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Download the Advanced Optimization Chapter
The Advanced Optimization chapter of the Facilitators Manual provides the detailed instructions (and support materials) you need to implement the mobilization meeting. Download the chapter here.
Summary
Goal Farmers will adopt advanced optimization techniques to increase production efficiency. Learning Objective- Learn new soil and water conservation techniques for sloped land, such as: terraces, boomerang berms, diversion swales.
- Understand interactions among plants and how to group them into guilds.
- Chapter 1: Introduction to the Forest Garden
- Chapter 2: Phased Approach
- Chapter 4: Agroforestry Technologies (Contour Planting section on making an A-frame)
- Chapter 14: Optimizing Your Forest Garden Understory
- Determine which months each module (and flexible activities where relevant) are to be facilitated using the table in Activity 5.
- Locate copies of top view map and seasonal calendar for the chosen field, if available.
- Identify various plants that make up two to three different types of guilds appropriate for the group being trained.
- Update the farmer group MoU for the year, to be signed at the end of the workshop.
- If the original copies of the top view map and seasonal calendar are damaged: print copies of top view map and seasonal calendar or redraw on flipchart paper.
- Materials for A-frame: 3 pieces of wood/metal/poles about 1 to 1.5 meters long, 1 piece of wood/metal/pole about 1 meter long, string, rock, level (optional), nails and hammer (optional). Sticks to mark off contour lines.
- Shovel
- pick axe
- 2 copies of the Farmer Group MoU for the upcoming year (to be signed by the farmer group attending the workshop)
- Participant Farmer List template
- Roll of flipchart paper and tape
- Markers of various colors
- Seasonal Harvest Calendar
- Guild Example
- Advanced Soil and Water Conservation Techniques
- Optimizing Your Forest Garden
Agenda
Opener: Walk the field and recall top view map (30 min)- Walk around the host farmer’s Forest Garden
- Debrief and review top view map to identify gaps
- Review side view mapping
- Small groups create side view maps of the Forest Garden
- Small groups present side view maps and select the best one
- Review seasonal calendar from previous year
- Update seasonal calendar from previous year
- Discuss gaps in harvesting during seasonal calendar
- Explain the different functions of plants in a guild
- Farmers sort plants into different categories
- Small groups design a guild
- Review earthworks techniques
- Review how to make an A-frame and how to find the contour line
- Demonstrate and practice advanced earthworks technique
- Discuss year four plans for the group
- Read and discuss Memorandum of Understanding
- Sign Memorandum of Understanding
- Update Participant Farmer List
- Discuss techniques participant farmers will adopt to optimize their Forest Gardens
- Use advanced soil and water conservation techniques in your Forest Garden
- Follow-up
What you need to know
Whether you intend to sit the FG Pro certification exam, or lead Seedling Propagation module extension activities, you must be able to answer the following questions to succeed.Introduction to the Forest Garden
Related questions
- What is a Forest Garden?
- Why are Forest Gardens important?
- What are the benefits of Forest Gardens compared to other cropping systems?
- Do Forest Gardens use more or less water, nutrients and sunlight?
- Do Forest Gardens use more or less inputs such as chemical fertilizers, fuel-powered machinery or pesticides?
Phased Approach
Related questions
- What are the three phases of the Forest Garden approach?
- What is the focus of each phase?
- Why is it important to protect your field? How do you protect and revitalize your field?
- How long does phase I (protection) take to implement?
- Can farmers continue their normal crops during the transition to Forest Gardens? What precautions do they need to take?
- How does diversifying the trees and crops you plant help your family? How does it help the land?
- Why is it important to optimize your field?
Assessment Tools
Top View Mapping
Side View Mapping
Agroforestry Technologies
Contour Planting
- What are contour lines?
- What are terraces?
- What is the risk of contour lines that are not accurate?
- When alleys between contour lines are ploughed, what direction should the ploughing be done in?
- What should be cultivated on slopes greater than 60%?
- How do you build an A-frame? How do you calibrate an A-frame?
- How do you find a contour with an A-frame?
- What should be the distance between contour rows?
- What are desirable characteristics of trees used for contour planting?
- What are some plants that can be used as living contour barriers?