ECHO Technical Notes

Vangueria madagascariensis

Edible : Fruit

A deciduous tree. It often has several stems. It can grow to 15 m high. The bark is pale grey and fairly smooth. It loses its leaves during the year. The leaves are pale green and attractive. They are oval and 8-20 cm long by 12 cm wide and rounded at the base. They are shiny and limp. Leaf stalks are up to 1 cm long. There are leaf stipules on the young shoots. The flowers are greenish white in clusters in the axils of leaves. These are 8 cm long. The flowers are yellow green and 8 mm long. They are small and few. The petals are pale green. Fruit are round, smooth and green with white dots. They are about 4-5 cm across. Often fruit are in bunches of 5-6. Fruit contain 4 or more seeds. The seeds are 1-2 cm long. The fruit are edible.

A tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands. They suit a range of soil types. They have good drought tolerance. It grows in scrub and on the edges of forests. The grow naturally in dry forest edges. They grow from sea level to 2,130 m altitude. It grows in areas with rainfall from 600 to 1200 mm annually. Temperatures are in the range 17°C to 29°C. The plant needs to be in an open sunny position. It can re-grow after fire. It cannot tolerate frost.

Common names : Spanish tamarind, Smooth wild-medlar, Bergel, Bururi, Dimbliksha, Engumi, Erakwtu, Gara, Ikormosiyoi, Kamolwet, Kanoy, Katkara tenga, Kikomoa, Kikomua, Kirkir, Knoy, Komol, Komolwo, Loshoro, Mdaria, Mesho, Moyen, Msada, Msambalawe, Mubiru, Mudhukanta, Muhilu, Mukomoa, Mulande-nu-kue, Mviru, Ngoromosui, Odeyo, Ol-gumei, Surangaro, Tamarind of the Indies, Tamarindo, Voa-vanga,

Synonyms : 

Canthium edule (Vahl) Baill.;
Canthium maleolens Chiov.;
Dondisia foetida Hassk.;
Vangueria acutiloba Robyns;
Vangueria commersonii Jacq.;
Vangueria cymosa C. F. Gaertn.;
Vangueria edulis Lam. [Illegitimate];
Vangueria edulis Vahl;
Vangueria floribunda Robyns;
Vangueria macrophylla Wall.;
Vangueria robynsii Tennant;
Vavanga chinensis Rohr.;
Vavanga edulis Vahl;

Paullinia cupana

Edible : Seeds

A creeping or climbing shrub. It can grow to 13 m high. it is often 1.8-3 m tall and spreads 3-6 m wide. Leaves contain 5 leaflets. They are irregularly compound. There are coiled tendrils which support the plant. The flowers are small and white with male and female flowers separate but on the same tree. The fruit are small and bright red. Fruit split open when ripe. The seeds are large and black and encased in a thin white pulp.

A tropical plant. It grows in the Amazon rainforest. It is along the Madeira and Tapajos rivers. It grows in regions with a rainfall of 2,200-2,500 m altitude. The temperatures average 28°-29°C. It must have a temperature above 12°C. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.

Common names : Guarana, Cupana, Fruits of youth, Yopo,

Synonyms :

Paullinia brasiliensis Lodd. ex Radlk.;
Paullinia sorbilis Mart.;
 

TN #101 Bamboo Load-Centered Wheelbarrow - 2023-12-20

A standard wheelbarrow, with the wheel at the front, places about half the weight of the load on the operator. A load-centered wheelbarrow places the wheel in the center of the load, shifting 90% or more of the weight to the wheel instead of the operator. This allows the device to be used for distance hauling on narrow paths.

The load-centered wheelbarrow is an ancient Chinese design. Cargo was placed around and above a large (about 1m diameter) wheel. This allowed operators to transport heavy loads (including passengers) many kilometers on narrow footpaths. ECHO developed a design that is scaled down to use a bicycle wheel. This load-centered wheelbarrow can be built with bamboo or other locally available material. 

Cite as:

Bierma, T. and E. Toevs. 2023. Bamboo Load-Centered Wheelbarrow. ECHO Technical Note No. 101.

TN #100 Animal Production Litter Systems - 2023-11-21

Litter systems are an approach to hygienic, integrated animal production in which animals are raised in an enclosed space on a floor of organic bedding. Systems with thick bedding material are sometimes called deep litter systems. Litter systems allow you to prioritize animal health by providing conditions like those in animals’ natural environments. Litter systems also help capture animal waste and convert it to usable forms for crop production. 

Animals can be kept on a litter system for part or all the production cycle depending on the farmer’s context. These systems do not produce as much as industrial systems but can be more profitable for small-scale farmers by reducing both risks and costs. ECHO is aware of litter systems for pigs, rabbits, poultry, and ruminants.

Cite as:

Swartz, S. and N. Elhardt. 2023. Animal Production Litter Systems. ECHO Technical Note No. 100.

TN #99 Black Soldier Fly Larvae Production - 2023-06-09

This guide expands on a summary by Chalermliamthong and Trail (2021) of the black soldier fly larvae production system at the ECHO Asia Small Farm Resource Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The production system there serves as an approach for scaling up larvae production as an alternative protein source to fish and soy meals for agricultural livestock feed. The authors encourage adaptation to fit needs, resources, and constraints of your local context. The end of this article includes some considerations for household-level operations.

