing to support this project for them. His parishioners like to farm, but there is a shortage of food in the community. He hopes this program will help farmers produce more.
· Pastor is excited about the CVP program. He had heard about the program in other parishes, but was afraid that they wouldn’t be able to get a plot in their parish.
· One man said that 3 to 5 bags per acre does not provide enough food to feed themselves. If he can get 15 bags per acre he doesn’t need to farm 10 acres, and can pay closer attention to fewer acres. On the other hand he could grow 10 acres he could see what is lover from feeding his family.
· Most people take care of 10 acres, but get low yields even with irrigation. Hopefully these techniques you are teaching us will help us get better yields.
· They were happy to hear that there is a CVP plot at Tungamalenga because they are at a similar elevation and have similar weather.
· You are talking about using fertilizer; our experience is that fertilizer is detrimental to the soil and the plans. If you use fertilizer for a few years and then quit, you won’t be able to grow anything on that ground the next year. Ibrahim responded that just like medicine, if one took all the pills they received from a doctor at once they would likely get sick and could kill themselves. But if you took the medicine as prescribed one would get well. Fertilizer if wrongly applied can give bad results, but if properly applied will increase yields.
· Other fertilizer questions
· They asked about the kind of fertilizer we were recommending and when to apply it
· We said that we needed to wait until the results of the soil test were done
· They know about NPK and Urea
· We said we would likely recommend NPK at planting and Urea or CAN at the knee high stage of corn
· One man didn’t know that you could test soil and develop fertilizer recommendations from that test. He was happy to learn about soil testing.
· They asked what kind of seed will be used in the CVP plot. We said Pioneer, and they were glad because they were familiar with that seed.
· Questions were raised about minimum tillage:
o If you don’t burn how will you control pests and disease? Crop rotation will help control pests and disease.
o What is one cuts the residue and feeds it to his cattle? That’s fine, but if you can apply the manure to the plot.
o If they have cattle, can they use oxen to plow the field? Yes, but they should plow earlier and then make rows for planting.
o Can they use oxen to plant? We recommend that they not plant in the plow furrow because the seed gets buried too deep and might not germinate. They should plow early and then make rows on top of the plowed furrow.
o They said they get better yields if they don’t plant in the plow furrow.
· They said they are experiencing diseases in their corn. Crop rotation will help break the cycle of pests and disease.
· There were questions about plant spacing:
o They thought our recommendation of 60 cm rows with plants 20 cm apart within a row was too close.
o They usually plant in 90 cm rows with seeds 50 cm apart, but they plant two seeds per hill.
o They use about 10 kg seed/acre with 90 by 50 spacing planting two seeds per hill. We said they would probably use 14 kg seed/acre with the 60 by pacing with one seed per hill.
· There were questions about intercropping:
o We recommend growing only one crop at a time
o They agreed that the plot would be easier to weed
o They have experienced higher yields when growing only one crop at a time
· The people in the parish believe that it is possible to become successful as a result of farming. They cited an example of a family in their village who got started farming then expanded into busses. Family members still live in a really nice house, the best in the village and farm.
After meeting in the church for an hour and a half the group adjourned outside and kept asking questions for another half hour.

Photo link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21557421@N08/sets/72157615106630376/detail/