Book of Abstracts
11th IFOAM
Scientific Conference
11-15 August 1996
Copenhagen, Denmark
Abstract front
page
Subject index
Athor index
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Symposia
Low-input and low-cost technologies used by resource-poor farmers S26
Poswal, Maxwell Amlai Todi
Department of Agronomy, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice 5700, South
Africa |
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| The agricultural production system in South
Africa is dichotomized, with a well developed commercial sector characterized by
monoculture and a high dependency on such inputs as chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
The small-scale sector is very underdeveloped and forms a majorarea of emphasises for
development, under the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) of the
post-apartheid Government of National Unity, aimed at enhancing and revitalising the
quality of life of most rural communities in South Africa. The RDP considers the
development of small-scale agriculture as a vehicle for raising the level of incomes, and
to mitigate the nutritional and other socio- economic conditions of rural folks. Most
rural, peri-urban and urban small-scale farmers are resource-poor, and are engaged in the
production of indigenous and improved vegetables, in home and community gardens, and under
small-scale foodplot programmes, field crops in both sole and intercropped systems, and in
citrus production. The current low level of high cost technology utilization, such as
chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, amongst the small-scale and emergent
farmers in South Africa provides an opportunity for the development of the culture of
organic farming and other tecnologies that are relevant and suitable for these group of
farmers. Resource-poor farmers should be encouraged to adopt many of the low-input and
low-cost technologies for sustainable production, and that are economically and
ecologically safe. The paper will highlight and discusssome of the appropriate
horticultural, agronomic and natural plantprotection technologies: the trench-bed
production method for vegetable and other crops, use of organic mulches, composts and
manures (poultry, kraal/cow, and digested sewage sludge), crop rotation and strip
cultivation, intercropping systems, use of plant-derived smoke for seed germination, the
bottle/can irrigation technology, biological control and integrated pest management
systems, and the use of other non- chemical methods and natural plant pesticides for pest
and disease management. Havinga, C. (1995): Biodynamic Farming can aid Emergent Young
Farmers. South African Farmer's Weekly February 3, 1995, p.10
Poswal, M.A.T., Akpa, A.D. and Alabi, O. (1993): Cultural Control of Pests and
Diseases: Prelude to Integrated Pest Management Practices for Resource-poor Farmers in
Nigerian Agriculture. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, vol. 3, p. 5-48
Poswal, M.A.T. (1995): Contribution of Folk Medicine in the Evolution ofNatural Plant
Protection in South Africa. Papar Presented at the 13thInternational Plant Protection
Congress, 2-7 July, 1995, The Hague,Netherlands |