1. Introduction
The workshop was organized by Peace
Corps in collaboration with a support group ‘Hupitha Oomwenyo support group’
and the office of the councilor in Okahandja.
The training took place from 20-24 May
2013 at the Okahandja Constituency Office in Okahandja. A total of 18
participants from Okahandja participated in the training workshop. The training
was conducted by the Namibia Horticulture Trust.
·
To provide basic
information on horticulture
·
To introduce and demonstrate
micro gardening technology
·
To teach participants
how to select a good cultivars
·
To teach the
participants how to establish a planting calendar
·
T introduce pest
problems and teach participants how to solve them without using pesticides
·
To teach participants
how to produce seedlings
·
To teach participants
the importance of veg tunnels
At the end of the workshop, each
participant could start his own garden at home
3. Topics covered
3.1 Urban
Horticulture
3.2 Micro
gardens technology
3.3 How
to choose a good cultivar
3.4 Planting
Calendar
3.5 Planting
problems
3.1 Urban horticulture
UH is the cultivation of fruit,
vegetables, roots, tuber and ornamental plants within cities and town and in
their surrounding areas.
Urban
Horticulture concept was introduced to Namibia through a pilot project entitled
‘Integrated Initiatives in Support of
Urban and Peri-Urban Horticulture in Namibia’, a project of the Namibia
government (Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry) implemented from August 2005 to December
2007 with the technical support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO) and sponsored by the Belgium government. Two pilot sites,
Windhoek and Rundu were setup.
After
the pilot project was successfully implemented, the Namibian government adopted
the concept in 2008 and since then, some communities started to practice Urban
Horticulture.
Urban
horticulture is important to improve food security and nutrition of poor and
vulnerable communities because most of the poor people living in the urban used
60% of their income to buy food, by producing they have access to vegetable
every day.
3.2 Micro gardens technology
Micro
gardens technology is the production of vegetables in urban areas using
containers using readily available materials such as tables, tire, plastics,
etc. This method of production uses very little space and is very efficient:
Advantages
of micro-gardens
·
Solution to limited space
·
Avoid pest problems
·
High Productivity
·
High water use efficiency
·
Low Physical effort
·
Cost effectiveness
·
Income generating activities
3.1.1 Materials and supplies needed for
micro-gardens
·
Simple tools
·
Substrate (sand)
·
Wooden pallets
·
Plastic sheet
·
Seeds (Swiss chard, lettuce, leek, onion, beetroot,
parsley….)
·
Water for irrigation
·
Nutrient solution
3.1.2 Table construction
Participants
busy preparing a micro gardening table.
3.1.3 Transplanting of seedling to the table
Micro gardens table during the
transplanting
4. Seedling production
Seedling production in the trays
4.1 How to choose a good
cultivar
It
is important to use a good cultivar to reduce the use of pesticides, and also
to use the cultivars adapted to our climate and also with a high productivity.
The participants were trained how to use a
sowing guide to choose the recommended cultivars according to the resistance of
pest and diseases, how to call a cultivar by the name. Example: Swiss chard
Name of cultivar green wave, or carrot cultivar Kuroda
4.2 Planting Calendar
It
is important to have a planting calendar to produce the vegetables that the market
wants, and also the vegetables of the season.
The
participants were trained how to organize a planting calendar with the crops of
the season winter crops (lettuce, Swiss chard, beetroot, spinach), and summer
crops (tomatoes, green pepper, watermelon, chilies) using the information on a
sowing guide.
They
were also trained how to buy the right amount of seed example for 1 ha of
carrot we need 3.5kg of seed.
4.3 Planting problems
It
is important to know how to identify plants problems to be able to find
sometime the solution without using chemicals (rotation), or to apply the right
pesticide at the right doses.
The
main plant problem attacking plants was introduced with pictures (pest, fungi
and virus).
Some
good agriculture practices were given such as the use of neem trees leave or
neem oil against aphids.
5. Workshop achievements
·
Production of a
planting calendar (for winter and summer crops).
·
Production of two
micro gardens tables (One floating with production of lettuce and a table with
substrate (beetroot and Swiss chard).
·
Production of
seedling in the trays (2 x 200 seedlings and also production of seedling in a
black tray).
·
Each participant know
how to use a sowing guide to select the recommended cultivar, the amount of
seed needed per ha, the sowing depth of different vegetables.
6.
Recommendations
Watering of the
plastics bags and the seedling twice a day (Early in the morning and later in
the afternoon)
Applying of
fertilizers (Hygroponic) when the seedlings are out (300g-3kg)/1000l of water,
330 ml per plastic bags early in the morning, and later in the afternoon
Transplanting of
seedlings after one month
There is a need to
get a shade net:
·
To protect the plants
against insects,
·
Excessive sun,
·
Loss of moist due to
evaporation,
·
Animal that wants to
graze on the crops
The community should
negotiate the palettes, and start to produce more tables.
The project should
write a proposal to get more support on gardens
There is a need of follow up after one
month to see the progress and to give more technical advice
7. Attachments
·
Annex 1: Test
questions
·
Annex 2: Training programme
·
Annex 3: Attendance
register
·
Annex 4: Sample
training certificate
ANNEX
1:
Test
questions
1.
Give two example of
winter crops
2. Give two example summer crops
3. Can you plant tomato in Namibia in
winter?
4. How many cabbages can you plant in one
m2?
5. How many seed do you need for I ha
carrot?
6. What are the advantages of micro
gardening?
7. How many lettuces can you produce in a
table of micro gardening of 1 m2?
ANNEX
2
Program
of the training workshop on micro gardens, 20-24 May 2013
Monday, 20 May 2013
9:00 Welcome
and Introduction
Session
1 Urban Horticulture
Objectives
Beneficiaries
(Example)
10:30 Break
11:00 Session
2 Micro-gardens (Table Gardens)
Materials
Types of micro gardens
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Session
3 How to choose a good cultivar
15:30 Break
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
9.00-10h Recap
10.00-13h
Session
4 Planting calendar
10:30 Break
13.00 Lunch
14.00-15.00
Planting
calendar
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
9.00-10.00
Recap
10-13
Plant
problems (pest, diseases, virus)
10:30 Break
13.00 Lunch
14.00-15.00
Plant
problems (pest, diseases, virus)
Thursday 23 May 2013
9:00
Recap
10:00-11:00
Vegitunnels
10:30 Break
11:00-12:00
Exercise seedling production
12:00
– 13:00 How to
prepare a micro garden table
13:00 Lunch
14:00-15:00
How to
prepare a micro garden table
Friday 24 May 2013
9:00-11:00
Recap
10:30 Break
11:00-12:00 Test
ANNEX 3
List of participants
1.
Leonie Jacobs
2.
Loide Matti
3.
Martha Musuuo
4.
Kathleen Uri- Khos
5.
Sarafina Marthin
6.
Taimi N. T. Shilongo
7.
Fredriha Ndakongele
8.
Titus Paulus
9.
Monika Uusiku
10.
Kristine Kapolo
11.
Taimi Iipumbu
12.
Profilia Dimineni
13. Maria Panduleni Nduwe
14. Olivia Haukongo
15. Victoria Hanjaba
16. Rosalia Festus
17. Saara Mbango
ANNEX
4
Sample Training
certificate