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To effectively implement subsurface fertilisation, the following should be carried out. Use of briquette machines to produce 1 to 3 grams of briquettes that are larger than conventional fertiliser granules is recommended:

• Step 1: Prior to application, dig small holes 7 to 10 centimetres deep along planting rows in drained rice paddy or regular field, ideally located in the centre between a location where four plants will be planted.
• Step 2: Place the briquettes in the whole, below the soil surface, and cover with dug soil.
• Step 3: Crops should be planted within seven days of fertiliser application.

Following are the main steps for making your own briquettes. Making briquettes leading up to planting is more effective, as they are not stored for too long. A standard briquette machine can be purchased for between USD 3,000 and USD 6,000.

• Step 1: Collect manure from cow and/or horse waste.
• Step 2: Allow the manure to moderately dry (so it is possible to handle), but not for extensive periods, otherwise it will degrade. Keep manure out of direct sunlight, or when processing, remove the outer layer before manufacturing briquettes, and do not leave exposed, especially during rainy periods.
• Step 3: Press manure into briquettes using briquette press machine – see directions below to make your own home-press.
• Step 4: Allow the briquettes to dry in a cool, dry location, and store for later use.

To make your own large manure briquette press using household items, follow the instructions below:

• Step 1: Cut the top off a straight-sided 2-litre plastic soft drink bottle at the top of straight side.
• Step 2: Obtain a tinned food can that is just smaller than the diameter of the bottle. Preferably leave tin un-opened.
• Step 3: Line the bottle with a plastic bag.
• Step 4: Place slightly damp manure (cow, horse or both) inside the bag, inside the bottle, filling the space.
• Step 5: Place tin on top of manure.
• Step 6: Place small plank of wood on top of the tin.
• Step 7: Place your foot on top of the piece of wood, and slowly apply pressure to the tin, pressing the manure down, adding more manure if it compresses further than the depth of the tin.
• Step 8: When the manure will compress no more, remove plank and tin, and draw the compressed manure from the bottle, removing the plastic bag to reveal a cylinder of compressed manure.
• Step 9: Slice with a sharp knife to discs 2 to 3 cm thick, and use a piece of 2 cm diameter metal or plastic pipe to punch a hole through each disc. Reuse the
• Step 10: Allow to air dry as individual rings in a cool dry place. As soon as they are strong enough, you can hang the rings on wire to continue to dry. Use in fields within a month of manufacture. The ring increases surface area, and speeds-up the drying process.

To effectively leverage biological control and encourage natural predators:

• Step 1: Conduct regular monitoring using field walk-throughs and utilise bottle traps with various lures/baits to identify main pests on crops in order to identify any pests.
• Step 2: Once the pests have been identified, consult with national research institutes to identify the best natural predators, or biological control agents* to address the particular pests. It is critical to understand what options are available and costs associated with each option.
• Step 3: Implement according to advice received.
• Step 4: Monitor progress in terms of reduction in numbers and incidences.
• Step 5: Adjust the approach based upon observations from the fields.

A farmer must study the lifecycles of insect predators and be aware of pests that feed on his/her crops in order to identify the intervention that will the most effective in controlling pests at difference phases of their lifecycles. Farmers can create welcoming environments for certain predators to attract them to the field area

To effectively implement  mechanical weeding:

