Some fields of the YAAT farm in Dondo have deteriorated over the years and soil fertility is declining. The price of fertilizers is high and increasing rapidly.
The soil is also low in organic matter and test results recommended the addition of 2-3 tons of organic material per hectare.
The solution was to collect cow dung for the production of Bokashi compost. Bokashi can improve soil structure and fertility, help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and production costs, while promoting sustainable agriculture, soil conservation and environmental protection.
The necessary ingredients for Bokashi were cow dung, charcoal powder, fresh milk, dry straw, fresh grass from legumes or cereals, sugar and ROYAL (rice- and wheat bran flour mix with essential microbes) plus water. These were mixed and covered with a black plastic sheet. After 45 days of fermentation the compost was ready for use.
We mixed 5% of our Bokashi with another 15 % of dry grass plus 80% of black soil, filled it into sacks and grew tomatoes and green peppers in it. We achieved good results from it.
YA's mission is to provide young people with basic technical vocational training and thus access to income-generating work. The target group are young people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. More than 1.000 students are trained every year.