Farming in Zambia: How We Irrigated Our Maize and Soya Beans Crops During the Long Dry Spell

[@countrywideag-steve275]

hello mate from Australia Im crop and beef cattle farmer and I think the innovations that you have implemented are nothing short of pioneer status fantastic job that you and your team do all the best for 2024

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks. We are humbled.

[@zimbatemwanani1750]

Very informative farming content, as a startup farmer I'm taking notes. Thank you Mondo farms.

[@mondofarms4343]

You're most welcome

[@Hy-SisPowerSolutions]

Thanks for the great work May The Lord bless the work of your hands

[@mondofarms4343]

Thank you

[@mahmoudmoru5565]

Very lively and captivating videos. Thank you

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@michelosiamalambo]

This is the way to go. crop production going forward must have and irrigation system.

[@mondofarms4343]

Indeed. As the effects of climate change become more prevalent in the coming years, irrigation will be one of the only ways humanity will survive and perhaps thrive. We will have to learn and adopt.

[@waitemataseagullstv1287]

Here from New Zealand, just come across your videos , love to do this in my home country Tonga . Keep up good work ,God bless

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks and welcome. All the best.

[@Gerald-p6u]

Thank you for this video. I like the fact that you show both the good and challenging parts of farming.

[@mondofarms4343]

Indeed. On the Mondo Farms channel, you will often hear us say the lines... The good, the bad, the happy, and the sad of farming. And Farming in the real world

[@gichzambia5710]

Thank you so much Sir. I have watched all your videos more than 5 times and I must commend you for the good job you doing. Epashili pa kuleka kanabesa.

[@mondofarms4343]

We are humbled

[@kambiaso67]

Well done bamudala so inspiring, so dedicated you are.

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks. We keep pushing.

[@Aluz-ln9wu]

Had a write off on all our crops in Zimbabwe. Have now concluded that rain should be a substitute for irrigation. Irrigation is very key now with this climatic change

[@mondofarms4343]

Indeed

[@guidinglightorphansinc.5255]

Bravo my mentor. I love the home made sprinkle system. Crops must be happy 😅

[@mondofarms4343]

Yes, thank you

[@PanjiBanda]

This is very good you really inspire me

[@mondofarms4343]

Thank you

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

Part of me wonders if there's anything (economically sustainable, I realize this is not a hobby) that could be done about the Chimwemwe field to improve its ability to hold onto water. The sand is a bit of a challenge for that...

[@mondofarms4343]

Yes, the sandy soil is pretty terrible. But we are determined to keep working on it. In a few years, I will do a video about how we transformed it into proper loamy lush soil with a high organic content.

[@titus4706]

Do you guys host any farm tours, i am very inspired and would love a tour

[@mondofarms4343]

Sorry, we avoid them because having visitors really disturbs our work programs and deliverables. It can get quite hectic at our farms with many moving parts. We put a lot of time and effort into the KZbin videos as a way of sharing with as many people as possible. But last year, we held our first field day with Holland Greentech, which was very well attended. Pls check out the highlights video on our channel We are planning a couple of more field days later this year, and will advertise them.

[@titus4706]

@mondofarms4343 okay thats understandable and i look forward to the events and videos. I would like to be mentored by you for my farm. Is this something that's possible?

[@justliving501]

am watching from America i plan to come in May 2024. I want to learn farming is this something you teach ? watching from america

[@mondofarms4343]

Greetings. Our primary mission is to develop our farms and grow crops. Having visitors on our farms can be quite a challenge in terms of meeting our targets and deliverables. We produce these videos as our way of sharing our experience with others out there. For now, that is all we can offer.

[@justliving501]

ok i will continue to watch your videos @@mondofarms4343

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

*looks up Sunn-hemp* That's... not what I thought it'd be (the name likely comes from it being a crop used for cordage). And yes it's a legume, performing nitrogen fixation. There's a weed in my yard which looks somewhat like it (I've also called it gorse and whin, after the English-native weedy legumes which look similar), but it's self-sowing in a climate with frosts down to -35°C, doesn't appear to have legume pods after setting seed, and easy to cut down with a scythe, so probably not that. Interesting that your naming scheme for your fields is after countries and country-sized province-equivalents like Alaska.

