Download THE HIPPO WATER ROLLER

THE HIPPO WATER ROLLER
The Hippo Water Roller was
designed to alleviate the
suffering caused by a lack of
access to water. Millions of
people worldwide are forced to
walk long distances on a daily
basis to collect their water
requirements for the day.
Traditional methods of collecting water include the use of 20
liter (5 gallon) buckets, which are laboriously carried on the
head. Extensive suffering occurs in the process. This method
is very time and energy consuming and is also the cause of
many serious health problems.
This means that approximately five times the normal amount
of water can now be collected in less time with far less effort.
The Hippo Water Roller is a container designed to transport
90 liters of water. It comprises of
a drum with a large screw-on lid
and a clip-on steel handle. The
drum is manufactured from UV
stabilized Polyethylene and has
been designed to withstand
typical rural conditions such as
uneven footpaths, rocks and
broken bottles. The large opening
(135 mm / 5.3 inches) allows for
easy filling and cleaning of the
interior. The sealed lid ensures
hygienic storage. The steel
handle provides firm control over
difficult terrain while pushing or
pulling the roller. The innovative design allows the water to be
placed inside the "wheel" rather than carried above the wheel.
The 90kg (200 pounds) weight of water is borne on the
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ground resulting in an effective weight of just 10kg (22
pounds) on level ground.
Children and the elderly can easily manage a full roller over
most types of terrain. Extensive field tests over many years
and various awards have proven the effectiveness of the
Hippo Water Roller.
This article comes from: The Hippo
(www.technews.co.za/hippo/roller.htm)
water
roller
project
VILLAGE CHICKEN KEEPING
Village chickens are found everywhere in the rural areas,
giving families eggs and meat. Chickens may also be kept in
back gardens in peri-urban or even urban areas. They may be
kept free-range or in a shed. Village chickens can be
improved in the following ways without spending a lot of
money:
•
•
•
•
Good housing to keep them safe
A better diet and clean water
Vaccination against common diseases
Extra protection for broody hens and young chicks
Feeding village chickens
You don’t have to buy chicken food made by a feed company.
You can give your chickens leftovers of mealie meal and other
household food, as well as green food like grass, comfrey,
lucerne and some weeds such as mboa (pigweed).
Housing for village chickens
Village and free-range chickens should be provided with a
house so that they are safe. There are two kinds of houses:
houses where they are kept at night only, and houses where
they are kept all the time.
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Village chicken health
Newcastle disease is the most common disease which kills
backyard chickens. It is easy and cheap to vaccinate chickens
against Newcastle disease. In some areas it may be
necessary
Ensuring the safety of backyard chickens
You will lose fewer chickens if you make sure that young
chicks and broody hens are kept safe. These small chicks are
the ones that animals kill first. Keep these chickens away from
others in a more secure cage and give them some
commercial feed.
This article comes from: The South African chicken book: how to
start a small business keeping chickens, by Ed Wethli
GROWING PAPAYAS
The fruit of the papayas is high in vitamin C. You can also pick
the fruit when it is green and cook it like a marrow. Female
and male flowers do not grow on the same tree, so you must
have male and female trees in the garden. Papayas grow best
in hot areas. They can tolerate mild frost if they are protected
from the cold winds. They can grow in most kinds of soil, but it
must be well drained. The roots can get diseases if the soil
stays too wet. Loamy soils are best. Papayas can be planted
at any time of the year, but preferably in late summer. Plant
papayas 1,5 metres between plants and 3 – 4 metres
between rows.
It is easy to grow the ordinary papaya tree from seed:
Wash the seeds from a ripe papaya
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Squeeze the seeds from the jelly bag that covers
each seed. The seed will only grow if you remove the
bag
Dry them in a shady place
Store in a tightly closed container and keep them until
December
Plant the seeds in December. Put 5 seeds to a hole.
Do not put any compost or manure into the holes.