Cite as:

Chalermliamthong S., P. Trail, R. Walle, and T. Motis. 2023. Black Soldier Flly Larvae Production. ECHO Technical Note No. 99.

TN #98 Integrated Pest Management - 2022-05-20

The current global situation calls for a multi-pronged approach to pest management. To be widely applicable, this approach must provide farmers with options to control pests at various scales of production (from small farms to very large operations) with a diversity of resources. Integrated pest management (IPM), a strategy based on farmer innovations, is highly adaptable to specific contexts and reduces dependency on pesticides while still recognizing their use. 

IPM is a management approach that focuses on the larger system and aims for long-term prevention of pests using a combination of preventative and suppressive control strategies. An individual farmer’s IPM plan should constantly improve as it cycles. This article will address each stage in the cycle of improving your IPM plan.

Cite as:

ECHO Staff. 2022. Integrated Pest Management. ECHO Technical Note no. 98

TN #97 Small-Scale Nursery Management - 2021-03-29

Cultivating plants, sharing seeds and cuttings with neighbors, and seeking better crop varieties are as old as agriculture. We use the word “nursery” for places where we care for and nurture things that are precious and vulnerable, like children and plants. Creating habitats to grow healthy seedlings is an integral part of the farming cycle, an important contribution to a thriving community, and both a rewarding and challenging business opportunity.

A nursery can be as small as a farmer’s seedbed for the immediate planting of a single crop, or as large as a complex business with hundreds of species and varieties for sale to the public. This Technical Note describes important aspects of planning and running a small nursery to supply trees and other perennial plants for personal or community use. Content is targeted towards agricultural practitioners working with small-scale farmers in tropical and subtropical climates. Included in the document are comments and insights from people with extensive experience in operating tree nurseries in parts of Central Africa (Roy Danforth), Madagascar (Dan Turk), Guatemala (Dwight Carter), and Haiti/Nicaragua/Indonesia (Rafael Flores).

Cite this article as:

Fifer, G. and T. Motis. 2021. Nursery Management. ECHO Technical Note No. 97.

TN #96 Earthbag Seed Banks - 2020-06-29

Seed storage in the tropics has been a frequent topic of ECHO publications and trainings due to its importance to the smallholder farmer. Access to quality seeds is imperative for agronomic and horticultural crop production. While on-farm seed saving benefits the smallholder farmer, cooperative seed storage through the creation of seed banks bolsters farmers at the community level.

Seed banks provide secure structures for seed storage, while also serving as genetic repositories for important plants in the community. Centralizing the seed saving process also allows for cooperative investment in appropriate technologies and data management. As members of a community learn these management skills, they are empowered to save seeds themselves.

Seed preservation in the tropics is rife with difficulties due to high temperatures and humidity, so investing in worthwhile storage technologies is instrumental in smallholder communities. Of course, the process of establishing a seed bank involves community buy-in, stakeholder cooperation, and resource investment. While the social elements of seed banking are important, thisTechnical Note focuses on earthbag building techniques as a resource-effective means of establishing a seed bank. ECHO has now installed earthbag seed banks at two of its global offices: one in Thailand and one in Florida. This publication will outline the benefits of earthbag seed banks, as well as how to get started with your own project.

Cite this article as:

Kiefer, C., T. Motis, and E. Toevs 2020. Earthbag Seed Banks. ECHO Technical Note No. 96.

TN #95 100-Fold Vegetable Gardens with Low-Cost Wicking Beds - 2019-07-23

I discovered 100-fold gardens while researching ways to irrigate plants directly in the root zone. I wanted to know how to practically and affordably control some of the variables that influence plant growth, such as water availability and soil fertility. I read about “wicking beds,” which are watered from below as water moves up towards plants’ rooting zone from a reservoir lined with plastic. Watering from below prevents water loss while maintaining constant soil moisture and supplying water and nutrients in accordance with plant needs. 

Wicking beds are a way of maximizing vegetable production on raised beds, but many people do not have a prior understanding of wicking in the context of gardening—so I call my version 100-fold gardens.

What’s Inside:

Introduction

Benefits of 100-Fold Gardens

Constructing a 100-Fold Garden Bed

How Wicking Beds Work

Variations of Wicking Beds

Conclusion
 

Cite this article as:

Edwards, L. and ECHO staff 2019. 100-Fold Vegetable Gardens with Low-Cost Wicking Beds . ECHO Technical Note no. 95.

TN #94 Parasitic Plants in African Agriculture - 2019-03-21

This Technical Note provides an overview of parasitic plants of agricultural significance in Africa. Parasitic weeds cause drought stress and stunted crops. Affected plants include cereal grains (e.g., sorghum [Sorghum bicolor] and maize [Zea mays]) and grain legumes (e.g., cowpea [Vigna unguiculata]) that farmers rely on for food. Damage to these and other crops is generally heightened by low soil fertility and drought stress, conditions that are faced by many African smallholders. Parasitic weeds can lead to severe yield losses, making them an important constraint to food security in many areas.

What’s Inside:

Introduction

Stem Parasites

Root Parasites

Summary of Control Options

Cite this article as:

Musselmen, L. 2019. Parasitic Plants in African Agriculture. ECHO Technical Note no. 94.