Going the organic way can save farmers lots of money, says Ncube

With the high cost of fuel and agricultural resources nowadays, Mr Tshepo Ncube, a goat farmer from Musina, believes that going the organic way can make farming much easier and more profitable. Although he mainly farms with goats, he has a separate smallholding where he plants vegetables, such as baby marrows. The secret to his wholesome produce: he uses goat manure to fertilise the soil.

Ncube said he used to throw the goat manure away when cleaning his camps out, but then he realised how useful this waste product could actually be. “I did a lot of research on goats, as I spend a lot of time with them. Many studies focus on the benefits of goat meat, its milk, and also the skin that can be used to manufacture clothes and shoes, but I did not find much about the use of goat manure. Then I remembered how, during my primary school days, we used goat manure to fertilise our school’s gardens.”

Ncube said he decided to give this a try and fertilise the soil with goat manure when he planted vegetables last year, and that it had worked wonders. “The vegetables were so fresh and healthy that I got offers from local chain stores and individuals every day because the vegetables were very fresh and looked so attractive,” he said.

These days, Ncube plants baby marrows, which he also fertilises with the goat manure. “I would recommend goat manure to all vegetable farmers, as long as there is enough water to water their planted products. It always makes me happy to see how evergreen, healthy, fresh, and attractive the baby marrows that I have planted look. I have already gotten offers before I harvested.”

Ncube’s advice to other stock farmers is to make use of their animals’ byproducts to minimise costs. “There is no need to complain about the high cost of fertilisers when farmers have goats and cattle. Make our own fertilizer from their manure and save yourselves a lot of money,” he said.

Date:11 November 2023

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