Enda Santé has sent a training supervision team to set up nurseries in the project's intervention areas through itsAmélioration Alimentaire des Capacités des Producatrices (ASACAP) project.
From 13 to 22 October 2019, experts in nutrition and agroecology visited Simbandi Balante, Sinthian Aïdara and Saré Sara with the following objectives:
- Taking stock of the work in the perimeters
- Revisiting agro-ecological practices
- Initiating nurseries
- Planning activities
During the mission, the team recalled the objectives of the project, before proceeding to a review of agroecological practices. As a prelude to the establishment of the nursery, some principles were shared on:
- The choice of the location of the nursery, which should be on flat, well-drained ground, with permanent water availability in quantity and quality
- Clearing and cleaning the area to eliminate competition with trees and other non-useful plants that can provide shelter for crop pests
- Soil loosening by ploughing the whole surface to break up the larger clods and turn the soil over. This is to allow water and air to penetrate more easily but also to eliminate stones buried in the soil, preventing the proper development of plant roots.
At the end of the mission, all the sites planned for the nurseries were well chosen and secured, with the assurance of water availability.
After clearing and cleaning, the beds were made and the soil mixed with neem leaves (Azadirachta indica) to prevent soil pests.
Several recommendations were made on nursery monitoring and watering. Thus, depending on the village, different species were chosen:
- In Simbandi Balante, onion, cabbage, chilli and lettuce seeds were sown. Eleven 10m x 1m beds were made.
- In Sinthian Aïdara, the crops chosen were cabbage, aubergine and chilli. Eight boards measuring 7.24 m by 1 m were made.
- In Saré Sara, cabbage, aubergine, chilli and lettuce were planted. Ten plots of 10m by 1m were made.
Since the training in June, some women have been able to experiment with organic farming following the guidelines that were given and they were surprised to see that they did not need to use chemicals, thanks to the very satisfactory results. They used only the biopesticides that had been prepared during the training.
The commitment of the members of the watchdog committees was also noted in the three villages, as was the support of young people in the work.