[@mondofarms4343]

We started growing sunn hemp last year. We did a video that went into more detail. The field names vary across Winterthorn. Some areas are based on location, like Westgate and Riverside. We have a few US presidents like Clinton, Kennedy and Madison. Some Asian cities like Dubai, Baghdad, Tokyo. And some US States and country names like Florida, Georgia, Alaska, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Jamaica. And an area called Jerusalem. Quite a mixture. But the most important thing is that they must be words that can easily be pronounced by our team members.

[@nikhilwaghmare7183]

Hello mate I'm a small land farmer from India.I also cultivate maize ani soybeans my avg production of soya per acre is 15 Q/acre and maize 40 Q/acre I make 4 feet bed for soybeans and plant 2 lines on it where space between 2 lines is 1.5 feet and 6 inches between seed to seed. Whereas I plant maize seeds as 4×1×8 ( 4 feet inline drip space, 1 feet between 2 lines of seeds and 8 inches seed to seed distance)

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks 😊

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

Regarding weeds: are there weeds there which are known to be plant-parasites? I had heard that was a thing (Striga spp. especially).

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks. Will look it up.

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

Deeply fascinating. Is this what's commonly reported in the western media as a "failed rainy season"? Drought is a word that strikes terror into farmers and gardeners worldwide, whether they live in cities or rural, and whether they grow for fun (e.g. your petunias and chrysanthemums example) or for necessity. Maize politics is pretty serious, although I'm not sure I really understand how it is in Zambia as I'm only familiar with the North American strain of maize politics (farm subsidies, trade agreements, the Mississippi River, Cargill, Bunge, and massive, supermechanized, hundreds of hectares rainfed fields in Iowa). Many of the newer, especially American, varieties are patented, and breeders and their agents are known to come after someone if they plant a variety illegally, even without knowing (maize is a prolific outcrosser and you could get Bayer genetics on a field that's never grown Bayer if you're next to a field that has grown Bayer and you save seeds) or even just for subsistence. "Onions once in a while (we don't really talk about that)" Teary subject? *chuckles* There are pest problems known to occur with alliums - is it that? The tripod sprinkler design is ingenious as a temporary irrigation system. One of those things you can deploy if you need it, and then take in if, say, there's a frost (not a danger I expect you contend with). Do you eat soya beans at all? I know you said it's more of a cash crop for you, but have you ever had cause to take a small fraction of them and cook them up for eating, even if just curiosity?

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks

[@mirriammaila4037]

Good idea....grow maize just for consumption only. To much politics around maize. I just bought a farm in chongwe.

[@mondofarms4343]

Indeed. I believe that maize farming has to be done at a very large scale to be realistically profitable. I have a friend who grows 50 hectares of maize in Mkushi. We grow soya beans because it usually has better returns for a smaller area, as well as to build up our soils with Nitrogen for more vegetable farming in the future.

[@AbdinajibAliAbdullahi]

I am in ndola and interested to engage agribusiness i would be so much appreciated if you can give me you contact so that i will learn much from you Thanks

[@mondofarms4343]

Hi there. Thanks for getting in touch. We would love to help, but find ourselves very busy with our normal work and duties. You can imagine how many requests we get every week, and if we accommodate all, we would have challenges in meeting our own work deliverables and targets. I decided to help other farmers through these KZbin videos, which take a lot of time and effort. For now, that is all we can offer. I advise you to keep reaching out to other farmers like you have done here. Join WhatsApp Groups for farmers, which I'm sure you have there. Some are setup by the seed and agrochem companies, while others are independent. Another important thing we highly recommend is to work closely with your local agronomists. These are found in most reputable seed, fertiliser, or agrochem companies, and we consult constantly. Wishing you the best in your farming.