Agroecological Practices
Compost manure
Compost manure is key in enhancing soil fertility, soil health and improving crop yields. Additionally, compost manure contains micro-organisms which help to bring life in the soil thus increasing the soil fertility. They include farm waste manure, vermicompost, farmyard manure and bokashi manure
Seed saving
Seed saving is the process of selecting and storing the bestand healthy seeds for planting in the next planting season. Seed saving enhances seed security,reduces reliance on commercial seeds,promotes crop diversity and increased access to food
Minimum tillage
No or minimum tillage improves soil structure, including aeration and water infiltration and retention capacity and organic matter
Mixing crops in a single plot
Via intercropping and poly-cultures: biological complementarities improve nutrient and input efficiency, use of space and pest regulation, thus enhancing crop yield stability
Crop rotation
Nutrients are conserved from one season to the next, and the life cycles of insect pests, diseases, and weeds are interrupted
Intercropping
Growing different crops together to maximize land use and create beneficial interactions
Cover crops and mulching
Cover crops reduces soil erosion, provide nutrients to the soil and enhance biological control of pests. Mulching prevents moisture loss and formation of weed
Crop-livestock integration
This includes aquaculture: allows high biomass output and optimal nut
Integrated nutrient management
This entails the use of compost, organic manure and nitrogen-fixing crops: allows the reduction or elimination of the use of chemical fertilisers
Biological management of pests, diseases and weeds
, Through integrated pest management, push and pull methods and allelopathy: decrease long-term incidence of pests and reduce environmental and health hazards caused by the use of chemical control
Efficient water harvesting
Water harvesting methods(especially in dryland areas) such as small-scale irrigation allows to reduce the need for irrigation while increasing its efficiency
Manipulation of vegetation structure and plant associations
This improves efficiency of water use as well as promoting biodiversity
Use of local resources and renewable energy sources:
This allows a reduction in the use of external inputs as well diminishing pressure on the natural resource base
Composting and waste recycling
Recycling organic waste to create nutrient-rich compost for soil ammendment,improve soil structure and soil aeration
Holistic landscape management
Around field perimeters (windbreaks, shelterbelts, insect strips and living fences), across multiple fields (mosaics of crop types and land-use practices) and at the landscape- to-regional scale (river buffers, woo
Agro-forestry
Agroforestry can be achieved especially through the use of multifunctional trees: provides shade,wind breakers,habitat for beneficial insects, maintains and improves soil fertility through nitrogen fixation, enhances soil structure and modifies the microclimate
Green manures
They are fast-growing plants sown to cover bare soil. Their foliage smothers weeds and their roots prevent soil erosion. When dug into the ground while still green, they return valuable nutrients to the soil and improve soil structure.