Training of Trainers (ToT): Garden training workshop
Venue: KwaDapha Hub
Date: 23 August 2024
Times: 09:00
Introduction
Agriculture is one of the main livelihoods which the community of KwaDapha cherish
and make a living from and is mainly subsistence. The community members have
livestock such as goats and some have cattle. Majority of the community havegardens
in their homesteads where they plant vegetables, some of thefields crops such as
beans andnuts, andthey have fruit trees within their households. Theaim of this
workshop was to providea garden training to theYESintern youthgroup who are
stationed at KwaDapha Hub, this training will equip the Interns with the necessary set
of skills, knowledge and bit of technical know-how to help smallholder farmers within
the community toimprove their agricultural standing through new agricultural practices
seeking to increase resilience to climate change and are environmental sensitive.
The workshop was divided into four sessions, the first session was an activity for the
YES intern. They were requested to come up with the garden layout they know in their
communities, draw them on the flip charts provided and present them afterward. The
second session was a discussion on garden layout focusing on aspect, slope, wind as
wellas water andsoil management. The third session focused on living soils, which
focused on soil structure, soil fertility andpractical practices seekingto increasefertility
in the soil for better crop performance.
Current garden drawing presentations
The YES interns were divided into three groups where they were requested to come
up with a garden layout they knew of. In this exercise the groups were asked to draw
a garden they all new or from one of their homes and were grouped into their
communities they comefrom, thesedrawings were to include types of crops planted
in the garden, where they get water for irrigation, types of practices involved in the
garden. Then were also asked to give details on their layout on garden slope, aspect,
water pathways after heavy rains and wind direction. Oneindividual; Mqondisi; was
asked to do his layout alone and the reason behind that was the fact the has his own
garden on a bit of a larger scale wherehegrows for both eating and selling. Afterwards
that they were asked to
appoint one member to
present their layout on
behalfof the entire
group. The main
purpose of this
exercisewas to get to
know some of the
activities practised in
this area in details, but
most importantly to
pick up what theYES
intern understands
about gardening in
general.
Presentations done were from the KwaDapha, Nkathweni, Emasakeni andMvutshana
communities.According to the presentation and the drawings in their chat, most crops
planted were carrots, spinach and cassava and they were all mono crops. The farmers
are struggling inwater access however they managed to get water irrigation from
water stored in JOJO tanks (rainwater) and some have boreholes in their households.
One commontechnique or practice in obtaining water is, farmers would dig a few
metres down at any spot at the garden or cropping field and water would come out
from the shallow water tables and this is a practice in allcommunities. Another
Figure 1: KwaDapha group presentation of current farming practices
advantage is the fact that thegardens are surrounded by trees meaningthey are
hidden from strong winds. And most areas are not steep, hence the municipality’s
name “Umhlabuyalingana” meaning flatlands, so surface run-off is hardly anissue in
this area. Wild animals like monkeys and hippos are a huge challenge for the farmers.
Figure 2: Emasakeni village garden presentation
From the presentations, farmers generally buyseeds and do their own seedlings which
they transplant in the bigger plots fences with branches, netsand iron sheets.These
seedlings are produced closer totalltrees under shade and watered.Birdsareahuge
problem as gardens are done in betweennatural vegetation and tress, scarecrwos are a
practicein Nkathweniand they seem to be deterring some birds, however, there has been
an increase in birds camping in garden and elds where participants in other villages stay
out in the day chasing them away. Kraal manure from cattle and gats are common fertility
amendment used when growingfood where it is mixed with the soil before planting.
Compost pits are also common, where organic matter is plied in a pit and used atthe
base of the basinswhen seedlings aretransplanted. Some villages areexposed to
pesticides and use pyrethroid based products to treataphids on cabbages and other
leafy crops. Mqondisi in Mvutshana has access to and usessynthetic fertilizers for his
cash crops such as chillies and leafy greens. Interns did bring across that crop selection
also was inuenced by water available in the wetlands areawhere they normally do their
gardens. Cropssuch ascabbages, amadumbe,banana and carrots are planted in moist
areas where these crops can ourish more as to opposed to maize for example which
doesn’t like too much water.
Mqondisi has been experimenting with summer cover cropsin sunnhemps that he is
growing toreplenish hissoils with organic matter and nutrients. He saves seed from his
sunnhemp to plant the followingseason and rotates his sunnhemp with chilliesand
vegetables. His plots never run dry as he has borehole water that he pumps to a tank and
irrigates using sprinklers when it gets too hot.
Garden layout and design
This sectionwas adiscussion which was facilitated by Nqobile Mbokaziwhere he
started by thegardenlayout which the YES interns werenot aware of. Here he was
putting emphasis that gardens arenot just madeanywhere but careful consideration
of aspect, north and south facing slopes, must be looked at. Aspect has an impact on
the performance of crops as the north facing slops is known to be the warmest, this
Figure 3: Nqobile talking to aspect, wind, sun and slope to the group
is because when the sunrise in the morning, this aspect is thefirst to receive the
sunlight, and during theafternoon when the sunlight is intense it is also the first to
receiveshade. While theSouth Facing slopeis the opposite of the North facing slope.
