Worldwide, challenges for subsistence farmers have increased. Harvest production may be down leading to reduced incomes and reduced staples for family consumption. These challenges can be due to depleted soils, lack of funds for purchasing fertilizers, changes in the beginning and end of the rainy season, unpredictable rain during the rainy season, and increased soil erosion and crop damage during extreme weather events.

Adding Organic Material to Your Soil
	There are simple, low-cost/no-cost activities that subsistence farmers can adopt that can increase harvest production by restoring soil, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers, buffering the effects of variable rainfall, and protect valuable topsoil from erosion—increasing family nutrition and agricultural income.

What Is Soil?
Soil is a living, breathing organism of sand, clay, organic matter, earthworms, microbes, beneficial flora and fauna, nutrients, minerals, water and plant roots. It can suffer from being too wet, too dry and too sandy, too clayey, too exposed and too steep.

Soil Moisture.
Moisture in the soil is a chief determinant in crop growth and in agricultural production both by providing water for the soil, improve soil chemical processes in the soil and also acts as a transport mechanism for getting nutrients to the plants. The presence of organic material greatly improves soil’s ability to retain moisture. Moisture stored in the soil provides a buffer during dry periods or during periods of unpredictable rain. Sufficient organic material in the soil and mulch is on the surface of the soil can help rainwater percolate into the soil in order to build up soil moisture.

Organic Material.
Organic material decomposes in the soil and releases vital nutrients for the plants—reducing the need to purchase expensive fertilizer. Increased organic material in the soil also helps to retain soil moisture for longer periods of time—buffering against unpredictable rain or an early end to the rainy season. Organic material in the soil is a benefit for root penetration, drainage, aeration, nutrients nutrient availability, soil structure—and can neutralize pH imbalances.

Looking at organic material samples collected from around the village.
In the first year, farmers may not have organic material. Let them know that they can begin by spreading whatever chopped-up organic material (OM) they can find on top of their field. This can be leaves, manure, chopped-up corn stalks, vegetable-based kitchen scraps. Explain how many freely available types of OM are available around their village; have participants discuss other materials that they might be able to use.

Incorporating Organic Material into Your Soil during Soil Preparation.
Farmers can spread organic material on top of their field as they prepare their fields prior to telling. The organic material will mix in with their soil at different depths. After planting farmers can lay another layer of finely chopped material on top of the freshly planted field.

Mulching for Increased Organic Material, and Reduced Erosion and Evaporation.
The addition of mulch to the top of the soil can reduce the soil temperature, keep weeds down, improve drainage, attract earthworms, reduce both wind and water erosion, and can be an excellent method of adding organic material to the soil as the mulch decomposes during the course of the growing season. It is excellent for water conservation—it reduces moisture evaporation: it can help protect garden plants by retaining soil moisture when water is scarce.

Adding mulch to your field is very simple. Use the same materials that you used for making compost: leaves, dry grass, rice stalks, straw, and other agricultural residues. Simply place a thin layer on the soil after planting seeds. As the plants begin to grow add another layer until you have 5 to 10 cm.

Mulching will conserve restored soil by reducing moisture loss through evaporation, will contribute organic material and nutrients to the soil, and will prevent the loss of valuable topsoil by protecting the soil from wind and water erosion.

A consciousness raising workshop for the communities demonstrating how mulching can reduce evaporation.
1. Till and lightly moistened a small area of soil exposed to direct sunlight.
2. Mark off four small plots no more than half a meter square each.
3. Cover the first plot with a pane of glass raised about 10 cm above the soil surface.
4. Carefully and completely cover the second plot with chopped vegetation (straw, leaves, grass).
5. Loosely cover the third plot with chopped vegetation.
6. Leave the fourth plot uncovered.

Return to the test plots after one hour. Moisture should have begun to collect on the underside of the glass pane. Have the participants discuss where the moisture came from. This would be a good place to talk about soil evaporation and its effect on soils—and plants. Remove the glass and have the participants feel the soil beneath—it should still be moist.

Then have participants remove the mulch from test plots two and three. The soil should still be moist and plot two but less moist in plot three. Plot four, which was left uncovered should be even less moist and perhaps completely dry.

Making Compost
Compost is the earthy, dark crumbly material that results from the geek opposition of plant residue. It is rich in nutrients and organic matter and can be used as a plant fertilizer. To make compost you need the right mix of organisms, air, water and plant wastes such as grass clippings, food scraps, manures, leaf litter and straw.

Compost can be made in a bin or simply as a pile approximately a meter square and meter high. Find a location for the compost pile that is well-drained and sunny. Unless you’re lucky enough to have the materials that you need to make an instant compost pile, begin adding materials as you collect them to the top of the pile. It’s good to alternate layers of dry things like leaves and straw with layers of green grass clippings and kitchen waste. A compost pile should be turned every week or two to allow more air into the compost pile. Show the participants examples of matured compost so they know what it should look like.

