Most farmers will have 4 plots where they compare the performance of three new soil management practices to their current best practice.
- The standard experimental plot is 5m x 5 m.
- Wherever possible, the 4 plots should be arranged in a square to facilitate easy comparison when you stand on the plot boundaries.
- The 4 treatments proposed at the workshop included
- Farmer plot: This plot represents the farmer option for managing soil fertility. The treatment might be something that only one farmer is doing. Or, as in the case with RECODA farmers, it might represent the best treatment from earlier research (pigeon pea plot). Farmers don’t need to all do the same thing, but whatever each farmer does needs to be well documented. The performance of maize or sorghum in the other 3 plots will always be compared to the performance of maize or sorghum in this plot.
- Lablab rotation: The lablab crop was planted the season prior to planting the maize or sorghum. It is assumed that farmers harvested the lablab grain, but incorporated all the remaining residues in the plot before planting the cereal.
- Biochar: 3 kg of biochar applied in the planting furrow for each 5 m of row.
- Boma compost: 3, two kg containers full of boma compost applied in the furrow of each 5 m of row.