COMACO Paves Way for Organic Crops

Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) has a vision for Luangwa Valley – to transition all farming to organic production, giving economic relief to farmers, reducing pressure on watershed resource and wildlife habitat and giving producers more access to such products as honey, which suffers greatly under the influence of pesticides. COMACO took an important step in reaching this vision by sending six of its own extension officers for training in organic farming at the Kasisi Agriculture Training Centre (KATC). This training centre is a renowned and reputable training institution in organic farming and sustainable agriculture to enhance farmers’ skills. These extension officers in turn will train 500 farmers that COMACO has identified to venture into this type of agriculture to produce organic cotton in 2008.

Organic farming is a type of agriculture that avoids synthetic fertilisers and pesticides but instead relies on crop residues, animal manure and improved tillage practices for increased yields. Moreover, organic crops can fetch favourable prices once consumers recognize the added value of organic crops. For the benefit of the farmer, it eliminates the need for expensive commercial inputs like fertilizers and pesticides.

Nathan Mulambya one of the extension officers who attended the training said the training was an eye-opener and took advantage of the rare opportunity to improve on his skills.” I didn’t know much about organic farming but from this training I have leant a lot about organic farming and I am very confident, I can do this type of agriculture,” said Mulambya. He indicated that the training was interactive and allowed divergent views from every student. Mulambya noted that organic farming was one method that farmers could apply to increase their production because it was environmentally friendly and caused less damage to the soil.

Phillip Monday, Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) researcher based at KATC revealed that organic agriculture encourages biodiversity diversification while helping to improve soil fertility. He further explained that organic farming controls weeds, insects and other pests. Phillip noted that organic farming also encourages reforestation because fallow areas are left fallow for longer periods, giving trees a better chance to recover as farmers extend the life-time for good soils if they employ the right organic farming practices. He added that this type of farming is also good for families who lived in drought prone areas as crops grown under this method are better able to withstand harsh conditions.

One of the targets for this initiative to introduce organic farming is to reduce community encroachment on national forests and national parks when poor farmers search for virgin or productive farmland for agricultural activities. Keeping farmers on the same land and managing their soils for long-tern sustained use will reduce the need to disturb protected areas.