An Overview Of Our Solution
Farmers across the Pacific have been feeling the effects of More On (Moron) Farming with Persistent Organic Pollutants, high use of synthetic fertiliser, and chemicals in Agriculture, This has created land degradation, nutrient depletion and increased runoff onto reefs,
By increasing the soils holding capacity and fertility through Organic and Sustainable farming practices We can turn this around.
Our proven Training program "Soil School" has trained over 1800 farmers across the South Pacific. transferring sustainable farming practices to those most in need, thereby delivering benefits directly to farming groups and their communities. By giving the people in greatest need access to information we take for granted, we empower the people to make more informed choices and in doing so help themselves, their community and the environment.
Who is this solution impacting?
Community Type
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: Oceania
General Information
Organization type
Nirlaba
Ecosystem (select all that apply)
Freshwater
Grasslands
Oceans/Coasts
Population impacted
1800 trained to date
Challenge
Size of agricultural area
89,670 square kilometres of land mass across the South Pacific
Production quantity
Increasing the total production level Pacific wide
People employed
6
Solution
Describe your solution
Organic Matters Foundation gives South Pacific Farmers a
viable and sustainable alternative to chemical agricultureone
that delivers benefits directly to families and communities.
We deliver introductory and advanced Soil School™ training
programs that directly address local needs and challenges. We
have taught sustainable farming practices and soil health
education to over 1800 farmers across the South Pacific since 2009.
The lessons taught at Soil School™ begin with the basics but
continue up to an advanced level over a number of intensive
days that include field work, soil testing, observations and
classroom discussions. Students learn how to use simple tools
such as a Brix meter and how to read soil test results to
ensure they are well-informed about what their soil actually
needs (as opposed to what a chemical company may want to
sell them.)
Implementation
Describe your implementation
The implementation of Soil School begins with a scoping trip to gauge the best way in which Soil School can be adapted to meet the needs of the Participants, as each community, each Island and each country is inherently different. this scoping visit generally consists of assessing the needs from a cultural, environmental and social perspective. once completed we adjust the Soil School content to fit the project. Introductory Soil School follows with a 2 day classroom and two day field work round. It is at this point we introduce new concepts and tools to help with the transitional thinking that is key to the success of implementing Sustainable farming practices. We will collect Soil samples with the participants which are sent to a laboratory for analysis.
The next phase is the Advanced Soil School, generally 3 months after the introduction to give the participants time to put new found skills and processes into practice, tat which time the real engagement begins as participants have many questions and now know us well so are not reluctant to speak up. the Soil results are also available and interpretation s a key skill taught, giving the Participants the confidence to make informed decisions about their farms. Each Soil School has a practical component that gives participants the opportunity to chow off their farms and put their skills to work.
- Specific activities and/or specifically what your solution does to address the identified problems above in the Context Analysis section
- How you ensured your solution was adopted and promoted change in human activities
- Enabling conditions
- Key success factors
- Any obstacles and how you overcame them
External connections
Partners include
NSW TAFE (Tertiary & Further Education)
Sea Mercy . org
Results
What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?
Our challenge and task has been to address the ever decreasing production capacity of farmers across the Pacific, yields are falling , land is becoming increasingly infertile, farmer s are moving to new plots faster and faster to grow crops, degrading the soils and leaving them unable to sustain communities. This has been brought about by the value proposition being thrust upon farmers that are basically subsistence and when coupled with commercial pressure to supply the system cannot work, This needs to be addressed from the Soil up, not the dollar down.
Describe the context in which you are operating
Taveuni island in Fiji had a Taro yield average of 750Grams with a 25% reject rate using conventional chemical agriculture this was a trend that was not getting better. after two years and 200 farmers participating in the Soil School program that has changed markedly to a 1.2kg average and a 10% reject rate. Our aim is to increase yields to not only meet market demand but to increase yields sustainably for the benefit of future generations. So the farmer can leave the farm to his children better than when he received it. the Soil School program has farm reaching benefits for the people, villages and communities
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
Evidence has been collected for several years in the Pacific Islands and also in Australia as to the benefits of Biological farming practices, These practices look closely at the plant and the Soil biological processes , pathways and life. We believe that by doing this we increase carbon, organic matter , biodiversity and health of the ecosystem.
On Taveuni Island the anecdotal evidence from increased Taro yields is stated in previous answers in this submission.
Water
increased nutrient holding capacity on farms from utilising biological farming practices leads to less nutrient runoff onto reefs , this improving water quality and aquatic eco systems
Food Security/Nutrition
closing the environmental loop with farming practices ensures more food is grown locally and not imported building food security in times of adverse climate conditions which are becoming more and more.. Biological farming also increases nutrient density in the food grown
Economic/Sustainable Development
Keeping the money in the village allows for prosperity, money is not spent externally of synthetic fertisers and chemical but is invested into the communities by making their own inputs
Climate
Biological farming taught via the Soil School program can and does have far reaching effects on the challenges we face with climate change, adaption is the key as is working with nature.
Sustainability
Economic sustainability is the aim of Soil School, initially the program relies on funding from various agencies, however participants are trained to continue the work within there own communities to expand and replicate the information. Soil School conducts a master class program and assists with setting up farmer groups to share this information as widely as possible.
Return on investment
Each full round of Soil School will train up to 40 participants from these 40 we select the masters and train them to teach the course content. the total cost can vary but is around $500 USD particpant for the full 3 month Soil School program
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Replication and Scale
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
Soil School was designed to replicate and 1800 farmers across the pacific is testament to that., Soil School is currently active in Fiji and the farming practices are ongoing in each country that soil school has been implemented. it is a clear and comfortable pathway to oOrganic certification and is recognised as prior learning for the units of competency in the Diplma of Organic Agriculture Australia