This thread is a resource center for organic farmers. I will be providing many ideas and solutions to farmers experiencing difficulties with their farms..

Definition of organic farming: Organic farming is a sustainable farming methods that takes care of the environment. It enhances biodiversity, protect the soil, the plants, animals, ecosystem and promotes safe farm management for healthy farmers, producing safe crops for human consumption.

Organic farming are regulated by international certification. Several bodies in different countries provides certification for organic farms in compliance to certain standards the farmers must adhere to. For certification, it's the land and sustainable practices of the farmers that's subjected to standards. In Nigeria, there are no known regulating standards excepts for efforts of body like NOAN and other NGO.

Nigeria do not export organic foods because of lack of standards and certification. Countries like Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana and South Africa earn billions of dollars exporting organic foods crops to Europe and America.

Why Farm Organically?
The main reasons farmers state for wanting to farm organically are their concerns for the environment and about working with agricultural chemicals in conventional farming systems. There is also an issue with the amount of energy used in agriculture, since many farm chemicals require energy intensive manufacturing processes that rely heavily on fossil fuels. Organic farmers find their method of farming to be profitable and personally rewarding.

Why Buy Organic?
Consumers purchase organic foods for many different reasons. Many want to buy food products that are free of chemical pesticides or grown without conventional fertilizers. Some simply like to try new and different products. Product taste, concerns for the environment and the desire to avoid foods from genetically engineered organisms are among the many other reasons some consumers prefer to buy organic food products,

Organic Certification
When considering organic certification, know the requirements and accreditation(s) needed in the marketplace where your products will be sold. When comparing certification bodies, make sure they have the certification requirements and accreditations needed to meet market requirements. Some markets may require accreditation or equivalency agreements with countries in the European Union, or with the Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS), Bio-Swisse or other international organic certification systems to be able to export organic produce to such country.

Soil Fertility Management in Organic Farming: Soil fertility management in organic farming is the bedrock of sustainable food crops production that protect and improves the biodiversity of the environment. I will be revisiting this topic, but let's jump to a more pressing issues affecting most farmers right now, the Bacterial wilt disease. Many of my organic followers have been calling me on this issue and I am here to deal with it.

Importance of Beneficiary Micro Organism In soil fertility Management: It so happens that your tomatoes is flowering well and about to fruit. Suddenly the unexpected happens. It begins to wilt fast and within days your flourishing tomatoes is gone for good. Many farmers experience this scenario and some superstitious ones attribute it to things of the celestial...well what you have is bacteria wilt disease. This deadly bacteria is soil borne and can destroy farms within days. Dealing with it is quite difficult because it defile many chemical solution. Recently I received a call from a farmer lamenting seriously about how his investment on cucumber was totally destroyed by this disease.

As an organic farmer, this is the easiest disease to deal with unlike using chemicals. I will introduce you to what is called Beneficial Microbes that you will culture and introduce into the soil. These bacteria consist of Lacto Bacillus and other numerous microbes that will deal with the bacteria wilt ( Ralstonia solanacearum) , they will occupy space that the bad bacterial would have used, enhance the immune system of your plants against disease, break down organic matters in the soil and transport nutrients to your plants. This way you can have very healthy plants with increase yields instead of pains. Thankfully this solution works well for organic farms.

How to Culture Beneficial Microbes for your farm.

Materials Needed.

1. A cup rice
2. 1/2 cup of Sugar (Brown Sugar)
3. Lacto Bacillus (optional, Don't worry, I will teach you how to prepare yours)
4. Water

Microbes 101: The air is a cocktail of several microbes, consisting of bacteria, fungi and viruses. Some of are very deadly to humans, animals and plants, while many are too good to be ignored. These micro organisms are responsible for decomposition and fermentation of foods either in the presence of oxygen aerobic or without oxygen anaerobic. We will be manipulating this two processes in our quest to grow the good bacteria we need for our farm. Trust me, this process is very simple. Have this is mind, when ever you see white molds on food , very likely you have a good colony of beneficial microbes, while black and green molds are signs that the bad organism are in control... Simple right!

