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Take animal waste, place it into a biodigester; the end result is cooking gas for the kitchen; use the waste from the biodigester as fertilizer for growing duckweed; feed chickens,Mark Recchi Penguins Jersey, ducks, pigs,J.T. Miller Rangers Jersey, and fish with duck weed; recover their waste; place the waste back into the biodigester; start the cycle all over again.This was the message to farmers on West Coast Berbice by Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) staffers working in collaboration with the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) under a project promoting Integrated Farming Systems (IFS).The assurance to farmers was that the implementation of IFS on their farms, including low cost biodigesters,Marcus Johansson Capitals Jersey, will help them to reduce operating costs and increase their income substantially with the addition of value to matter normally considered as waste.The advice was dispensed during a training programme on IFS held by IPED for the farmers of the Trafalgar/Union Community Development Council (CDC) based at Number 29 Village.The resource persons were Walter Matadial, Senior Project Extension Officer of IPED for the Integrated Farming Model for Poor Farmers; Mr Roopnarine Etwaroo, Extension Officer for IFS with the IDB; Mr Robert Williams Officer in Charge of IPED D’Edward Branch; and Mr Dowlat Sookdai,Pascal Dupuis Penguins Jersey, Senior Credit Officer.The ancient combination of Livestock and Crop activities has helped farmers,Jason Chimera Capitals Jersey, traditionally, to use the manure as fertiliser for crops, and the crop residues as feed for livestock.Walter Matadial added that the use of a biodigester on farms was a new way of adding value to their economic viability .He and Mr Roopnarine Etwaroo of the IDB also urged cultivating duckweed as an excellent source of protein to reduce the costs of rearing animals and thus increase their quality for markets.The IPED officers spoke about the willingness of the organization to offer loans to those farmers who wished to adapt the IFS .Both Mr Matadial and Mr Etwaroo said that the biodigester was an excellent source of cooking gas which could be set up at a cost of between $60,Alexei Kovalev Canadiens Jersey,000 to $70,000 and offer considerable life long savings for the owner.Mr Matadial said that IPED had set up biodigesters in Linden,Dustin Tokarski Canadiens Jersey, Annai and Lethem in the Rupununi, Parika in the Essequibo and Fyrish on the Corentyne.“The lady in Linden who we assisted has reported excellent quality flames from her biodigester,Terry Sawchuk Red Wings Jersey, blue flames and a savings on nearly two cylinders of cooking gas per month which she had to buy before but which she now gets using animal waste” he said.He said that the Linden collaborator also used the waste from the biodigester as an excellent fertilizer,David Desharnais Canadiens Jersey, to water crops and vegetables in her kitchen garden.He also dwelt at length on the value of duckweed as a source of excellent feed for animals.Among its virtues: It is readily availability and its high protein content of 35 per cent to 45 per cent; its ability to double its weight every forty eight hours; and the fact that it is an effective substitute for soyabean meal as a protein concentrate in livestock feed formulation, among others.The members of the Trafalgar /Union CDC who are already involved in fish farming were also told of the high value of duckweed cultivation as fish feed at an almost non-existent cost.The IFS programme is a two-year programme funded by the IDB and IPED to help farmers countrywide improve the economic viability of their farms.The Trafalgar/Union CDC members have indicated that they will collaborate with IPED to implement the IFS system for economic activities in their villages which currently include a fish farm, a chicken farm and a greenhouse. |
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