Farmers not wasting waste

Integrated farming opens the door for farmers to understand the connection between plants and animals.
It turns waste from domestic animals into something useful in their farming.
Waste from animals like cows, goats, pigs, chickens, sheep, and others were regarded as harmful to people and environment in the past.
With new farming technology, waste can be turned into something useful for food crops and fish.
For instance, a poultry farmer can use waste from chickens as fertiliser to grow cash crops like bulb onions, potatoes or vegetables.
Piggery farmers can use pig waste in their fish ponds for microorganisms to feed.
These are later fed to fish.
Animal wastes were previously regarded as poison.
Such beliefs now fade away when new technology and knowledge comes in.
The first integrated farming using climate change adaption techniques was launched last Friday in Tambul, Western Highlands, and was described by many as an ‘eye opener’.
The two-year programme was funded by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under its small grant programme in partnership with Highlands’ Piggery and Farmers Association.
The 42 model farmers in the association attended the training and are now going into integrated farming.
The farmers also learnt how to cope with natural disasters like frosts, drought and continuous heavy rain.
They were also taught how to tackle new pests and diseases affecting their crops and livestock as a result of climate change.
Subsistence farming is not new to the people: it’s in their bloodline.
However, new technology like integrated farming skills, controlling new pest and diseases, and learning about how to cope with natural disasters are things they need to know about.
People who live near the 42 model farmers, two from every council ward in Mt Giluwe local level government, will learn new skills.
From the K150,000 received by the association for the two-year programme under the small grant programme of UNDP, each model farmer will receive K2500 worth of farming materials and livestock.
During launching, the 42 model farmers received seedlings, stock feed, spray pumps, ducks, piglets, and other gardening supplies.
Kud Sitango, National Agriculture Research Institute’s (Nari) Highlands’ research and development coordinator, urged model farmers to roll out integrated farming skills to other farmers in Tambul-Nebilyer district.
He said that he would work closely with association members by providing technical assistance, however, the new concept must reach a wider audience.
Sitango said climate change was a worldwide problem and had already affected farmers in provinces.
He said that it brought new pest and diseases which affected food crops and domestic livestock.
Sitango said drought, frost and continuous heavy rain were due to climate change.
He said Nari developed new varieties of potatoes against potato late blight that affected the industry in 2003.
It also introduced 11 new varieties of kaukau to plant after frost and drought.
Sitango said continuous rainfall washed away soil nutrients.
He urged farmers to take appropriate action to stop soil erosion in their gardens.
Association chairman Moses Pala said integrated farming was a new concept to help farmers turn animal waste into something useful for farming.
He said they trained farmers to overcome new pests and diseases that affected their food crops and livestock, due to climate change.
Pala said new pests and diseases affected domestic animals and food crops, unlike in the past, and were here to stay.
He said they needed to find ways and means to deal with these.
Pala said that they would conduct more training and awareness among the farmers.
He said the model farmers would roll out the concept later to other farmers in the district and provinces when more funding was secured.
Pala said his group was working closely with Nari and Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA) to roll out the concept.
He said his group was one of six in Jiwaka, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, Southern Highlands and Jiwaka to receive funding from UNDP under its small grant programme.
Pala said the new integrated farming concept funded by UNDP for two years ended in October 2020.