Method.
Cook a cup of rice, and cover with a net (Net is to prevent critters from getting into the mix). Allow to stay for at least six days undisturbed. Don't heap the rice, spread it out for a broader bacteria activity on the rice surface. After 6 days, you will notice white molds on the rice surface...very good sign of the bacteria we want. If you notice black or green molds on the rice, please discard. Now you have a culture of bacteria we are going to work with.

Add 1/2 cup of brown sugar to the rice and mash (use gloves) don't over mix not to destroy all the mycelia, cover mixture for four to seven days. When it's part liquid, add three liters of water (Water without chlorine, Rain water and untreated well water will be perfect). Leave diluted mixture for seven days.

You will end up with a mud like juice. Strain the mixture and if you observe bubbles from the bottom don't cover it yet, Allow the bubble to stop forming until you cover. You now have a mixture packed with Beneficiary Microbes. You can add 2 tbs of LactoBacillus to enhance microbial activities.

How to Use What you now have is a powerful microbial inoculant perfect for growing healthy plants and animals.

Plants

You can apply it either as a foliar spray or soil drench. It enhances growth and health of plants by developing a very healthy population of beneficiary microbes in the soil and on leaf surfaces.

1. It transports food and nutrients to roots of plants
2. Develop a healthy ecosystem from the ground up. This is an invaluable job and the greatest benefit of the microbes.
3. Aids disease resistance – Effectively fights pathogens like Bacteria Wilt affecting tomatoes and cucumber. It also occupies spaces that could otherwise go to harmful bacteria/molds.
4. Aid composting – massively enhances compost in the soil thereby improving soil fertility for your plants
5. Aid organic fertilizer. If you are using fish poo as source of fertilization, adding this mixture to the water will greatly improve effectiveness of fertilizer.

Animals

1. It boost growth by enhancing digestion
2. Inoculate farmyard (spray ground) where animals occupy to maintain healthy microbial system.
3. Aids disease resistance. Fight the bad bacteria!

In aquaculture

Add 1L of the serum to 700m3 of water containing fish(pond, lake, aquaculture tank, etc). Enhance fish growth greatly.
Benefits are built by the microbes:

1. The Microbes digest fish wastes, cleaning up water and improving water quality.
2. Allows fish to grow larger due to digestive efficiency
3. Allows higher population of fish in the same amount of water, This is perfect for aquaculture setup

I will be updating with pictures soon for all the processes involved for better clarity.

How to make your own liquid fertilizer from weeds on your farm

Some fast growing weeds on your farm can become a suitable source of powerful fertilizer for your farm as you will learn from the concept here. I recommend you have a drum or bucket. We will be doing some simple fermentation.

Ingredients:
1. Fast growing weeds on your farm.

(I identify any weeds that grows at amazing rate on your farm. This weeds will contain powerful hormones and enzymes that we will like to harness and use to promote the growth of our plants. We will concentrate efforts in harvesting the tips of such weeds alongside the stem and leaves ...These will very much contain the growth hormones we seek for.)
2. Brown Sugar 2kg (or Molasses)
3. Water.

Method:
Step 1. After Identifying the weeds you want to use (You can use different varieties as long as they grow very fast, those once with flowers will be great if you have flowering plants like water melon and cucumber) Cut the tips of the weeds together with the stem say 5cm to 10cm from the crown, avoid the roots. Cut enough to half fill a drum.

Step 2. Blend 2 kg of brown sugar in water...make sure you have a clear solution. Half fill the drum containing the weeds with water and add the brown sugar solution to the broth. You can put some big stones on the leaves to force them into the solution, cover and allow to ferment undisturbed for 12 days.

Now your powerful liquid fertilizer full of growth hormones, enzymes, Nitrogen, phosphorous and beneficiary microbes is ready.

Usage:
Mix 500ml (1/2 a liter) in 20 liters of water and use as foliar spray twice a week or as soil drench.

