The introduction of new agrarian technologies and organic herbicides for weed control is contributing significantly to increase the production of vegetables and cereals in communities in the district of Balama, Cabo Delgado province.
This is an initiative carried out since 2019 by the Bilibiza Sanitation Group (GBS), a non-governmental organization working in the areas of water, sanitation and hygiene, food and nutritional security, renewable energy and gender.
The project has so far involved more than a thousand small farmers, who have worked in 12 demonstration fields, where technological innovations such as the “azada bicycle” and sprinkler sprayers have been tested.
According to Osvaldo Veremo, GBS food safety officer, who was speaking at a virtual meeting on integrated weed management, controlling weeds in agricultural fields is important because they compete with food crops for access to nutrients, water, and light, which can reduce their productive potential by up to 70 percent.
Veremo explained that, for example, the introduction of the “azada bicycle,” which has an attached weed cutter, has reduced the time and cost of hoeing by 30 percent. “If before we needed 26 men to plow a hectare using a hoe, with the ‘azada bicycle’ only 16 are needed,” he noted.
The GBS food safety officer also said that farmers in Balama have also been trained in the production of organic herbicides using oil extracted from cashew nut shells, previously discarded after shelling. In order to ensure greater durability of the technologies that are being used by the farmers, some local locksmiths were also trained in the production of spare parts and maintenance of these agricultural tools.
Since the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic limited people-to-people contact, a “radio extension” program was introduced to enable farmers to follow the technical guidance of the project mentors regardless of where they are.
The GBS considers, however, that although the results of the project are promising, there is a need to massify the production of prototypes of the technologies developed, highlighting that the support of the private sector is crucial for this purpose.