AgriSI: Water & Soil Conservation Training Manual Olifants Catchment Acknowledgements The USAID: RESILIM-O project is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development under USAID/Southern Africa RESILIENCE IN THE LIMPOPO BASIN PROGRAM (RESILIM). The RESILIM-O project is implemented by the Association for Water and Rural Development (AWARD), in collaboration with partners. Cooperative Agreement nr AID-674-A-13-00008. © Association for Water and Rural Development (AWARD) and Mahlathini Development Foundation Author E Kruger (Mahlathini Development Foundation) 2017 Association for Water and Rural Development (AWARD) P O Box 1919 Hoedspruit 1380 Limpopo, South Africa T 015-793 0503 W award.org.za Company Reg. No. 98/03011/08 Water & Soil Conservation Training Manual Table of Contents AWARD Training Manual 2016-2017 ............................................................................... 8 1 Water conservation and harvesting practices for smallholder farmers ............................ 10 1.1 Water harvesting and conservation ...................................................................... 10 1.2 Principles of Water Harvesting and Conservation ..................................................... 14 1.3 Defining Water Harvesting and Conservation .......................................................... 15 1.4 Overview of WHC Methods ................................................................................ 16 2 Water in the landscape ..................................................................................... 22 2.1 The water cycle ............................................................................................. 22 2.2 Catchments .................................................................................................. 24 2.3 Topography – Aspect and slope ........................................................................... 25 3 Set up a detailed farm or garden plan ................................................................... 30 3.1 Applying the elements of layout to the home garden ................................................ 30 3.2 Turning runoff into 'run-on' ............................................................................... 33 3.3 Designing a garden plan ................................................................................... 44 3.4 Record the Action Plan .................................................................................... 45 4 WHC methods in more detail .............................................................................. 47 4.1 Diversion Furrows ........................................................................................... 47 4.2 Stone Bunds .................................................................................................. 49 4.3 Tied Ridges................................................................................................... 51 4.4 Swales ........................................................................................................ 53 4.5 Terraces ...................................................................................................... 55 4.6 Fertility pits ................................................................................................. 58 4.7 Roofwater Harvesting ...................................................................................... 60 4.8 Greywater use ............................................................................................... 68 5 Soil fertility and soil conservation ........................................................................ 75 5.1 Living Soils ................................................................................................... 75 5.2 Soil types ..................................................................................................... 78 5.3 Soil structure ................................................................................................ 82 5.4 Soil fertility .................................................................................................. 87 5.5 Soil acidity ................................................................................................... 90 5.6 Photosynthesis .............................................................................................. 92 5.7 Nutrient cycling ............................................................................................. 92 5.8 Improving soil health ....................................................................................... 94 Water & Soil Conservation Training Manual |1 6 Composting ................................................................................................... 95 6.1 Compost Piles ............................................................................................... 95 6.2 Pit Compost .................................................................................................. 97 7 Soil enriching methods ..................................................................................... 99 7.1 Trench beds .................................................................................................. 99 7.2 Shallow trench .............................................................................................102 7.3 Eco-circles ..................................................................................................102 8 Liquid manures .............................................................................................104 8.1 Brews for plant nutrition .................................................................................104 8.2 How to make liquid manures from plants .............................................................104 8.3 How to make liquid manure from animal manure ...................................................107 8.4 Earthworms .................................................................................................110 9 Manure ........................................................................................................111 10 Green manure ...............................................................................................115 10.1 How does green manuring work? ......................................................................115 10.2 Green manure plants ....................................................................................115 10.3 Nitrogen Fixing examples ...............................................................................116 10.4 When is the crop ready? .................................................................................117 10.5 How to use green manure crops .......................................................................118 10.6 Advantages and disadvantages of green manuring .................................................118 11 Food security and nutrition ...............................................................................119 11.1 Good nutrition ............................................................................................119 11.2 The five food groups .....................................................................................121 11.3 Some important nutrients ..............................................................................122 11.4 The contribution of African leafy vegetables (ALVS) ..............................................124 11.5 Recommended daily amounts ..........................................................................127 12 Food preparation ...........................................................................................128 12.1 Important traditional food-processing and preparation methods ...............................128 12.2 Preparation of vegetables and fruit ..................................................................130 13 Some recipes for nutritious dishes ......................................................................131 14 Diversifying production in food gardening .............................................................134 14.1 Diversity for good nutrition .............................................................................134 14.2 Drying of fruit and vegetables .........................................................................135 15 Natural pest and disease control ........................................................................137 15.1 Enemies or friends .......................................................................................137 Water & Soil Conservation Training Manual |2 15.2 Diagnosing plant problems ..............................................................................141 15.3 Bio-Indicators ............................................................................................142 15.4 Biological pest control...................................................................................143 15.5 Encouraging predators ...................................................................................144 15.6 Physical control methods ...............................................................................145 14715.7 Botanical remedies ................................................................................147 16 Tree planting ................................................................................................149 16.1 Choosing a site ............................................................................................149 16.2 Choosing a variety ........................................................................................150