A photo showing an Orchard of Mangoes and Oranges for Soil Fertility improvement in Gulu District. (Rick Kamugisha)
Growing mangoes and oranges in the same field is a common sustainable land management cropping system practiced by farmers in Northern Uganda for soil fertility improvement. Under this practice farmer benefit from the litter of leaves when they fall and decompose to form manure to increase fertility of the soil. A farm located on a gentle slope of 3-5 % measuring an average size of 2-5 acres, is planted with orange varieties (Valencia and Hamlin) and mango varieties (Apple and Tommy) with the aim of generating household income and improving soil fertility litter and decomposition of the fallen leaves. The mango and orange seedlings are planted at a spacing of 10 m × 10 m in holes dug down to a depth of 30cm.
Seven to 10 workers are paid on a monthly basis and their day to day activities include establishing and maintaining the orchard; establishment entails slashing the field, digging the holes, and planting the seedlings, while maintenance entails spraying pests which attack the mangoes and oranges harvesting and marketing.
Planting more than one fruit trees in the same field increases saves use of more land which would be used for planting two fruit trees in separate gardens and saves labor since all the fruit trees are located and grown in one same field. Which in turn saves labour that would be used on two different fields. However, it is important for farmers to know that high costs are encountered at the beginning; this costs include buying seedlings, hoes, pangs, pesticides, spray pumps, and paying for labour. The costs are expected to reduce over time, leaving only costs of labour for weeding, monitoring, harvesting and marketing.
It is important for the land user to be aware that this technology is easily affected by pests and diseases. To control pests and disease, it is recommended to use dimethoiate, sprayed once every after 3 to 7 weeks.
Lieu: Gulu Municipality, Gulu District, Northern Region,Uganda, Ouganda
Nbr de sites de la Technologie analysés: site unique
Diffusion de la Technologie: répartie uniformément sur une zone (approx. < 0,1 km2 (10 ha))
Dans des zones protégées en permanence ?:
Date de mise en oeuvre: 2012; il y a moins de 10 ans (récemment)
Type d'introduction
| Spécifiez les intrants | Unité | Quantité | Coûts par unité (UGX) | Coût total par intrant (UGX) | % des coût supporté par les exploitants des terres |
| Main d'œuvre | |||||
| Persons days on monthly basis | Persons | 8,0 | 100000,0 | 800000,0 | 100,0 |
| Equipements | |||||
| Hoes | Pieces | 4,0 | 10000,0 | 40000,0 | 100,0 |
| Pangas | Pieces | 4,0 | 7000,0 | 28000,0 | |
| Spraying pumps | Pieces | 2,0 | 250000,0 | 500000,0 | |
| Matériel végétal | |||||
| Seedlings | seedling | 1000,0 | 2500,0 | 2500000,0 | |
| Engrais et biocides | |||||
| Pestcides | litres | 3,0 | 10000,0 | 30000,0 | 100,0 |
| Matériaux de construction | |||||
| 100,0 | |||||
| Coût total de mise en place de la Technologie | 3'898'000.0 | ||||
| Coût total de mise en place de la Technologie en dollars américains (USD) | 1'146.47 | ||||
| Spécifiez les intrants | Unité | Quantité | Coûts par unité (UGX) | Coût total par intrant (UGX) | % des coût supporté par les exploitants des terres |
| Main d'œuvre | |||||
| Persons days on monthly basis | Persons | 2,0 | 100000,0 | 200000,0 | 100,0 |
| labour for weeding daily basis | Persons | 2,0 | 5000,0 | 10000,0 | 100,0 |
| Engrais et biocides | |||||
| Pestcide | Litres | 4,0 | 13000,0 | 52000,0 | |
| Coût total d'entretien de la Technologie | 262'000.0 | ||||
| Coût total d'entretien de la Technologie en dollars américains (USD) | 77.06 | ||||
High due to purchase seedlings, labour, fertilizer costs during the short run but reducing in the long run.
From the sale of mangoes and oranges.
