New growth from old rubbish
Many of those with experience of working in agricultural development recognize that the growing use of chemical inputs may often be doing more harm than good to farming and the environment in developing countries. Nevertheless, it is essential that agricultural production is increased in order to feed the growing population. The Cameroon office of Cercle International pour la Promotion de la Creation (CIPCRE), an NGO concerned with environmental protection which is based at Bafoussam, has proposed an alternative to inorganic chemical fertilizer that is attracting considerable interest. The idea is to make compost from the town's household refuse. Not only is this resulting in an environmentally friendly fertilizer of great value to the population, (70% of whom are connected with farming) it is also cleaning up the town of Bafoussam where rubbish was becoming a serious problem. The rubbish, of which 80% is biodegradable, is transported to five sorting sites where it is piled into heaps, watered and occasionally turned over. After three or four months, a usable compost is obtained and this is put into 50kg sacks and sold for CFA2,500. The compost is distributed to 245 groups of farmers who use it, in combination with other technologies, to improve their soil. Even though the use of other inputs has been reduced, yields of leeks, for example, have grown from 2.8 to 4.Gt/ha and those of lettuce from 1.5 to 2.5t/ha. CIPCRE BP 1256, Bafoussam CAMEROON
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| Format: | News Item biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
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Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
1996
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/47328 http://collections.infocollections.org/ukedu/en/d/Jcta63e/ |
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