Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
per cent of the men and women, and such results are not gender-specific.
More than 50 per cent of the men and women live in poverty on less than
US$0.50 per day. Dongmo et al (2005) also note the poverty level of market
gardeners in other areas.
Technical and production parameters
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Nutrients and phytosanitary products. Urea (92.4 per cent) and NPK (88.5
per cent) were the most used fertilizers in the market garden in the Centre
Agricole de N'djili. These were used on almost every crop and, in most
cases, in excessive quantities which pollute the soil, groundwater and run-
off. Nitrates and phosphates are very mobile and can reach the water
table. The run-off from irrigation water or rain can contaminate surface
water (Fall and Fall, 2001). The other fertilizers used were manure (72.6
per cent), brewers' grains (46.5 per cent), animal dung (42.2 per cent),
sawdust (29.7 per cent), coffee hulls (29.7 per cent), compost (29.0 per
cent), domestic waste (26.7 per cent) and other organic waste (8.6 per
cent). The most used phytosanitary products were Thiodan (91.1 per
cent), DDT (78.9 per cent) and Sumithion (18.8 per cent). The other
chemical fertilizers used were aldrin (3.6 per cent), chlordane (1.3 per
cent), lindane (0.9 per cent) and HCB (0.3 per cent). Less-polluting
solutions such as Titonia, Lantana camara, tobacco powder and wood ash
were also used as insecticides.
Water supply and types of irrigation. Most fields were irrigated by sprinkling
with a watering can, usually of 10 l capacity. Irrigation water was taken from
springs, wells or the N'djili River. Irrigation ditches were more common in
blocks B and C. Block A experienced water shortages in the dry season
and, in some fields, even during the rainy season. Block D was flooded
during the rainy season, which destroyed the crops. Several market
gardeners used well water for drinking or kitchen use.
.
Biodiversity parameters
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In terms of the types of crops grown, there was little difference found
between the rainy season and dry season. The differences between seasons
are highlighted in Table 8.3 and result from the fact that in the rainy
season some crops do not grow as well as in the dry season. In addition to
vegetable crops, each field also had at least one fruit tree and 75 per cent
of the fields had a palm tree. Crops were affected by some diseases, such as
tracheomycosis, damping off, mildew and leaf perforation.
Only about 10 per cent of the market gardeners raised poultry or livestock.
Animal species included pigs, chickens, ducks and goats.
.
Environmental parameters
pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, salinity and total dissolved
solids in the irrigation water. Table 8.4 shows the average physical
characteristics of irrigation water used in the Centre Agricole de N'djili plots
for both the dry and rainy seasons. Each value is the average of eight samples
