Farmer, Denis Ndhlovu
With over 15 years of experience in farming, Denis Ndhlovu is a motivated farmer and tree seedling producer. Despite the many years of experience in farming, Denis has not been able to grow his business due to several constraints he’s been facing. Some of the major constraints include the lack of skills in improved farming techniques, which escalates soil fertility loss, and the lack of a steady supply of water during the dry season; Denis’s garden is located near a seasonal swamp that runs dry between July and December. The high cost of farming inputs (pesticides and fertilizers) negatively affects his profits.
About Denis Ndhlovu
Denis Ndhlovu is married and has 8 children: 5 boys and 3 girls. Denis comes from Efumbeni village, Chasefu District.
Denis’s occupation is farming, and during the rainy season, he grows crops like maize, soya beans, sunflower, and groundnuts. In his garden, during the dry season, his main focus is growing cabbage, onion, rape, tomato, and tree seedlings such as citrus species, guava, avocado, and assorted ornamental and timber tree species.
Denis has always wanted to become a model farmer in his village; his ambition is now close to becoming reality after he was selected by Jacana to be part of the project ”from autopilot to champion farmer” supported by the AFAS Foundation. In this project, Denis hopes to learn and adopt sustainable ways of crop production that increase profits and protect the environment.
Donor
Denis Ndhlovu is supported by AFAS.
Jacana’s role
Jacana will provide Denis with the following support:
- Business and financial training
- A borehole and a solar pump
- Agro support (partly sponsored agro supplies and inputs) and guidance
- Bookkeeping guidance
Provided training
You can also download the manuals for these trainings:
Guidance and monitoring
September 2024
The soil’s ability to return moisture is largely dependent on its properties and organic matter content. In the hot scorching sun, soil moisture retention is significantly reduced! Taking a leaf from what he learned from the previous training at Jacana on enhancing moisture retention, Denis has grown tomato plants in deep beds and is practicing organic mulching, using readily available dry grass and crop residues.
June 2024
In June, Denis was visited for guidance and had his mobile solar pump delivered. From the award price he won earlier in April, Denis acquired a mobile solar pump to ease his irrigation in the garden. The mobile solar pump will be used to pump water from the nearby scoop holes.
April 2024
The first-ever farmer awards of the ‘’from autopilot to champion’’ project, were slated for April 2024. Before the awards day at Jacana head office in Chipata, farmer visits were conducted where each farmer was visited and had to showcase their demo plot to their fellow farmers. The farmer visits did not only present an opportunity for farmers to grade each other as part of the awards procedure but also were a very important platform for farmers to learn from each other’s gardening experiences. From the Jacana Lundazi branch, Denis Ndhlovu was awarded the best farmer implementation category.
Here Denis receives his award: a voucher for agro inputs
March 2024
Sustainable organic agriculture offers a better solution to the many threats and problems that the food system is facing today amidst climate change. In March, Jacana organised a 4-day training workshop on sustainable organic agriculture at the Jacana office in Lundazi. The workshop involved theory and practical sessions, subject matters covered in the training included soil fertility and natural pest and disease management, organic garden layout, and organic vegetable production using permanent fertility beds.
Here Denis prepares a permanent fertility bed during a practical session.
January 2024
Eager to confirm how effective Bokashi is in soil fertility improvement, Denis planted fresh maize and okra, applying only Bokashi fertiliser to the soil. In January, he was visited for guidance and follow-ups in garden activities:
Here Denis showcases his crops and explains his conclusion on Bokashi. The positive experience he has had with Bokashi has motivated him to try other organic fertiliser types going forward.
November 2023
In November, Denis decided to prepare for tank installation by engaging a mason to build a tank stand. A water storage tank ensures consistent irrigation; this would also allow Denis more time to engage in other cultural practices in the garden while the tank fills up with water during the sunny hours of the day.
October 2023
In October, Denis made his first Bokashi organic fertiliser heap after he was trained. Denis made his Bokashi fertiliser together with his family and neighbours.
June 2023
Denis Ndhlovu took part in a 2-day training workshop that Jacana organised. The workshop focused on training the AFAS farmers how to make 4 different types of organic fertilisers, namely, Bokashi, Barkley, Lab serum, and tea liquid fertiliser.
May 2023
In May, Denis was visited by Jacana and guided in tree nursery management. The emphasis was on ensuring a weed-free tree nursery; weeds, if left unchecked, can cause serious competition for growth factors such as light, soil nutrients, and water. This type of competition negatively affects the growth rate of seedlings and reduces market quality.
March 2023
Good management of weeds is very critical in crop production; not only does it eliminate competition for nutrients and other growth factors, but ensuring a clean field also helps in pest and disease control. Denis learnt this fact the hard way, due to his poor weed management strategy in his garden; the cabbage yield was reduced significantly due to pest attacks.
December 2022
To improve his garden and reduce the labour demand of watering using canes, Denis acquired a hose pipe for his garden using the 40% farmer and 60% Jacana contribution on costs for garden tools. This arrangement is made possible by support from the AFAS Foundation. Denis can now irrigate his just transplanted cabbage seedlings with ease!
November 2022
The very first activity, when each beneficiary becomes part of the AFAS-sponsored project, is to make a garden layout plan for his or her Lima demonstration plot. Denis was visited and guided in making his plan. A garden layout plan is important for space maximisation, easy-to-follow crop rotation, and general accessibility of the garden by the farmer
October 2022
In October 2022, Denis received a partly sponsored borehole with a solar pump installed in his garden by Jacana, through support from the AFAS Foundation.
September 2022
Denis Ndhlovu, together with other AFAS project beneficiaries, was trained in business and financial planning. In the 2-day business training workshop, Denis learnt how to make a business and financial plan, how to find customers; grow his business, keep records, and many other topics. By the end of the 2-day workshop, Denis made his own business, financial, and marketing plan for his garden.
