Donkeys and hedges
The president of the Agroforestry Association of Burkina Faso, Kinda Doriva, tells of his months-long mission to Liberia where he worked to 'introduce new tree plants, and fifty donkeys, to help local communities to rebuild after seven years of war. The photo shows a group of Liberian women and their new donkey. I would like to share my experiences in planting hedges from seeds. A lot of people have problems in enclosing their gardens, plots and pastures. Netting is very expensive, as is buying acacia seedlings from nurseries and planting them close enough to get a thick wall. A hedge is the best solution: it protects against soil erosion, and allows water to pass through. Towards the end of the rainy season, when the soil is still damp, dig a ditch 35 cm deep and 40 cm across, and wait for the rains to stop before filling it up again. Sow acacia seeds in two lines all along the filled-in ditch, having mixed compost into the soil if it is hard. After one year, thin out the plants to every 20 cm, and seed any empty areas. In the second year, cut down any high branches, and weave the lower ones into a hedge. One word of caution: watch out for animals eating the hedge in the dry season; they just love it, despite the thorns. Goats are the worst.'
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | News Item biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
2002
|
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/46476 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/99600 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|