Fields are
prepared with minimum disturbance to the soil (no tillage farming). Don’t use
tractor to plough the field. In
consequence, manual clearing should be preferred to mechanical deforestation because
bulldozers always remove topsoil with the important organic matter and compact their
main soil. When an old natural fallow is cleared, the debris from the forest
should be burned if plantain cultivation is planned for 1 or 2 cycles only.
If perennial
cultivation is being considered, planting should be done through the mulch. Young
fallow of about 3 to 5 years or improved legume fallows should be simply
slashed and left without being burned. Trees must be cut but the stumps are
left without being removed and the trees should be left to grow again. They can
be pruned only when they start to obstruct filed activities or shade the plantains
from direct sunlight.
In case of
storm you can leave some trees at strategies location of farm to prevent wind
on falling of plantain during heavy storm. You can also leave surround unclear
to prevent cows/herdsmen gain entrance into your farm.
Once the fallow crop is slashed, the field is
ready for pegging, drains should be dug if some spots in the field tend to
waterlog after heavy rains.
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