Report - Visit to DiHoko during Feb14: February 2014

The “ladies garden” that was established during the December holidays, to be a training environment for the ladies of DiHoko and a step closer the ‘middle garden’. Due to insufficient funding it was decided to remunerate the DHP ladies tending the veggie tunnels, with their own garden to plant, consume and sell as they see fit. The current project activities can however not provide for salaries.

Content of Report

I.                    Ladies Open Garden
·   Drip Irrigation Installation
·        Compost Production

II. Veggie-tunnel

· Condition of the Tunnels

III. Budget Spent

I. Ladies Open Garden

Drip Irrigation Installation

The irrigation system that was installed contains micro-spinners that is proving a fine rain with a diameter of 2.5 m, overlapping one other. We have placed 4 micro-spinners per line with a distance of 3 m between them. The ladies garden was divided into 3 sections, section 1 with 5 lines, section 2 with 5 lines and the last section with 2 lines. These sections are all controlled by faucets that will be turned on at different times. This is done so that we could regulate the pressure in the irrigation system.

The new micro-spinners sprays 360° and they are coded blue and black. This will increase the productivity of the open garden and will give the ladies more time to attend to their garden as well as the tunnels.

I installed the irrigation equipment with the ladies and showed them how the sprinklers are functioning. The laddies showed a great interest and excitement for this irrigation system after they learnt how it works.

They will carry on with the planting and tending, controlling their own garden.

The sprinklers are able to complete the watering of the garden in a time frame of 15 minutes per section. I demonstrated to them how wet the ground was after 15 minutes and that this would sustain the plants sufficiently.

Compost Production

During December the Ladies and I started compost production for fertilization in the ladies garden. During this visit I showed the ladies a few things that had gone wrong with the production of their compost. Such as during the turning over of the compost they mixed it with the sand, making it very difficult for the compost to decompose. They also took too much time for turning the compost pile over to a new space. There was heavy rain that contributed to the delay of the decomposing as well. I then instructed them to sift the compost, retrieve what is good and apply it to the garden before planting. That which is not completely decomposed could then be added to another new compost pile.

The seeds that were planted during December were all washed away by the heavy rain that took place in January and February and the garden survived with very little vegetables. The ladies were then afraid to plant new seeds since the rain kept on washing them away. It was decided with Aton and the ladies that they will use one of the tunnels for Seedling Production and later transplant it to the ladies garden as this will reduce the damage of rain to the crops.

II. Veggie-tunnel

The Condition of Tunnels

The veggie tunnel were in a bad condition:

· Leaves affected by Rust and Fungus

· Caterpillars and Grasshoppers

· Weeds overgrown in the tunnels

· Empty Bags unplanted

· Late watering and too much watering

· Yellowing of leaves

· A row that had cow manure from Anton’s Kraal

We had a talk about this situation and I came to find out that the tunnels have not been given the proper care.

I encouraged the ladies and the 3 men that are working in the tunnels, to weed around the tunnel, water the tunnels regularly and use fertilizer, pick the caterpillars by hand and keep the tunnels closed at all times. Also, to replant the bags and transplant where it needs to be transplanted.

They will remove the ground with the manure, that was added to the planting bags.

Budget

Ladies Garden Materials DiHoko

ITEM	DESCRIPTION	UNIT	QTY	RATE	AMOUNT
1	Pipes - LDPE Cl3
1.1	25mm LDPe Cl3	M	80	4,67	373,60
1.2	5mm LDPe Cl3	M	55	1,11	61,05
1.3	13mm LSPE CL3	M	100	2,62	262,00

2	Control Point and Fitting
2.1	25mm Elbow	No	3	4,60	13,80
2.2	50mm Reducer 50-25mm	No	1	5,11	5,11
2.3	25mm Faucets 90 Degree turn type	No	3	87,90	263,70
2.4	13mm End Stops	No	15	3,89	58,35
2.5	13mm Connectors/Pipe Extensions	No	11	3,40	37,40
2.6	Micro-spin 360° Blue	No	65	3,24	210,60
2.7	13mm to 5mm Reducers	No	35	0.54
2.8	25mm Full T-pieces	No	6	5,60	33,60
2.9	25mm/13mm Clamps	No	25	6,80	170,00
2.10	Cable Ties	No	5	18,78	93,90
2.11	Steel Rods 1.8cm	M	40	3,61	144,44
				S/Tot	1 727,55
				Vat	259,13
3	Other
3.1	OPX Transport	No	1	650,00	650,00
3.2	Windhoek Transport	No	1	200,00	200,00
3.3	Labor	No	1	800,00	800,00
3.4	Transport DiHoko	No	2	150,00	300,00
3.5	Stay Over Provision	No	2	200,00	400,00

				S/Tot	2 350,00

			Total Incl VAT		4 336,68

Conclusion

I left after implementing the irrigation system and chatting to the ladies about their garden. The fence to the middle garden, the space with 3 hectare, is being installed and almost completed. The final procedure will be to de-bush the area and prepare the land.

Report by

Emmanuel Muyumba

TOT in Horticulture & Veggie-Tunnel Production

Emmanuel.s.muyumba@gmail.com

+264813899866