• Step 1: Farmers should be able to identify weeds resistance to herbicides.
• Step 2: Examine fields to understand level of weed infestation – can they be easily and effectively removed using a hoe, without spreading seeds, or will manual weeding be necessary.
• Step 3: Attempt to quantify the amount of labour needed. Can the work be completed by the adults on the farm, or will additional labour be required? Will youths be involved in weeding? Will they miss school?
• Step 4: Begin removal of weeds, ensuring that weeds are uprooted and removed from the field to avoid regeneration. A hoe must have a long handle to be able to work effectively and the hoe blade must not be too sharp in order to cut weeds without going through crops and spreading seed and cuttings.
• Step 5: Weeding should take place a minimum of three times over the growing season – one week before planting crops, three weeks after planting (when the crop has two to three leaves), and two months after planting (milk-stage ). The aim is to reduce or eliminate the product of seeds in the weed plants.
• Step 6: Draft animal-drawn cultivators can reduce labour requirements but should only be used to cultivate soil to a shallow depth, retaining soil structure, but not disturbing soil. Weeds should be collected by hand afterwards. Deeper tilling or turning of the soil with the wrong implement may cause more harm than good.
• Step 7: Weeding must be sustained year on year to reduce prevalence. It is important to caution farmers that results may not be seen in significant reduction of plants until year-two of a weeding programme.
• Step 8: Obnoxious weeds – such as Striga, etc – should be burned once pulled, preferably away from the field, in order to eradicate their presence.

To effectively leverage resistant varieties, the following should be carried out:

• Step 1: Survey farmers and meet with other local and national level extension officers to determine key interventions required – drought tolerance, prevalence of certain pests, etc.
• Step 2: Research and meet other local extension officers to discuss best methods applied to the agricultural practice of resistant varieties in the region.
• Step 3: Talk to the agricultural dealers and seed manufacturers about the varieties being offered and their characteristics.
• Step 4: Talk to the agricultural research departments about best opportunities under climatic change in your specific area.
• Step 5: Either independently or in partnership with seed manufacturers, establish test plots of viable resistant varieties in key locations to act as demonstration plots for farmers to visit, observe growth and harvest, and test the outcomes. Many conditions may come into play when attempting to mainstream resistant varieties, including visual aspects, harvesting and processing differences, palatability and taste, etc. All of these issues must be discussed with farmers during testing and roll-out to ensure resources are not wasted with varieties that will fail.

To effectively implement continuous long-term use of cultural practices, the following steps, as part of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM)  should be carried out, but before taking any pest control action, IPM first sets an action threshold, a point at which pest populations or environmental conditions indicate that pest control action must be taken:

• Step 1: Inspection. The cornerstone of an effective IPM program is a schedule of regular inspections. This should be regular to identify any new visitors to your crop.
• Step 2: Preventive Action: regular inspections reveal vulnerabilities in your pest management program, steps can be taken to address them before they cause a real problem. One of the most effective prevention measures is exclusion, i.e., performing structural maintenance e.g by closing potential entry points revealed during inspection thereby physically keeping pests out and hence reducing the need for chemical control.
• Step 3: Identification: Different pests have different behaviours. By identifying the problematic species, pests can be eliminated more efficiently and with the least risk of harm to other organisms. Professional pest management always starts with the correct identification of the pest in question.
• Step 4: Analysis: Once you have properly identified the pest, you need to figure out why the pest is in your facility, e.g. food debris or moisture accumulation that may be attracting it? What about odors, through floors or cracks, etc.
• Step 5: Treatment Selection: Cultural or IPM stresses the use of non-chemical control methods, such as exclusion or trapping, before chemical options. When other control methods have failed or are inappropriate for the situation, chemicals may be used in least volatile formulations in targeted areas to treat the specific pests- use the right treatments in the right places, and only as much as you need to get the job done.
• Step 6: Monitoring: Constantly monitoring your facility for pest activity and facility and operational changes can protect against infestation and help eliminate existing ones. Your agricultural extension officer can assist you in technical advice to keep pests away.
• Step 7: Documentation: Up-to-date pest control documentation is important and could include scope of service, pest activity reports, service reports, corrective action reports, trap layout maps, lists of approved pesticides, pesticide usage reports and applicator licenses

To effectively implement manure collection, storage and treatment:

• Step 1: Use gloves before handling animal manure from any livestock.
• Step 2: Use shovels and wheel barrows to load and transport the material.
• Step 3: Store manure in a contained area, with a solid bottom (cement pad) to prevent runoff and leaching into local waterbodies or groundwater.
• Step 4:  Mix all types of manure with organic substances such as vegetable waste, garden debris, dead leaves, sawdust, wood ash, hay and straw etc. to add structure and other organic compounds to the soil.
• Step 5: Turn mixed manure over regularly to allow for combining of nutrients and further aeration.
• Step 6: Cut-up large particles of animal manure to no more than 10 cm in size.
• Step 7: Spread manure evenly on field a few weeks prior to planting or during planting. It can also be applied in micro-doses around crops and trees directly.

