Bokashi - Cameroon - Northwest Province
by Atomba Tegwi Titus - 2014 Graduate
page developed by Franz Himmighofen, ARI Graduate Outreach remote volunteer
submitted June 2019
Training on Making Bokashi
Theme of training: Using available natural resources to minimize the production costs and maximize our health by consuming chemical free foods.
Many farmers cannot afford a bag of fertilizer and moreover chemical fertilizers destroy soil organisms. Chemical fertilizers require continuous use and consuming food that has been contaminated by the chemicals can have harsh consequences on human health. For these reasons, the North West Pig Farmers Cooperative Society decided to provide training to its members as well as to other farming groups in the region on the simple technique of producing organic fertilizers; which fits well as they already have manure from their pig pens.
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Members of the North West Pig Farmers Cooperative Society (Titus on right)
Preparation for the Training Day
Ingredients need to be prepared ahead of time, so we purchase corn flour and make Indigenous Microorganisms (IMOs), and charcoal. This we usually do near the training site. In the case of IMO’s we time the completion with the scheduled day of training so the farmers can come to witness the removal from the soil of the IMOs, in a dish that contained the boiled rice. Charcoal is made ahead of time either from maize stocks, which are available locally, or from rice husk, which must be purchased.
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Opening prayer
Making Bokashi
Local Ingredients in Cameroon
1 20L bucket dried pig manure mixed with 1/4 bucket fowl manure (organic materials which supply most of the nutrients and minerals; we use pig manure, fowl droppings, or a mix of both, according to what is available)
1 wheelbarrow red sub-soil (high nutrient holding capacity)
1 handful local IMO (Indigenous Microorganisms are the decomposers; see how we make them below)
1 bucket maize bran (corn flour) (Carbohydrate that are a food source for the IMOs; at ARI we used rice bran, but here we use ground maize, also called corn flour/fufu)
1/2 bucket maize charcoal (gives living space to the IMOs, soil neutralizer; we make either maize charcoal using corn stalks which are available locally, or rice husk charcoal, like in ARI. using rice husks that are purchased)
Water
Note: measurements are approximate since our local farmers do not have instruments for weighing and measuring. The buckets we use hold 20 liters.
Steps
1. Collect IMOs
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We use cooked rice in a container made of two plates, but the container can also be made from bamboo
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We cover the rice and bury it in the sub-soil
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Mark the position
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After 6-7 days, we remove the plate and find the culture of IMOs inside. White mold is good. Black mold is bad, so we remove it.
2. Mixing the Bokashi Ingredients
Next, we combine our ingredients, adding water as we mix:
Red sub soil
Corn flour (maize bran)
Charcoal (from maize or rice husk)
Pig and chicken manure
IMOs
Water
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Adding the maize bran
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Adding the maize charcoal
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Adding the IMOs
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We add water as we mix and test the moisture content. The bokashi should not be too wet or too dry. To test the moisture content, we grip the soil between our fingers. If it does not fall apart, then the moisture is okay.
3. Turning the Bokashi during Fermentation
Once the bokashi is mixed, we cover the heap to protect it from light exposure. We don’t cover it with plastic because IMOs need air but not light. ARI had blankets to cover the mixture, but here we use jut-bags (bags from which animal feed is removed).
On the 2nd day we can observe more white IMOs developing. Each day we turn the bokashi with a shovel to release the heat. Usually we can see steam rising up as we turn it. When the bokashi has reached the same temperature as the outside air, it is finished. The mixture gets mature quicker than at ARI, at most, 5 days.
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We spread out the bokashi to allow it to dry. After some time we bag it, and it is ready to use.
4. Using the Bokashi
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First we prepare the farm for planting.
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Then we add the bokashi to the holes where we will plant.
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When using bokashi while planting seedlings, it is important to add a handful of charcoal, too. If you use bokashi without charcoal, crops do well in the early days, but later on the leaves turn yellowish. Where planting is done with charcoal, the green leaves remain permanent and the yield is good.
We planted maize inter-cropped with beans by putting a hand-full of bokashi only in the maize planting holes. The positive response was seen for both the maize and the beans. It was a very good yield. For the maize and beans, using bokashi for the March planting is not advisable, but it should be used for the second season planting in July/August (the dry season planting).
We also planted yellow yams with the bokashi, but this time it was three hands-full of bokashi with a bit of charcoal. All of these crops were planted on an upland area, not a valley or marshy area.
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Follow up weeding/mulching is necessary
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