So, it is preferable to establish your garden in the North facing slope. Wind is another
important factor as ithas the potentialto dry out soils. So, thegardenmust be
protected from heavy destructive winds that will damage crops. If not protected by
buildings, gardens need a buffer in trees and shrubs that will reduce the impact of the
windbefore getting to the garden. Yes, plants do need air, but winds can eat away
crops slowly like sandpaper if exposed.
The second factor which the farmer shouldalso be mindful of is watermanagement,
there are two events which can take place as far as water is concerned, the first one
being too much water in the yard of the farmer. This means if the farmer has a sloped
area which encourages surface run-off on the area, it is significant to know the
collection points of thewater during rainfall and its direction. Thereare practices which
can help the farmer to managethe situation of toomuch water in the yard,suchas
cut-offditches and diversion furrows. Farmers cannot have gardens where water
collects andsists nor do they want it at the driest part of the area. So somewhere in
the middle where run off can be either be slowed down or stopped thus encouraging
more infiltration and access to crops thereafter. Cut offdrain and diversion ditches are
physical alterations of the landscape and management tools farmers can implement
to control the water and channel it somewhere useful. The steepness of the slops has
great influence of the speed of water and its soil eroding capacity and this is crucial
for the sustainability of farming.
Living soils
This section was a discussion about soil management facilitated by Mazwi Dlamini. A
question posed by the facilitator: Why do we usefertilizers to the soil? Most of the YES
youth answered by saying “We use fertilizers as means of trying to produce food” and
some answered by saying “To enrich the soil because of the situation were plants just
dies”. Mazwiresponded by saying that fertilizers are a temporary fix and not a
permanent solution to the poor soil fertility problem. Fertilizers are rather like pills
whichare like vitamins that offers a temporalsolution for specific deficiencies but does
not solve the problem in the soil. Soil ailments are a result of “mining” practices where
farmers farm without replenishing nutrients back and they eventually run low and run
out. Much like unhealthy eating habits in human, coupled with excessive drinking and
lack of exercise, the body with not cope with threats thus making the person prone to
falling sick. Sound practices such as minimal disturbance, permanent soils cover for
organic matter and rotations keep the soil healthy thus crops perform well. Then he
continues by sharing the concept of the living soils, the soil is has life, it needs different
kinds of nutrients to stay alive, it needs water to survive and it also needs oxygen,
nitrogen for healthy leaves and stems, phosphorus for strong health roots and
potassium for lowering and bearing fruit, this lead to the NPK discussion that farmers
buy in fertilizers. It is a farmer’s responsibility to take care of the soil by making sure
that all its needs are met so that the soil will take care of the farmer, healthy soils can
be identified through good organic matter and presence of living organisms in itsuch
as earthworms. Healthy soil has good structure andare able to hold water thus reduce
run off.
Figure 4: Discussion on living soils by Mazwi Dlamini
There are three major nutrient which are observed when looking at the soil fertility,
they areNitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (NPK). This does not mean that they
soil only needs these three nutrients,thereare other nutrients needed by the soil which
are significant as well, however these three nutrients just have more seen results
which are easily detected. For Example, Nitrogen is seen on the leaves of the plants,
if the plant has insufficient nitrogen leaves turn yellow or brown. Phosphorus provides
the plant with good root system and strong stemand when the plant lacks phosphorus
the leaves turn fiery redat the edgeof the leaves.Potassium helpsthe tree to produce
and bear fruit and flowers.
There are organic ways to supplement these major nutrients in the soil withoutthe use
of synthesised chemicals or nutrients. Cattle manure, Chicken manure, rabbit manure,
planting of legumes and cover crops can supplement Nitrogenin the soil. Bones, bone
meal, comfrey, chicken manure and wood ash cansupplement Phosphorus and
Potassium. Aquestion from the YES group: “If pig manurealso recommended”. Mazwi:
“ideally pigs do have a lot of nutrients in their by product or manure, but the issueis
pig usually have a lot of diseases detected from them whichend up being easily
transferred to humans as well, so there are lot of complicated procedures which are
to be followed when dealing with pigs in general”
Acidity
Soil can also be found to be acidic which also one of the factors which cause the soil
to be unproductive. The PH of the soil should be always neutral which is represented
by 7 in the PH scale. PH of6.5 or 7.5 is also preferable not less, and not more. Acidity
is usually caused by excessive application of fertilizers and can be neutralised by
liming. Soils can be healthy and acidic, thus making nutrients in the soil unavailable to
crops leading to stunted growth.