Keep the small plants moist
You can only tell which trees are female and which
are male when the trees start to flower. Therefore,
you should always have more than one tree per hole,
because then you can select the female trees.
Female flowers are bigger and closer to the branch than the
male flowers. Male flowers are very small and there are many
flowers which grow on long branches of the stem. Only female
trees give fruit but they need male flowers to pollinate them.
Leave 1 male tree for 10 female trees.
This article comes from a pamphlet compiled by the Directorate
Communication, South African Department of Agriculture in
cooperation with the Institute of Natural Resources and ARC-Institute
for
Tropical
and
Subtropical
crops
(http://www.nda.agric.za/docs/papaya/papaya.htm)
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SOME INTERESTING METHODS FROM DAYS GONE BY
To tell the age of eggs (September 1901)
Make a brine by adding 2 oz of salt to 1 pint of water. Place
your doubtful eggs one by one into the solution. If the egg is
old, it will float on the surface; if fresh laid, it will sink to the
bottom; if one day old, it will sink, but not touch the bottom; if
three days old, it will float just below the surface. The reason
for this is simple enough. As the egg ages, it loses moisture
by evaporation, and, consequently, the older the egg the
lighter it becomes.
Some uses of honey (February 1917)
Honey is an excellent cleanser of the skin, though few are
aware of the fact. Rub a little honey on the dry skin; moisten a
little, and rub again; use more water, and rub. Wash
thoroughly, when it will be found that the hands are as clean
as the most powerful soap can make them.
These methods come from the book: Old ways on the farm: selected
articles from the Queensland Agricultural Journal 1897-1940,
compiled by Pat Abbott
SOLAR COOKERS
Firewood is the traditional energy source for cooking in many
countries. Especially in dry zones of the African continent
many people suffer from the increasing scarcity of firewood.
Anyone who has ever watched a pot of water being boiled
"just" by the sun is sure to have been impressed. The
principle behind solar cooking is as fascinating as it is simple:
sunrays are converted to heat and conducted into the pot.
Solar cooking does not require any other fuel such as wood,
paraffin, gas or coal.
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High-quality
solar
cookers
reach
temperatures
over
200°
C.
This
temperature is more
than sufficient to cook
all your food, to bake
bread and also to heat
up an iron for ironing
clothes.
A solar cooker works
best in clear, sunny
weather, although few
clouds will not affect
the cooking, especially
with box stoves. The
best time for using a
solar stove is when the
sun is high and shines
bright. That is usually
between 2 hours after
sunrise and 2 hours before sunset. To reduce the heat-up
time you can preheat the empty stove by simply directing it
towards the sun before you start with cooking. For cooking,
place the food into a black pot (as black pots will absorb the
heat and light coloured pots will reflect it reducing the
temperature). There is actually no need to add water to fresh
vegetables and meat. Also there is no need to stir or watch
the food since it rarely burns or boils over.
This article comes from The solar cooker field test South Africa.
(http://www.solarcookers.co.za/Mainpage.htm)
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TICK DAMAGE AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES OF CATTLE
If you know about the diseases of cattle, you can be aware of
how best to prevent and treat them. Many of these diseases
can be prevented by good management.
Tick damage
•
•
•
•
•
Ticks can cause severe damage to cattle, particularly
around the udder and ears. The wounds will often get
infected with bacteria and might be attacked by flies.
Some ticks cause greater damage than others, such
as the ones which infect cattle with heartwater.
Prevention is by tick control. You could either use a
pour-on, or a plunge dip or spray dip if you have the
facilities, but these are more expensive.
You may need to treat for ticks
as often as once a week in the
wet season and then every
second week in the dry
season.
You may be able to treat less often if you vaccinate
the cattle against tick-borne diseases
Tick-borne diseases
•
•
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Ticks can also infect cattle with redwater, gallsickness
and heartwater.
European breeds tend to be at greater risk from these
diseases than indigenous and Brahman type breeds.
• Older animals are more at risk than
young animals for redwater and
gallsickness.