To effectively implement Improved digestibility, Improved protein content:

• Step 1: Inform farmers of the possible benefits of increased dietary protein in their livestock in order to implement dietary supplements.
• Step 2: Identify a supplement contain the key amino acids - Methionine, Lysine, Threonine, and Tryptophan, in consultation with suppliers and veterinarians.
• Step 3: Added supplements to green plant residue (silage) as guided on packaging or by supplier to increase the efficiency of protein in livestock. Ensure that supplement amounts are suitable for animals and the type of feed being supplemented.
• Step 4: Ensure that supplements sourced will be consistently available from suppliers in the region. These supplements can be purchased at most agricultural shops, including rural areas.
• Step 5: As a low-cost option, farmers can formulate rations specific to their livestock. These rations are only for domestic use and not commercial.

To effectively implement Improved digestibility, Improved protein content:

• Step 1: Inform farmers of the possible benefits of increased dietary protein in their livestock in order to implement dietary supplements.
• Step 2: Identify a supplement contain the key amino acids - Methionine, Lysine, Threonine, and Tryptophan, in consultation with suppliers and veterinarians.
• Step 3: Added supplements to green plant residue (silage) as guided on packaging or by supplier to increase the efficiency of protein in livestock. Ensure that supplement amounts are suitable for animals and the type of feed being supplemented.
• Step 4: Ensure that supplements sourced will be consistently available from suppliers in the region. These supplements can be purchased at most agricultural shops, including rural areas.
• Step 5: As a low-cost option, farmers can formulate rations specific to their livestock. These rations are only for domestic use and not commercial.

To effectively implement NCF practices:

• Step 1: Determine potential sources of NCFs in the local area and consider if the potential products are suitable (provide enough energy, are digestible, palatable to livestock animals, etc) and require additional investment to access or use.
• Step 2: Collect for free/negotiate lower rates with producers of agroecological industrial process biproducts or plant materials to gain access to their ‘waste’ materials.
• Step 3: Determine how sustainable and consistent the supply will be from the providers. If possible, identify a range of suppliers to mitigate potential losses of stockpiled NCFs.
• Step 4: Before being used as feed, NCF’s from agroecological processes must be appropriately processed - (grinding (8 mm) and pelleting) and mixed into a uniform blend. Hence, labour requirements may increase. This could be mechanised.
• Step 5: Livestock should be monitored when these feeds are introduced to ensure digestibility of the product for the animals.
• Step 6: Based on advice from the suppliers of agroecological industrial process biproducts, ensure appropriate storage of materials to avoid loss of nutrition, pests and waste.

To effectively implement Physical Storage Options:

• Step 1: When making a choice of which storage option to choose, farmers must consider the type of crop to be stored, storage requirements of the crop and the form in which the crop must be stored (for 0-6months/3-12months).
• Step 2: Grains must be stored in a dry place with a constant temperature.
• Step 3: Crops should be dried and have low moisture content prior to storage.
• Step 4: Airtight containers should be used to avoid insect infestation.
• Step 5: Based on farmer resources and time of storage, there are a number of containers that can be utilised to store harvested crops including metal silos, polythene sacks (that can be layered), mud silos, plastic bags.
• Step 6: As a last measure, insecticides in the form of a powder can be applied to harvested crops. The powder comes in pre-measured packets and are low dosage so generally safe to handle. Information is provided on each packet and should be read before integrating it into the crop. Grain needs to be cleaned before consumption.