These solution will greatly help improve plant growth, nutrients and enhance the health of your plants.


Edited: This solution can be stored...in fact it gets better with age as long as you have enough sugar in the mix to sustain micro organism in the broth...remember some micro organism also live without oxygen. Note: Avoid storing in places with direct sunlight.
To be continued...

Im trainned in EOA. Pls keep up d enlightenment.Pls how can we get d neem iol and even distribute

DBounty:
Im trainned in EOA. Pls keep up d enlightenment.Pls how can we get d neem iol and even distribute

Send me a PM. You can become our distributor for neem depending on your location..

How to listen to your plants

Plants like human communicates and even sometimes speak in an audible manner to us. Only the trained ears will however understand this language. Most farmers must understand the language of their plants if they have to be successful in growing them...they communicate everyday to the farmer...someone like jethro2 appears to understands the language of the tomatoes and vegetables no wonder she can grow them successfully. You too can master these languages...

Plants intelligence Plants are also very intelligent in their quest to survive the weather...they close up their stomata to conserve water during harsh weather and drought, they sometimes modify their roots from drying up by growing them very thick, others bury their roots very deep in the soil to survive...they adapt themselves in a way we never bother to take notice of, as farmer we have to understand our plants.

How your plants tells you they need water Plants will drop their leaves like folded umbrella when they badly need water...usually in the afternoon. If you are cultivating water loving plants like cucumber, this is a very powerful sign to water deeply else several other issues may arise. Plants needs water to be able to extract nutrients from the soil, without water the nutrient will not be available for plant use. Quick fix to help plant in this kind of stress is to do foliar spray after watering especially with fish poo...they love it.
...to be continued

thanks for the information

#Teamorganic

Wow! @organicfood, that for awesome info. The info is indeed rich. Thanks

I have been receiving calls from livestock farmers as well concerning organic farming.. Lately I am in search of fulani fowls... Those tall beautiful ones to do free range on my farm...true organic farmers must inculcate animals on their farms... They work hand in hand... Rabbit urine is great source of organic urea, while fish ponds on the farm can provide rich source of fertilizer for your plants. We have a very long way to go on this topic...I will be teaching the main ingredients we use for our fish hydrosylate fertilizer... A liquid fertilizer like the one marketed by GNLD... Though our fish hydrosylate contains some other powerful ingredients that will increase yields 20 folds... We are however giving it out for buyers of neem oil for free...it's a nitrogenous wonder packed full of both micro and macro nutrients for your plants.

@organicfood, i've been following you for quite sometime on Nairaland, i just want to say thanks for your comments, advice, tips and encouragement in this agro sector. And the right up above has been good wealth of information that will help me alot.

I just want to ask, do you offer some kind of training (practical training by seeing you do it live) on organic farming just like jethro2 does, where one can learn from you about organic farming?

eazuka:
@organicfood, i've been following you for quite sometime on Nairaland, i just want to say thanks for your comments, advice, tips and encouragement in this agro sector. And the right up above has been good wealth of information that will help me alot.

I just want to ask, do you offer some kind of training (practical training by seeing you do it live) on organic farming just like jethro2 does, where one can learn from you about organic farming?

Thanks for the compliment... I strive everyday to empty myself off the experience and knowledge I am fortunate to have come across... Some how everyday it tends to increase hundred folds.

On training, we are bringing in some NGOs on board that will professionally ground us from training to marketing of organic produce, you must agree with me it does take time. I still however have a lot of Nairalander coming to see our demonstration farm in Ibadan and getting some kind of mentorship on their farms as they practice. We also offer organic materials like liquid fertilizer, organic pesticides and Beneficiary microorganisms to tackle diseases... And of course consultation for farms.