Conclusion
A lot of information was shared in one day and the day was quite long, the YES hada
lot to digest and reflecton. The training went well, the Interns participatedand 30
manuals were distributed to the group for them to revisit these discussions, these
manuals are also now their “bible”as far as intensive homestead production is
concerned and will provide them with guides in assisting the greater community.
Day 2: Practical demonstration of practices
This was a demonstration day demonstrating where the group was going to put into
practice what was discussed the previous day. The day would be ana collectionof
practices for improved gardening wherewater, soil, diversification, greywater and
intensified production would be exemplified. Aconstruction of a micro tunnel, with
trenches filled with organic matter and drip irrigation along witha tower garden making
use of a small space to grow food enough for a household while using grey water to
somewhar relieve demand for water to irrigate crops were to worked with and shown
in detail to the group for them to be able to help implement these in the community.All
preparations of the demonstrationwere done prior to this day, where most of the
required materials such as manure, and dry matter were collected and kept at the
demonstration site.
Most of the YES interns seemed to have forgotten the CRA practices discussion and
some information on the micro-tunnel and tower garden. Asummary anda reminder
of the CRApractices specifically the micro tunneland a Tower Garden was shared
with the youth group. The first demonstration was the micro-tunnel where westarted
by measuring the site where a tunnel was appointed,the measurement being 6m X
4m which are the measurement of the tunnel.The second step was digging up the
deeptrenches with the measurement of 1metre width 5 metres length and 1 metre
depth,the YES group were given an opportunity to measure and dig all three trenches
under supervision of MDF stuff members.
Figure 5: The how and why of trench beds
Trench beds were filled upby adding dry matter and manure creating layers on the
trenchesfrom bottom until just aboveground level. The firstlayer of the trenches is
supposed to have tins and bone, adding calcium and zinc in the soil, however these
materials were not found during this demonstrationand thus bonemeal was spread.
Next was demonstrating the bending of the steel-poles using a jig and joining the two-
bent poles through a couplingcreating one ark shaped pole which makes the shape
of a tunnel, then the youth were given an opportunity to bed the rest of the poles and
joined them using joints. Theback of thetunnel and the front of the shade tunnel
structure were sown in usingthe poles and the net with field staff demonstrating this
and handing over to the group to try out.
Figure 6: Demonstration and bending of pipes by the group ahead of tunnel construction
After the back and the front of the tunnel were created and all the poles were joint, the
following step was to install the poles to the ground.Ahuge disadvantage in this
demonstration site is the fact that the soil or the ground is very sandy with loose
particles making it difficult for the poles to stand strong in the ground. Having this
knowledge before time was a real game changer to this situation as we have planned
for it. The plan was to make concrete and hold it using 5Litre bottles then make a 14
cm deep hole at the centre of thebottle which is a perfect size of the steel-pole, the
idea was to use this concrete as an anchor of thesteel-poles giving the tunnelstrength
to stand still underground.
After the poles have been grounded strong to the ground, the last piece of the net went
over thepoles and sewed to the pole startingfrom the top of the pole to the bottom
covering and completing the tunnel. Upon finishing the tunnel a sense of pride filled
the atmosphere as the YES youth were so excited and proud of their efforts. After the
tunnelwas completed, 120seedlings were planted on the trench beds (kale, mustard,
spinach,chinese cabbage, brinjal, thyme, coriander, parsley, chillies and onions).
Particular attention was given to how the seedlings were combined where we looked
at leafy crops, bulbing crops as well as herbs. It important to have a diversity of crops
in your beds where onions, chillies, parsley, thyme and coriander can protect greens
likedby pests. The diversity in the gardenmakes it difficult forpests to “target” spinach,
cabbages and other vegetables. The different crops also use different nutrients and
have different water requirements thus reducing competition. Farmers also have a
variety of crops tochoose from thusincreasing intake of various nutrient with herbs
such as parsley aiding in blood pressure reduction while thyme help fight off bacterial
and fungal infections. Lastly, dripirrigation system; prepared by the YES group were
also demonstrated and installed in the tunnel.
Tower garden
During the climate change workshop, a tower garden was demonstrated on one of the
homesteads in the community. The Yes Youth was present during the demonstration,
this timethe tower garden was to be installed at the community hub it was a chance
for theYES youthto show how much they remembered. They started by mixing cattle
manure with the soil because they had already sewed the net together. They then used
a five-litre bottle cutting its top and bottom leaving the body of the bottle throughout.
The hollowbottle was used to make the stone column in the centre of this garden held
by the soil-manure and wood ash mix. This process was repeated until the garden
stood tall and was plantedin the body and at the top. However, they had forgotten the
guideline for usinggrey water in the tower which is like the drip irrigation system as
well. They were then reminded that grey water is not used right after being used, but
it must first be kept in a drum with wood ash added to flush out the soap and chemical
Figure 7: Putting together drip kits from scratch and lining them on beds
and neutralise before it can be provided to crops. Importantly, crops do needfresh
clean water once a week to wash themselves of the greywater.
Figure 8: Planting the tower garden