Compost can be added to the field’s surface before preparation for planting—in this way it will mix in with the field’s soil during killing and be accessible to the plant’s roots. It can also be added to the surface of the field after planting and before the application of mulch. Its nutrients can then percolate into the soil with rainwater.

Conclusion.
Even highly depleted soils can over the course of a year or several years be restored to a vital condition. The addition of organic material and compost will increase the soil’s ability to retain moisture, increase nutrients stored in the soil, increase beneficial microbes and soil flora and fauna and will improve the structure of heavily compacted soil.

Copyright © 2012, Tim Magee

How to teach community members to design a simple garden, dig beds and plant seeds in a workshop.
1. Introduction.
For many people living in the cycle of poverty, the idea of starting a kitchen garden might seem overwhelming. It could be the time investment, it might be perceived costs. It might be a lack of know-how: what to plant, how to plant and how to care for a garden. However, the positive benefits make it worthwhile enabling community members in gardening for nutrition.

Martha Njoroge’s Family Garden Project in Kangema Kenya
	Start small, think simple. The purpose of the first year’s garden is to give the participants a win—so that they will be encouraged to plant again the following year. Even if they plant only one bed, 1 meter by 4 meters, they should be able to get positive, delicious, nutritious results.

2. Planning the Garden.
A garden must first be planned and designed. In the first year we won’t get into too much detail; let us not scare people away from the idea with too much information. During the course of the year we can gradually teach them more so that they can do a better job of planning for year two.

We need to plan for sun, exposure to wind and runoff, family size and food production, and crop choice for nutrition. Provide large sheets of paper for them to design an example garden. Ask participants to sketch the area around their house and begin thinking of a good location for their garden. Work with the family to make a decision: a single small bed the first year—or something bigger?

3. Looking at organic material samples collected from around the village.
Discuss the importance of organic matter for the soil and the beds. In the first year, since they may not have compost, let them know that they can begin by spreading whatever chopped-up organic material (OM) they can find on top of the staked out bed location. This can be leaves, manure, corn stalks, vegetable-based kitchen scraps. Organic material in garden soil provides nutrients, structure and facilitates holding water. Explain how many freely available types of OM are available around the village for a getting garden plot started. Have participants discuss other materials that they might be able to use.

4. Raised Beds.
They provide a soft environment for roots, they drain well, and the soil flora and fauna receive the oxygen they need. Soil is a living, breathing organism of sand, clay, organic matter, earthworms, nutrients, minerals, water and plant roots. It can suffer from being too wet, too dry and too sandy. Organic material and the soft soil of the raised beds are a benefit for root penetration, drainage, aeration, nutrient availability, and structure.

5. Taking turns laying out and digging a bed, mixing in organic material and smoothing the bed.
Stake out an area for a bed that is no wider than 1 meter; clear it of any vegetation or trash. Lay some organic material on top of the staked-out area. Beginning at one end of the new bed, dig a 1 meter long trench one shovel in depth and one shovel width wide. Place the soil to the side. With a garden fork or with the shovel, loosen the soil in the bottom of the trench a further shovel depth—but don’t remove it. Place some more organic material in the trench.

Dig a second trench alongside the first one, tossing the soil into the first trench. With the addition of the OM and the fluffing of the soil, the soil should now be higher than the surrounding terrain. Continue this process for the entire length of the bed. Place the soil from the first trench into the last trench.

Using a garden rake, and without walking on the new bed, carefully break up any clumps of soil and rake the surface of the new bed smooth, flat and level. Carefully rake the outer edges so that they slope at a 45-degree angle, and so that a small lip forms at the upper edge for holding water.

6. Laying out a seed grid and planting a few example seeds at the right distances and depths.
Nutritious plants should have already been selected and seeds obtained. The seeds should come with directions for correct spacing for planting and correct planting depths. Explain practical examples for seed spacing and planting depth: Crowding of plants, wasted space, seed size and shoot size vs. depth. Explain how to measure out and mark the beds for planting the seeds. Being sure not to walk on the new beds. Help them plant a few seeds by demonstrating making a row or a hole, planting and then covering the seed with soil. Show how to label the seed rows. Let the participants lay out the beds for the rest of the seeds.

7. Gently watering the newly planted seedbeds.
Use a watering can with a fine spray and gently water the newly planted seeds. Water slowly enough that the water can soak in and not form pools; pools can cause the seeds to float to the surface. Explain the best times of day to water, frequency, duration and quantity. Let the workshop participants take turns watering the newly planted seedbeds.

Put together a simple fence to protect the bed from animals. Be creative and use any free materials just to get going the first year. The fence could be made of branches, old tires, old barrels, or old pallets.

See a workshop Lesson Plan and How-to Card.

Learn more about international home gardens for nutrition:
Food Security, Nutrition and Starting Home Gardens