How to make your own powerful compost
Our next topic is how to make our own compost fertilizer. Note combining compost and liquid fertilizer is a pleasant meal for your plants, you can never over do it, organic nutrients cannot be too much for them unlike chemicals. There are several NPK values for different materials for your compost. Usually most farmers combine several materials to achieve astonishing results depending on the nutrients demands of their plants. Plants needs different kinds of nutrients depending on their varieties, and stage of development. Like babies when growing up they need certain nutrients and at advance stage before food production they depend on other kinds of nutrients. Just like pregnant women, plants demands different kinds of nutrients depending on their types to produce food...Plants are cash cow if you can maintain them and keep them health. Nutrients are the most important factor to achieve this. Let's look at NPK values of compost manure from animal and plant sources.

Animal Source
N P K
Rabbit Manure 2.4 1.4 0.6
Chicken Manure 1.1 0.8 0.5
Pig Manure 0.8 0.7 0.5
Sheep Manure 0.7 0.3 0.9
Horse Manure 0.7 0.3 0.6
Cow Manure 0.6 0.4 0.5
Blood Meal 12 0 0
Bone Meal 3.5 18 0
Horn and hoof 12 0 0
Fish Blood and Bone 6 6 6



Edited: Blood meal appears to be high on Nitrogen. We will be combining these materials to achieve our desired manure.
To be continued..

@organicfood, thanks for d priceless info u are dishing out for free. Pls sir i have some questions to ask 1. Pls when u said cook a cup of rice, do u mean we need to cook d rice,d way we prepare d rice with eat at home 2. Do we cover d rice without water inside d rice? 3. Can bakers yeast be used as lactobacillus? Thanks

Juliana7:
@organicfood, thanks for d priceless info u are dishing out for free. Pls sir i have some questions to ask 1. Pls when u said cook a cup of rice, do u mean we need to cook d rice,d way we prepare d rice with eat at home 2. Do we cover d rice without water inside d rice? 3. Can bakers yeast be used as lactobacillus? Thanks

You are welcome...Yeah parboil the rice and siphon the starchy water, this is what I am making reference to. You can use bakers yeast to fasten the process...lactobacillus will still find its way into the broth though...cheers. You can as well prepare lactobacillus in this manner. Siphon the parboil rice, cover and keep in a hot dark location for five days...You will notice three layers of separation of the liquid. A thin film of bacteria on top and starch residue used up by bacteria at the bottom. Use syringe to draw out the water from the middle layer into a another container...this will most likely contain lactobacillus. After using the syringe to remove enough of this middle layer of liquid, you will have to feed them with powder milk (any powder milk will serve) you can use water (must not be treated water) to double or triple the solution. Mix the solution proper with the powder milk (aplenty) and allow to stay for seven days....Voila you have Lactobacillus. Siphon the spent milk from the solution (You can actually eat it if you can....the spent milk) feed to fish and animals to aid digestion. To store your bacteria, mix the solution with brown sugar for the bacteria to live on...You can store this forever. Apply this solution as soil treatment for bacteria wilt, very effective to knock them of.

@organicfood, thank u sir for d prompt response, GOD will richly bless u. Thanks

Juliana7:
@organicfood, thank u sir for d prompt response, GOD will richly bless u. Thanks

You are most welcome! Been a bit busy. I will be adding pictures in future to ensure clarity.

Today I received a call from an avid follower of this thread. He made some observations and asked a lot of informative questions. Initially I am only focusing on organic plants without the animal angle of it. Henceforth I will be combining solutions for animals... Especially fish, goats and poultry. I will also practically demonstrate with pictures on how to successfully turn the corner in propagating nutrients for our plants and animals... Patience will be needed here though.

By next week Thursday, I will be having a guest at my office to learn some stuff about organic farming...so in preparation I am making a super growth hormones to jump start our planting class... So guess what I will using as my all powerful growth hormone... Sesame seeds and coconut water.

This exceptional growth hormones will be applied to super charge the growth of our Cucumber plants and I will be uploading pictures of the growth hormone preparation and teaching on the farm plus results...promises to be exciting.

