Bahati Agricultural Plan
From ESWStanford
Contents |
Introduction
Bahati academy intends to have a shamba and livestock. Much of the work maintaining these will be done by students.
This section represents our initial thoughts and planning for components of our agricultural design ideas.
Design Objectives
Understanding agricultural production and influencing the incorporation of truly sustainable concepts into existing practice requires a study of the technical components of agriculture as well as the global environment and social systems influencing agricultural development. The longterm success of our design will depend on these considerations and their application in proposed adjustments that integrate environmental, social, and economic practices.
The constraints of our project - that of an all-girls school - requires a unique approach to sustainable agriculture recommendations. The biophysical issues associated with sustainable agriculture may be considered at the scale of the on-site garden or farm as well as through the promotion of sustainable agriculture to vendors providing food for the school and student families. Transferability of knowledge from small-scale organic farming that may be incorporated at the school farm to larger indigenous agricultural practices beyond the realm of the educational environment will be important. Further,
Our Bahati Agricultural Plan design objectives:
Curriculum Contributions: We will provide recommendations for sustainable agriculture curriculum components to the Columbia Teachers College committee, who is developing the overall school curriculum. These recommendations will complement the on-site agricultural facilities for hands-on learning and practice.
- small-scale organic farming
- nutrient retention
- deep-digging
- integrated pest management
- inter-cropping (permaculture)
- compost techniques
- worm-beds
- rotating composting
- piles
- nutrient balance (green:brown material ratio)
- agricultural changes expected from climate change
Food Sourcing and Resource Consumption: We will develop and evaluate an environmentally and economically viable and sustainable plan for food use on campus that utilizes local resources and facilitates a closed-loop cycle.
- Estimate food volumes required
- Estimate food storage requirements?
- Estimate on-site food production capabilities
- encourage a connection between the on-site farm and the on-site cafeteria
- Local connection
- promote utilization of local resources and services through a connection with the local community
- utilize seed banks to sustain biodiversity and encourage seed exchange
- facilitate the development of a market for local farmers
- organic
- use of agriculture as a reservoir for material flows out of the school to complete a loop of resource consumption, waste handling, and recycling of waste for resource production
- Physical Farm Design
- seed banks
- beneficial predator beds
- composting facilities
- create an infrastructure that would encourage sustainable agricultural practices
- prevention of agricultural pollution into the surrounding environment
- promotion of a nutritious, balanced diets for school inhabitants
- sustaining native biodiversity and indigenous practices
Crop Types
Dominant crop types of the region include maize, cassava, paddy, sorghum, millet, wheat [NBST].
Agroforestry? Agroecology?
What should be grown? What type of inter-cropping should be employed?
Rotational Woodlot Technology in Tanzania.
Soil health
How do we ensure adequate nutrients? Amendments? Crop types? Local pests?
Soil organic matter decline associated with cereal cropping.
Indicators of soil quality: A South–South development of a methodological guide for linking local and technical knowledge
Ideas:
Find out agricultural zone number.
Research current agricultural practices and dominant crops in region.
Use of nitrogen meter to facilitate proper fertilizer dosage.
Livestock Health
- feed stock
- deworming
- vaccines?
Potential Design Components
Technical Components:
- housing for livestock (including feed, water, and waste collection and treatment)
- drip irrigation system
- tool shed
- seed and fertilizer storage facility
- conventional compost heap
- worm bins
- permaculture layout
- buffer for attracting beneficial predators
- deep digging accouterments and procedure
- agricultural instructional facility
- Ecosan toilets
- monitoring nitrogen
- post-harvest appropriate and sustainable technologies for food processing, preservation, and storage (e.g. solar food driers)
References
Cited References
National Bureau of Statistics Tanzania [NBST]
Supplemental References
The United Republic of Tanzania: Ministry of Agriculture, Food, & Cooperatives [MAFC] Can Sustainable Agriculture Feed Africa? Pretty 1999
