| New rotation for WANA | This is an innovative rotation from Tunisia based on medic pasture incorporated into the traditional fallow system. It is particularly suitable for small farmers without tractors, dependent on contracting services. Medic pod harvester explained. |
| Farming zones in WANA | West Asia and North Africa have been divided into four principle zones for information on farming, land tenure and management use this entrance to the site.
High Rainfall, Cereal Zone, Marginal Zone, Rangeland |
| Farmer Training Kits | These are a complete photo guide to the growing of medic in the WANA region. They are based on a series of FAO filmstrips produced to train farmers and extension agents. They include topics such as:
Why grow medic? Failure of the fallow rotation. What is medic? Where does medic grow? Establishing a medic pasture using seed. Shallow cultivation for cereals. Managing a medic pasture. The dangers of deep ploughing. |
| Case studies in development | Can we learn from medic projects and programs over the last 30 years? Why do bureaucrats make poor farmers? Can specialised institutions cope with medic? Why have Ministries of Agriculture in WANA been unable to exploit success? |
| Small farmer centre | Can small farmers in WANA survive? How can they reduce costs and increase returns? How can they access more land? Can marketing and buying groups help? Is smart farming an option for small farmers? |
| How to use this site | Cut and paste the information on this site to produce flip charts, radio scripts, books and brochures. Tailor make the information for farmers and other audiences. |
| Authors | About the authors of this site and their PUBLICATIONS |
| Index search | Search for topics through an index rather than farming zones and other chapters. |
| Contact us | We welcome discussion and comment on this site. |
| This site is available on CD | The Dryland Farming Organisation can provide the material on this site in CD format. This is more convenient for constant reference. It is not dependent on internet connections and is particularly useful for photos which may take a long time to down load on the web. |
| What is medic? | Medic is a constant theme throughout this site. We have used it as a generic name for "self regenerating legumes." More details are provided. Medic is the basis of a complete different concept of farming. I have called it "green" farming in contrast to conventional "brown" farming. |
| Links | Useful links to other farming sites and institutions. |
| The curse of nitrogen fertiliser | Nitrogen fertiliser is produced from large amounts of energy - most of which comes from fossil fuel sources. With growing concerns amount greenhouse gases the production of fertiliser needs to be reviewed. When nitrogen is used in farming more greenhouse gases are released. What is the alternative? How can nitrogen fertiliser use be reduced? Is a green revolution possible without cheap N? |
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Some recent up dates |
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Why "dryland" not "rainfed"? Tunis and London have about the same average rainfall. They have very different climates. We have used "dryland farming" to make a distinction. The climate of West Asia and North Africa has a hot, dry summer. The rainfall is concentrated in the winter and spring which is the main growing period. Technology from northern temperate regions with cool. moist summers rarely works in the WANA region.