Ingredients.
Sesame seeds
Coconut water
Brown Sugar

Procedure: I chose sesame seeds because it's the smallest seeds I can lay my hands on. The idea here is for sesame to grow from it's small seeds, it must be packed with some essential growth promoter that we could extract for the benefit of our cucumber. So I got some sesame seeds in a container and soak for a day to soften the seed coat. For five days I continued rinsing the seeds with water and cover with cloths... For sure some of the seeds started sprouting as you can see from the pix. This just what I want.

Edited: The pix below is my sprouted sesame seeds. I will be blending it to reduce the size for microbes to work fast on it during fermentation.

Coconut Water We will be needing Water from the green seed and not the normal brown coconut. Coconut is the biggest seed in the world.Its packed with growth promoting materials that we will be combining with the sesame seeds...those folks that attends beaches will attest the sweet refreshing green coconut water they sip using straw.

Following

organicfoods:
Thanks for the compliment... I strive everyday to empty myself off the experience and knowledge I am fortunate to have come across... Some how everyday it tends to increase hundred folds.

On training, we are bringing in some NGOs on board that will professionally ground us from training to marketing of organic produce, you must agree with me it does take time. I still however have a lot of Nairalander coming to see our demonstration farm in Ibadan and getting some kind of mentorship on their farms as they practice. We also offer organic materials like liquid fertilizer, organic pesticides and Beneficiary microorganisms to tackle diseases... And of course consultation for farms.

Thanks for your feedback and for yet another great post. I will explore the option of visit to your farm like other nairalander. How can i reach you?

eazuka:


Thanks for your feedback and for yet another great post. I will explore the option of visit to your farm like other nairalander. How can i reach you?

You can call me on 08034342637

Hello organic foods. I have been following your thread for quite sometime now and I must say well done and thank you for all the free info. However I have some questions with regards to treating soil before using it for planting especially after I have had issues of plant diseases/ bugs attacking my plants and I had to end up destroying them.
My question doesn't relate to the topic you are currently talking about so I wouldn't want to digress by posting it here, can I contact you to discuss this?

Urbangrow:
Hello organic foods. I have been following your thread for quite sometime now and I must say well done and thank you for all the free info. However I have some questions with regards to treating soil before using it for planting especially after I have had issues of plant diseases/ bugs attacking my plants and I had to end up destroying them.
My question doesn't relate to the topic you are currently talking about so I wouldn't want to digress by posting it here, can I contact you to discuss this?

You can call me... I will be glad to hear from you.

The growth hormone now due for siphoning. If you live in a place where smell is prohibited then consider doing this in a secluded location.
The coconut are far spent, but I can still get value from the water.

Its amazing what you can achieve with organic farming....Today we got hold of a monster cucumber fruit from our demonstration farm, my Nairalander visitor (has been around for three days learning the rudiments of organic farm) and we were really astonished with the size of the fruit ...really remarkable. I will upload pix as soon as I got hold of it. Things are happening, not for the faint heart though.

The first approach in starting an organic farm is preparation, information, documentation and of course compliance. When issues arises, you must be ready to act accordingly. Soon we will be certifying farms for organic purpose where products can be sold as certified naturally grown without too much financial burden.

The first approach in starting an organic farm is preparation, information, documentation and of course compliance. When issues arises, you must be ready to act accordingly. Soon we will be certifying farms for organic purpose where products can be sold as certified naturally grown without too much financial burden for farmers.

Thanks for the great organic tips you are giving out .God bless u.
i need to ask, is there an alternative to brown sugar? i mean, can caramelized sugar be used? or even the with sugar we consume now?what of sugar cane liquid?
just exploring other options.thank you.

Weldone sir ! D value of the info you have taken time to give out free, can't be quantified. I am an aspiring organic farmer, and I really appreciate this gift .

davesselOn:
Thanks for the great organic tips you are giving out .God bless u.
i need to ask, is there an alternative to brown sugar? i mean, can caramelized sugar be used? or even the with sugar we consume now?what of sugar cane liquid?
just exploring other options.thank you.

Sorry for the late reply. Yes it can be used, white sugar contains chemical that can kill the micro organism. Sugar cane liquid will also serve.