Emerging food growers receive training
Knowledge on effective farming was shared during the Inundo Development five-day agricultural training in Assagay.
EMERGING farmers and food growers gathered at the Inundo Development five-day agricultural training. Inundo Development is a model and training farm in Assagay, Hillcrest, that provides training and leadership development.
The training was provided by a team of emerging local trainers who came from Amanzimtoti, Empangeni, Ballito, North Durban and Kwandengezi, all supervised by Daniel Wiens, senior Farming God’s Way trainer.
Also read: Westville environmentalists gather to share knowledge
Inundo Development co-founder Kerry Wiens said the training is based on a tool called Farming God’s Way, which is an African-designed programme that addresses the incredible potential of small-scale farmers in their local communities.
“The intention of Farming God’s Way is to bring hope in the area of food sustainability by helping people to use what God gives in the form of natural resources to grow abundant food for their families and communities. Farming God’s Way helps degraded soil to be revitalised and yields to increase,” she explained.
Participants began the week experiencing some detailed water run-off demonstrations which depicted the benefits of using mulch cover on soil to prevent erosion. “Many people were surprised to learn that ploughing destroys soil structure and contributes to many types of soil compaction and degradation. The training went on to teach people how to plant without ploughing which results in time and labour savings as well as increased profitability,” said Wiens.
Wiens further explained that most of the training was allocated to the topic of compost. Participants learned the benefits of compost as a powerful organic input to be used in their planting.
Also read: Nature lovers celebrate Freedom Day
“As emerging farmers and gardeners, the step-by-step process for hot, thermophilic compost was taught and demonstrated. Hot composting can make compost in larger amounts and in a shorter time frame than a cold backyard compost system. The training participants were able to assemble an eight cubic metre pile in 43 minutes. Much fun was had by all,” she said.
Wiens said the training was impactful, and the farm is open to community members who want to learn more about farming. To learn more about Inundo Development, find them on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Tiktok or at Inundo.org.
For more from the Highway Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
