AGRICULTURAL scientists have noted that the use of organic manure promotes sustainable agriculture as it enhances soil efficiency and crop yield without causing any harm to the environment.
It is therefore heart-warming to see agricultural scientists making significant inroads towards introducing newer and more effective methods of producing organic fertilizer.
It is even gratifying to find that some of these scientists are helping Ghanaian farmers to learn and adopt these new methods to increase their yield.
Two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are helping farmers in Tamale and other parts of the Northern Region, most of whom are struggling with low yields, to adopt these methods.
The two NGOs are touting the recycling of household waste, farm residue and other organic waste as one of the effective methods of producing high quality fertilizer.
The Abokoby Society Switzerland (ASS), one of the NGOs, combines fine-grained charcoal waste with soil to form organic manure. It is produced by heating these organic materials up to 300-700 degrees Celsius in the absence of oxygen.
During the heating process, organic molecules are partially cracked thereby releasing gases and vapour from the organic matter. The residual matter after the pyrolysis of these organic materials is what is called biochar.
When wood is the only material that is decomposed through this heating procedure, the final product from the kiln is called charcoal. In fact, this technique is what is used by rural charcoal producers in their earth mounted kilns.
In fact, agricultural scientists have noted that organic materials such as grass, organic household waste, manure or industrial waste products like saw dust, rice husks or nutshells could be used to produce biochar when they undergo pyrolysis.
According to Mr Felix Jenny, who is the ASS representative for the biochar project, his organisation first applied the biochar method in Ghana in 2009.
“The first test was carried out in Accra, but the success rate was low. Follow-up tests were carried out on different soils in the Tamale area in 2009 and 2010 and these were successful,” Jenny stated.
The other NGO, DeCo, produces compost by recycling organic waste that is collected from households, restaurants and hotels.
After gathering these waste materials, the NGO mixes them with other organic materials, such as chicken and pig manure, which are of high quality. This is done in order to optimize the proportion between carbon and nitrogen content.
The organic materials are remixed periodically for a few weeks so as to aerate it for better composting.
Afterwards, the compost formed from this mixture is transferred from outer space to an enclosed place, such as a warehouse, and allowed to mature under controlled conditions, without being affected by the weather.
The final product is then packed into 35kg bags and sold at the market.
Both the ASS and DeCo are currently undertaking joint tests to achieve better results with these methods.
Mr Peter Billa, who is a local representative for the ASS in Tamale, told the Daily Graphic that not all soil types in Ghana are qualified for the new biochar method, “so the tests would also seek to determine which soils are suitable.”
He said so far the soil test results had shown that soils in the Tamale area were suitable for the biochar method or a mixture of both the biochar and compost methods.
It is expected that wherever these sustainable organic methods are successfully applied within Ghana, soil fertility and crop output will rise because these types of compost have higher nutrients for soil fertility.
“I have tried these new methods and I think they are very effective. They are inexpensive and every serious farmer needs to try it,” Alhaji Ibrahim Taimako, a commercial farmer said in an interview.
Hopefully, farmers would generate more income and rural poverty could be reduced significantly.
One can only hope that farmers adopt these methods and that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) finds it worthwhile to promote the use of organic manure as a better option to chemical fertilizer.
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