•
•
Prevention of tick-borne diseases is by tick control, as
already mentioned, as well as vaccination.
Vaccination is best done in calves under 6 months of
age and one dose is sufficient. The heartwater
vaccine is given in the vein, and it must be done by a
veterinarian. Because these are live vaccines, signs
of disease can occur and treatment may be needed
following vaccination, especially for the heartwater
vaccine.
This article comes from a publication compiled by the Directorate
Communication, South African Department of Agriculture in
cooperation with ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (JA Turton).
(http://www.nda.agric.za/docs/commondiseases/default.htm)
COMFORTABLE COWSTALLS
Clean and comfortable cow bedding is a key to keeping your
cows clean and producing high-quality milk. Frequently, the
"knee test" can be used to test if the resting surface is
comfortable enough, and, to a degree, clean enough for the
cow to lie, according to the National Mastitis Council of
America. The first step of the test is to kneel in the stall, and
then rock back and forth on one knee.
If your knee feels comfortable, it is
probably acceptable for a cow to
use as she shifts in the stall. Next,
you should drop quickly to your
knees from a standing position. If
the impact is comfortable, then it
will be comfortable for your cows. If
it hurts, the cows will be reluctant to
use these stalls.
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Finally, you should stand up and look at your knees. If your
knees are wet and covered with manure, your stalls need
some serious attention, as well as some fresh bedding.
This article comes from: The Hoard’s Dairyman. (10 May 2002: 352)
GROWING GREEN BEANS
There are two types of green beans: runner beans and bush
types. The runner beans need trellising, where-as the bush
types need no trellising.
Planting: Prepare the soil for green beans by ripping if
necessary, irrigating, ploughing and discing. Plant green
beans with a planter or by hand. Leave a space of 5cm (the
size of a matchbox) between the plants and 60cm between
the rows for bush types with a planting depth of 2-4cm.
Double the space for runner beans.
Fertilisation: Fertilise by using a planter during the planter
procedure. Apply 10-20 bags of MAP fertiliser per hectare and
2 bags of KCL. Fertilise by topdressing using the tin-and-rope
method.
Topdress by hand with nitrogen 3 weeks after planting.
Use 4 bags of LAN or 2 bags of UREA per hectare.
Irrigation: Irrigate before preparing the land and again after
emergence of the seeds. Irrigate once a week. Spray the
leaves for rust with Dithane M45.
Harvesting: The bush types should be ready for harvesting 50
to 60 days after planting and the runner beans 2 to 3 weeks
later. Cut the beans in half to find out if they are ready for
harvesting. If the bean breaks clean, it is ready for harvesting.
This article comes from : Green bean production, published by the
Directorate Communication of the South African National Department
of Agriculture.
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NATURAL INSECT CONTROL
The best way to prevent insect damage in your vegetable
garden is not to invite insects into your garden. It takes a little
time to pull up the "insect welcome mat", but in the long run
you’ll save yourself a lot of time and disappointment.
The following suggestions are simply good gardening
practices that will help to reduce the hostile insect population
in your garden:
•
Healthy plants attract fewer pests, and healthy soil
grows healthy plants. Make soil building a priority in
your garden, and use organic fertilisers to help your
plants along while you build your soil.
•
Keep the garden clean and free of debris and weeds.
Weeds and debris are hiding and breeding places for
insects, and the weeds will compete with your plants
for nutrients and water.
•
Don’t spread the problems on your hands, feet or
tools. If you’ve been working with infested plants,
clean your tools and wash your hands before going
on to the next plant. Clean your tools thoroughly in the
fall to avoid introducing last year’s problems into next
year’s garden.
This article comes from: GardenGuides: a growing resource for
gardeners
(http://www.gardenguides.com/TipsandTechniques/naturalpestcontro
l/pest-noframe.htm)
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Amaranth - a common weed and an ancient crop
(Thepe -Tswana, Imbuya-Xhoza, Utyutu-Zulu)
Amaranth is a very nutritious leafy vegetable which can be harvested from
wild growing or cultivated plants. It is also referred to as morogo (Tswana for
vegetables). The plant is adaptable and grows easily under various weather
and soil conditions. Various types occur but the green types are less bitter
than the reddish ones. Amaranth bears edible, protein rich seeds. Flour
ground from these seeds mixes well with cereal flours and increases the
protein content.
