Smallholder
farming
system
Dryland cropping
of staples on small
patches of available
land (0,1-1ha)
Extensive
grazing of
livestock on
stover and
veld
Intensive
homestead food
production;
vegetables, fruit,
small livestock
Feed
biomass
mulch
Manure
mulch
Fodder
manure
stover
Cover
crops,
non
staples
OM and
soil
fertility
Little to
no soil
cover
•1. GO KAONAFATṦA TAOLO YA MEETSE
GOOD WATER MANAGEMENT
Diversion ditches- to carry water to
beds
Mulching -
Improved furrows and ridges- on
contour, mulching, mixed cropping
Greywater management and use;-ash,
tower gardens, keyhole gardens,
greywater bucket filter
Dripkits
Tunnels
RWH storage tanks
Small dams
3. GO KAONAFATṦA HLOKOMELO YA DIBJALWA
CROP MANAGEMENT
Mixed cropping- incl intercropping
Pest control brews -Chilli -soap, onion-
paraffin etc
Planting of herbs -(mixed in veg beds eg
coriander, parsley,
Seed successions- planting a range of seed,
across seasons for continuity, Seed saving
Conservation Agriculture; minimal soil
disturbance, soil cover ,crop diversity
Planting to maximise shade –in afternoons
2.GO FOKOTṦAKGOGOLEGO YA MOBU
CONTROLLING SOIL MOVEMENT
Cut off drains –ditches across a
contour at top of garden/slop
Contours-measured with line level
Stone lines/bunds-made on contour
Strip cropping-
Sand bags for erosion control-
5.HLOKOMELO YA DIMELA TṦA TLHAGO
TAKECAREOFINDIGENOUSPLANTS
Small nurseries-propagation of fruit and
indigenous crops and trees
Planting-windbreaks, hedges, multi
functional plants, inter cropping
4.GO NONTṦA MOBU
KEEP THE SOIL FERTILTY/HEALTHY
Dedicated paths and beds
Fertilitymanagement-manure (incl
improved manure), compost, green
manures, legumes, liquid manure
Bed design -trench beds, shallow trenches,
eco-circles, banana circles/basins
MENWANA E MEHLANO/ FIVE FINGERS
Principles
Practices
Assessments (traffic
light)
% implementation in the group
WaterManagement
Cut off drains and swales
Not yet implemented by most
participants
Diversion ditches
~20% (10/52)
Greywater (filtration, use)
~8%
Small dams
~14%
Organic matter (incorporation in soil)
-leaves, bones, woodchips
etc buried to increase water holding and fertility
~60%
Drip irrigation
~6%
Saving water; Rainwater harvesting in drums, management of leaks
of communal stand pipes, no longer letting irrigation water run
24/7
-Lepelle
All participants involved in some way in
saving water
Control soil movement and erosion
Stone bunds
~24%
Banana basins and circles
~22%
Strip cropping (aloes, sisal) and planting grass to reduce run
-off
~8%
Contours
-water flow for collection
Not yet implemented
Ridges and furrows
-planting of crops on ridges; sweet potato,
sunflowers…
~30%
Sacks with sand for rehabilitation of
gulleys
~2%
Crop management
Planting in basins, mulching and direct watering of basins only
~60%
Close spacing in field crops and vegetables
~20%
Planting to provide afternoon shade and planting windbreaks
~22%
Crop rotation and intercropping
~52%
Natural pest control
~18%
Conservation Agriculture
~36%
-more ideas still to be tried
Soil fertility
Trench beds
~60%
Mulch
~60%
Liquid manure
~20%
Compost
~46%
Application of manure (cattle, chickens)
~70%
Legumes; planting for food and soil fertility
~68%
Looking after indigenous plants
Stop burning veld
No one doing
Don’t chop whole trees
-just cut branches
Most participants
Plant indigenous trees in the yards to protect and save them
Most participants
100% 99%
83%
57% 53%
46% 45%
33% 29%
15% 12%
6% 3%
100%
60%
49%
11%
96% 96%
67%
48%
37%
19%
11%
Mixed cropping
Seedlingproduction
Trench beds
Stone bunds
Mulching
Nat P&D control
Waterflowditches
Eco circles
Liquid manure
Tower gardens
Contours
Mandala beds
Conservation Agric
RWH storage
Bucket dripkits
Tunnels
Experiments
Multipurpose plants
Seed saving
Grey water use
Furrows and ridges
Legumes
Nurseries
Banana basins
New interventionsNew innovationsLocal good practice
Date
Herbs
No
bundl
es
Price
Amount
Total
2018/08/17
Basil
2
R15,00
R30,00
Coriander
32
R14,00
R448,00
Flat leaf parsley
21
R9,50
R199,50
R677,50
2018/08/24
Coriander
20
R14,00
R280,00
Flat leaf parsley
20
R9,50
R190,00
Spinach
30
R10,00
R300,00
Onions
33
R10,00
R330,00
R1 100,00
2018/08/31
Coriander
30
R14,00
R420,00
Flat leaf parsley
15
R9,50
R142,50
Basil
4
R15,00
R60,00
Spinach
24
R10,00
R240,00
R862,50
2018/09/07
Coriander
10
R20,00
R200,00
Parsley flat leaf
10
R20,00
R200,00
Parsley curly leaf
2
R20,00
R40,00
Funnel
6
R20,00
R120,00
Cabbage
7
R20,00
R140,00
Basil
4
R20,00
R80,00
Beetroot
2
R15,00
R30,00
Tomatoes
13
R10,00
R130,00
Spinach
40
R18,00
R720,00
R1 660,00
2018/09/14
Coriander
10
R20,00
R200,00
Parsley flat
-leaf
10
R20,00
R200,00
Parsley curly
-leaf
20
R20,00
R400,00
Cabbage
4
R20,00
R80,00
Basil
4
R20,00
R80,00
Beetroot
20
R15,00
R300,00
spinach
27
R18,00
R486,00
Onions
25
R10,00
R250,00
Fennel
4
R20,00
R80,00
R2 076,00
Total salesR6
376,00
An average
of
R600/mont
h for the
15+
participants;
selling herbs
and
vegetables
.
