Sheku wades into a paddy and grabs his first handful of Azolla geninely amazed that the bundings and plots he helped build back in June are harvest-ready just five short months later.
Just 20 kilo of rice seed was nursed and planted in these six plots - five plots fertilized with Azolla and chicken manure and without the "benefit" of the recommeded chemical fertilzers, 20-20-20 and urea - and we can't wait to see the result as the Hope Sakuma team ready enthusiatically for our harvest, with paddy after glorious paddy of sun-ripened golden Nerica L-19 and Buttercup rice, making sure everything's in place for a successful harvest.
With thanks due also to the Azolla, mother nature's little miracle plant, which has provided the fertilizer for five of these six paddys!
And with harvest time approaching some of the Makelekos ladies put in an appearance to scope the work thats needed, amazed that they weren't needed once to weed the paddys because of the dense mat that Azolla forms.
Farm manager, Ayie is on hand, waving, to plan for the feeding and learning lessons from our first IVS harvest with 13 villages for on-site rice threshing to minimize waste and losses to Sanda Magbolontor's every-hungry birds!
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