Soil requirements and climate
•
Although the plants can tolerate drier conditions than most other
vegetables, leaf production will increase with higher rainfall. The crop
can be harvested in 2 ways. The whole plant can be cut off at a young
stage or it can be left to grow to maturity and leaves can be harvested at
regular intervals.
•
Amaranth can be cultivated on marginal soils but will produce a better
crop in deeper soils. Lower temperatures and shorter days will induce
flowering with a subsequent reduction in leaf yield. Leaf production can
be sustained by the removal of flowers. Growth ceases at temperatures
of below 18 °C.
Planting
Planting can commence as soon as the minimum temperature stays above 16
°C and can continue during the summer months up to 2 months prior to the
onset of frost.
There are 3 ways to plant amaranth:
•
Seeds are sown direct into the soil. Loosen the soil as deep as possible
and prepare a fine and firm seedbed. The seeds are very small and
should be mixed with sand and broadcast in the seedbed to ensure even
distribution. After broadcasting, lightly cover the seeds with soil, using a
rake.
•
Seeds are sown shallowly in rows. These rows should be 1,5 m apart.
Cover lightly using a rake. The seeds must be watered twice daily until
the seedlings emerge.
•
Seeds can be planted in seed trays. Transplant them after approximately
4 weeks when the plants should be about 15 cm tall. Transplant into
rows 1,5 m apart and with a spacing of 30 cm in the row.
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When transplanting seedlings pour water into the furrow or hole into which the
plant is to be planted. Wait a few moments for some of the water to seep into
the soil. Plant the small plant with its roots in the mud-water mixture and
cover the hole.
Never place fertiliser and a plant in the same hole, rather place it
approximately 10 cm away from the plant stem in a separate furrow or hole.
Fertilising
Plants can be fertilised by using cow manure at 6 tons/ha as well as
commercial fertilisers with a high nitrogen content. Nitrogen is essential for
the regrowth of leaves after harvesting. To promote better regrowth a top
dressing of LAN (28) (limestone ammonium nitrate) can be given at monthly
intervals. If the plants are treated correctly you should be able to harvest
leaves every 2 weeks.
Pest control
Weeding is essential until the plants are well established. Insects cannot be
controlled chemically because the crop is harvested regularly and it could
result in people getting poisoned. Diseases have not been recorded yet.
Harvesting
The plants are harvested only by hand. Young plants can be pulled up or cut
6 to 8 weeks after sowing when they are 200 mm tall. This is done in the case
where seeds were broadcasted.
When the plants are harvested at regular intervals start picking the leaves 8
weeks after sowing or 4 weeks after transplanting. Small quantities of leaves
can be harvested on a daily basis. In the case of large quantities, intervals of
2 weeks are recommended.
Leaves can be harvested in 2 ways:
Pick them one by one when they are the size of the palm of your hand.
Break off the leaves around the terminal growth tips of the stems. This is
done by pulling one hand up towards the growth tip and breaking off the
leaves with the other hand.
Marketing
The leaves can be sold on the informal markets. They must be sold and
cooked on the same day they were harvested.
Preparing a dish of morogo
•
Cook the leaves in boiling water
•
Add tomatoes and onions or potatoes and onions
•
Flavour the dish with salt and pepper.
Compiled by the National Department of Agriculture and the North West
Agricultural Development Institute. Printed and published in the Republic of
South Africa by the Department of Agriculture and obtainable from the
Resource Centre, Directorate Communication, Private Bag X144, Pretoria
0001
1998
For further information contact the Division Crop Production at the North West
Agricultural Development Institute, Potchefstroom
Tel: (018) 299 6532
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