THE ROAD TO A BUMPER SUCCESSFUL HARVEST.
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t is so yummy and satisfying to eat fresh and healthy produce. Be it cabbages; tomatoes, carrots, onions, watermelons, cereals, spinach, groundnuts and the list goes on. Consuming fresh produce is one thing, but do we ever have any clue about how farmers get to produce successful high yield? Namfarmers team had a deep interview with Bertha Kulaumone, a farmer that successfully grows groundnuts, beans, watermelons, pumpkins and pearl millet. According to Bertha, there are a lot of nitty-gritty and pieces that have to go hand-in-hand in order to realise a successful high yield. Among all the specific aspects that have to be considered, Bertha summed them up in three (3) key essentials or ingredients which are: preparation, input cost and patience. 04
PREPARATION Bertha stated that, those that are better and clearly prepared will reap all the benefits that goes along with it. As a farmer, you have to be well prepared before you start planting your items. Bertha outlined that a farmer, who is not well prepared with his/her farming initiatives is not worth to be involved in the farming profession. Preparation needs to be done in hand, in terms of the soil content and which soil type to use (soil fertility), the standard of seed type/seedling to use, your water supply source, your geographic location/site where you get to grow your produce and the specific type of produce that you want to grow. Preparation of the soil is very critical, by ensuring that the soil have the required nutritional requirements, the necessary fertilisers needed are added and that its pH is suitable for those specific items that you want
to grow.
“A farmer who is not well prepared with his/her farming initiatives is not worth to be involved in the farming profession” Preparing the soil is the basic principle and lay the foundation to producing a successful bumper harvest. Bertha also emphasised that, the seeds or seedlings that will be used have to be sorted out earlier and be prepared in advance. Overall, the state of the seed or seedlings being used have a direct effect to the yield that will be produced. It is also critical for producers to have an efficient source of water supply and to fully prepare and put in place their irrigation systems. Preparation of all these key components is key. www.namfarmers.com.na
