Green Manure & Cover Crops with Nathan Deboer
Up until recently, forest fallowing was able to maintain soil fertility in Africa. With deforestation and population increase, there is no longer space nor time to maintain soil fertility through forest fallowing. The rains have washed away all the best soil, and farmers depend entirely on expensive fertilizers that only add to the problem. Droughts are happening almost every other year now. Nathan will share the real cause of these droughts and what smallholders in Africa do to drought-proof their fields. He also will share how farmers are turning their fields into a well-managed forest where they grow their maize without decreasing the plant population.
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Speaker
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Nathan DeboerGreen Manure & Cover Crops Agricultural ConsultantNathan Deboer grew up in Canada and began working in Conservation Agriculture on the African continent where he became convinced that Green Manure/Cover Crops (gm/ccs) is the champion way to revive dead soils, stop droughts, and end hunger. Nathan works with one of the world’s top gm/ccs specialists, started a gm/ccs movement in rural Malawi, developed the first-ever gm/ccs teaching curriculums and has now consulted with five organizations on how to adopt gm/ccs.
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great summit
yes it is
I’m going to revisit pigeon peas. Thank you so much for the talk. I learned a lot.
Thank you Nathan. Very informative. I wish you all the best in your work.
Thank you so much! Excellent presentation!
Very informative. I would like to learn more about this…and find a way to help somehow.
Hello im exciting To watch the video
Thank you Nathan, for the great intro to green manure cover crop, and the potentail to be involved with the work.
What a great video! To just plant a cover crop to help protect the soil while growing your other crops. Definitely going to try this in my own garden. I would also like to learn more and help out.
Hi, very helpful video. I am helping my Maasai family nr Lengitai, Kiteto District, Tanzania. We have 30 hectares of land in arid highlands. I have been researching Permaculture and No Dig (following Charles Dowding) and am very interested in GMCC. I am planning on planting Brachiaria grass seed for cows, especially for drought times. We have had problems with maize dying so this seems an ideal solution but I need to research what cover crops we can use here. If you have any ideas please advise me as to local ground crops we can use here. many thanks Anosha
Thank you! this has been extremely enlightening. I grew up on a farm in South Africa and recall my father using this method as we were in quite a dry area. I’ve seen it work but not at this level. I love this method. I currently assist subsistence farmers by education and setting up their food gardens to gain independence. I can see how this method changes lives. I’d love to connect to learn more about GMCCs
thanks Sheila
Thank you, very inspirational and hopeful!
thank you Nathan
I really enjoyed learning about the huge contribution your presence is making to reverse the desparate situation for greatful and energetic communities in Africa.
Although you point out that green manure cover cropping in your tropical context is perhaps different to other climates, i would say that your emphasis upon inter-cropping and general practices tie in closely to intensive permiculture practices, and in arid/dry and temperate climates like here in Australia it is equally important to follow your lead because of the extremes that need buffering against – fire/flood/drought/pests etc
I feel much more informed now about what’s going on in your part of the world and new ways to impliment production strategies here at home – thanks once again.
Wow I am so inspired by this beautiful intervention with the people in Africa and would love to being my family to help the begining labor intensive process once my kids are old enough. Do you currently host groups from churches to help with the process of beginning these projects or would you consider it? Thank you so much for making the world a better place and inspiring others to do so!!!!