Hey all!
I’m currently working at the ECHO North America RIC and am looking into a variety of Urban Gardening techniques. I’d like to display ideas from all of you folks in the network in the Urban garden section of the Small Farm resource center.
What gardening/farming methods have you found helpful in urban areas? How are you dealing with or have overcome problems of limited soil, space, or fertility when growing herbs, vegetables, or perennials in heavily populated areas? Do you know of any farms or organizations who are working in Urban areas that I could connect with?
Pictures and links are super helpful! Thank you for any responses, none is too small!
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@Keith_Mikkelson and @Dan_Sikkink do you have any thoughts or recommendations?
TFTTS S1:E1 Aquaponic roof top tour at Aloha House, an orphanage on a small urban organic farm. (The Farm To Table Show)
It’s my life’s work to train, learn from and document small hold farmers and gardeners who have a connection to local cooks, chefs and restaurants. See the methods, techniques and systems that local growers utilize to supply fresh local foods to people who appreciate healthy options. Meet the chefs and cooks and learn how they utilize the fresh bounty of small hold farms and urban gardens.
https://youtu.be/dVujtg_efu8?si=uleOCqmWpx_5LuB4 Links in the channel for my books! Use whatever you need…
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I have introduced tire gardening at an orphanage in Kathmandu. We used organic teas for the nutrient source. We had to deal with weight restrictions on the roof. We thought about using wick gardens, but we were concerned that there would be leaking into the orphan’s bedrooms. I’ve thought about aeroponics and hydroponics, but I have the same concerns with weight restrictions and water leakage, so we didn’t go that route. I am traveling today, but I will look for pictures to post here.
Dan Sikkink
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Hi All,
I have made these videos for people who want to grow food in small spaces based on the wicking bed technology. The plant tower is especially great because it includes a central composter and worm farm.
Hope these are helpful.
Regards,
Don
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Hi, I am Kelvin Jarwleh Thomas from Liberia, West Africa.
I am a Fish farmer and a vegetable gardener as well.
I want to produce my own fees for my fish, so I need your advice for ratio needed for fish fees production, and how do I go about producing the fees.
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Hi Kelvin!
This is such an important question for on-farm feeds. @Keith_Mikkelson has developed on-farm feed recommendations and guidelines for various livestock including fish based on his experience. His resources are available at ECHOcommunity.org here. For the fish feed in specific, look to this article: Farm-Generated Feed: Fish Feed Production | ECHOcommunity.org
According to Keith’s article, there are a multitude of options for you to explore given your local resources. Keith shares the following table that has an example of the formula and ratios they use at Aloha House to make a pelletized feed:
Black Soldier Fly may be an option to look into as well, as it is high in protein (35-42%). BSF production does not have to be as intensive as modeled at ECHO Asia [Video Training] as there are many small-scale production models as well.
What local ingredients to you have available?
I’m a farmer and I want to know how to control Fall Army Worms on maize
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Hi Victor,
I am not an expert on controlling Fall Armyworm but we have at least two ECHO network members who are very experienced and knowledgeable. @Allan_Hruska and @Neil_Rowe_Miller1 both have extensive knowledge in helping smallholder farmers monitor, evaluate, and make decisions about fall armyworm control. Please see excerpts from their resources and links to full resources below:
In Dr. Hruska’s Fall Armyworm Question and Answer article from EDN 165, he shared that
One of the very effective, low-resource, and accessible techniques that we have seen smallholders readily adopt is the use of applying soil directly to the whorl of damaged maize (Zea mays ) plants. FAW causes very distinctive damage to young maize leaves, as FAW larvae prefer to be in the base of the whorl (Figure 6) so that they can eat young leaves as they emerge from the growing point of the plant. Farmers can quickly learn to identify the damage and find that applying a small amount of soil (the amount that is pinched between the thumb and forefingers) is often very effective in immobilizing or killing the larvae. This practice is common among smallholders in Central America and Mexico who have been managing FAW in their maize fields for millennia.
In regard to monitoring, Dr. Hruska continued to say:
The most important monitoring that smallholder farmers can do is work through their fields and look for the characteristic damage of young leaves. In most cases, FAW infestation is patchy in a field. Young larvae do not travel far, preferring to burrow into the nearest whorl. Farmers can quickly identify the patches of infested maize. If they walk their fields once a week and apply soil to infested plants, they should be able to manage FAW in their maize crop. Management can be very resource-effective by often walking through fields and applying soil only to plants that show damage. They should do this from about a week after plant emergence until the tassel begins to emerge.
To learn how to identify and determine levels of infestation through scouting, please view Neil’s resources and worksheet on Maize Armyworm and Stalk Borer Scouting and/or view the SAWBO video.
Hopefully Dr. Hruska and Neil can share or expand on what I have shared here.
Stacy
Thank you all so much for your input! I thoroughly appreciate your ideas and videos. If you think of other things, please continue to add them to the conversation!
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Hi Stacy,
Thank you so much for the enlightenment.
This is another great idea for me to share with local farmers in the field in controlling FAW…
I’m grateful 
Victor,
I have not had much luck with natural methods for FAW control in East Africa. Perhaps conditions are different than Latin America, but I’ve done multiple trials with soil, wood ash, etc. and not had much luck, even on young instar larvae.
Regardless of the method you use, the key is treating FAW when the larvae are small. Because the feeding of young instar larvae is less obvious, farmers often don’t realize they have a problem until it’s too late. It’s not hard, however, to train them to identify the early damage. The guide Stacy referenced has a scouting protocol that works quite well. I use the treatment thresholds developed by CIMMYT, and find them to be quite reliable.
Hope this helps!
Neil
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Hie im Killian Ruzande from Zimbabwe. Im into innovative, intergrated and regenerative farming in the urban space. I have developed an aquaponics designed for African conditions called Biosandponics. Im also into fish farming, hydroponics, recycling waste into feed through black soldeir fly farming, azolla farming and vermiculture. You can watch a video of my small intergrated urban farm, a place i use to train fellow youths.
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