Basic Knowledge in Agriculture #23

It's a lovely day for farmers to get things done in their farms or gardens. Good morning to all members of the Steem-Agro community. I am Ubong Francis and I love farming.

_{^{Harvesting cassava: this year was productive}}

I am a school teacher and we are assigned a portion of the school farm to cultivate as a source of food and income. I grew up in a small farming community in Ikono local government area of Akwa Ibom state in Nigeria.
My school farm is still practising bush fallowing because the land allocated to the school is huge. Bush fallowing allows us to enjoy natural fertility as the land replenishes its nutrients.
Though there as some years I am assigned a portion of the school farm that needs both fertilizers and pesticides.

Talk about the Roles of Fertilizers and Pesticide in Agriculture.

Regardless of the periodic fallowing, some portions of the farm are not as fertile as others. Those less fertile areas need the support of Fertilizers- substances that provide essential nutrients needed for crops to grow, enhance soil fertility and help the crops to have a better yield.

Some fertilizers are applied to supplement a specific nutrients missing in a particular land which has been affecting the crops, others help to correct the texture or soil structure.

Some farmlands are occupied by small bugs that eat and destroy our crops. To remove these pests from the farm, different forms of insecticide are applied. The pesticides exterminate the bugs without harming the crops on the land. When the pests are controlled, it will results in less crop damage and a better yield during harvest.
When using pesticides, I am always careful because farmer-friendly insects will also be killed.

Are there local fertilizers, and how effective are they?

Yes, we have local fertilizers that can be applied to farmlands to improve fertility. I often go to poultry farms and collect the bird droppings to use as fertilizer on my farm. It takes a long time to transform the structure of the soil; for this reason, I only use it on lands that rotate back to me. Mixing the poultry dropping and sawdust with cassava peelings promotes the activities of farmer-friendly organisms.
_{^{cassava peeling mixed with poultry droppings}}
This works together with the ash and charcoal that come from burning the bush before planting to create a fertile soil for agriculture.

Is there any traditional way of killing pests on crops and how effective is it without causing harm to the plant

There is this tree locally called loconja. In English, it is called neem, and it is often used to treat malaria. The neem oil, or the better sap obtained from the leaves and barks of the neem tree, is an effective insect repellant that works well as an insecticide.
Get as much sap as you can, dilute in water and spray on the crop. The active component in the neem sap is azadirachtin.

It is effective and will not harm the plant if it is not applied in the hot afternoon. Do not apply too much because it can also kill farmer-friendly insects. I use it because it is economically friendly, it is not toxic to humans and animals and can control a wide range of pests.

I treat my cassava stem with neem oil to keep away termites.