Deep Bed Farming:
An innovative form of climate-smart agriculture
Tiyeni achieves our mission to end food poverty and to improve water security by delivering training in our innovative form of climate-smart agriculture, Deep Bed Farming. Read on to learn more about this revolutionary farming method that is transforming lives.
The problem: declining soil health
Across large areas of Malawi, there is a man-made layer of compacted soil known as the “hardpan” that prevents the development of healthy soil and agriculture. This hardpan restricts the ability for plant roots, rainwater, and air to penetrate the land, contributing to catastrophic levels of soil erosion and poor crop growth that is unable to withstand adverse weather events such as drought and flooding.
Explore how this phenomenon threatens both people and the planet:
Explore how this phenomenon threatens both people and the planet:
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The solution: Deep Bed Farming
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Widespread adoption of climate-smart agriculture is vital to restore Malawi's degraded lands and to empower smallholder farmers, who make up over 80% of Malawi's population, to build sustainable livelihoods. Tiyeni solves the problem through training and promotion in our unique form of climate-smart agriculture that we have developed and refined for over 20 years, Deep Bed Farming (DBF). Our holistic approach nourishes the crops and soil in tandem, encouraging the mutually-beneficial relationship between plants and the billions of microorganisms in the soil.
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We want to say that we started very small but now we have grown… we are the nucleus from which the Tiyeni method will mushroom. |
So, what is Deep Bed Farming, and what makes it unique?
Deep Bed Farming is an innovative form of climate-smart agriculture pioneered by Tiyeni over 20+ years of rigorous research and development. While Deep Bed Farming shares many features with other forms of climate-smart agriculture such as crop rotation, mulching and composting, and rainwater harvesting, our unique approach addresses the issue of soil compaction by breaking the compacted soil hardpan. This step is done in the first year of adoption. Deep Bed Farming’s design prevents soil from getting re-compacted. There is no need to repeat this one-off (but vital!) step in future seasons, making Deep Bed Farming a form of “no-till” farming.
Read on to learn more about the steps of the Deep Bed Farming method.
Read on to learn more about the steps of the Deep Bed Farming method.
Step 1: Break the hardpan |
Deep Bed Farming begins with the crucial step of using a pickaxe to break up the compacted soil or hardpan. Breaking the hardpan in and of itself delivers powerful benefits by allowing roots, water, and air to penetrate deeply into the soil. These benefits produce immediate effects towards curbing soil erosion, or even stopping it altogether, thereby allowing rich healthy soils to start developing. Crops with deeper roots tend to be stronger. They can also successfully deal with long periods of dry weather and drought, which have become increasingly common because of climate change. Now able to penetrate the soil further, the deeper roots can also store much larger quantities of water for longer periods of time. Greater water storage enables roots to nourish crops far into the dry season.
This first step provides prompt, tangible benefits that are key to establishing credibility and raising enthusiasm for Tiyeni’s methods among farmers. The credibility and enthusiasm also build the momentum to interest farmers in additional aspects of Deep Bed Farming.
This first step provides prompt, tangible benefits that are key to establishing credibility and raising enthusiasm for Tiyeni’s methods among farmers. The credibility and enthusiasm also build the momentum to interest farmers in additional aspects of Deep Bed Farming.
Step 2: Create Deep Beds |
Next is the creation of the Deep Beds. These beds are designed to minimise water runoff, to maximise water retention, and to prevent a new compacted layer of soil from developing. With the soil hardpan broken, Deep Beds and the crops grown on them regenerate the land to allow roots, water, and air to penetrate into the soil indefinitely.
To prepare for the creation of Deep Beds, farmers make careful measurements to plan and then form marker ridges in harmony with the natural terrain. Each ridge has a ditch running alongside it, created with soil excavated when the ridges were formed. Ditches become holding reservoirs for rainwater and allow the water to slowly enter into the soil, helping to improve local water tables through a process called groundwater recharge. If the farmland is on a slope, the ditch is constructed uphill of the ridge so that it can serve as a dam for water after heavy rains. The ridge is then stabilised by planting vetiver. This non-invasive grass establishes deep root networks that contribute to sturdy soil structures, which also helps to mitigate erosion.
Now the farmers begin building the Deep Beds between the marker ridges! Deep Beds are designed to be larger than ridges used in conventional farming in Malawi. Each bed measures one metre wide, enough for two rows of maize or three rows of smaller crops. This wider bed enables a more agricultural land to be used for growing by creating a higher bed-to-ratio. Once created, the Deep Beds are never trodden on again, preventing re-compaction and the formation of a new hardpan.
To prepare for the creation of Deep Beds, farmers make careful measurements to plan and then form marker ridges in harmony with the natural terrain. Each ridge has a ditch running alongside it, created with soil excavated when the ridges were formed. Ditches become holding reservoirs for rainwater and allow the water to slowly enter into the soil, helping to improve local water tables through a process called groundwater recharge. If the farmland is on a slope, the ditch is constructed uphill of the ridge so that it can serve as a dam for water after heavy rains. The ridge is then stabilised by planting vetiver. This non-invasive grass establishes deep root networks that contribute to sturdy soil structures, which also helps to mitigate erosion.
Now the farmers begin building the Deep Beds between the marker ridges! Deep Beds are designed to be larger than ridges used in conventional farming in Malawi. Each bed measures one metre wide, enough for two rows of maize or three rows of smaller crops. This wider bed enables a more agricultural land to be used for growing by creating a higher bed-to-ratio. Once created, the Deep Beds are never trodden on again, preventing re-compaction and the formation of a new hardpan.
Step 3: Plant diversified crops |
Next, farmers plant their crops in the Deep Beds. Deep Bed Farming encourages farmers to move away from the monocropping that is practiced across much of Malawi. In monocropping, a single crop, in this case maize, is planted exclusively year after year on the same plots of land. Monocropping weakens the structure of the soil and depletes it of nutrients and leads to the growth of weeds and pests that are difficult to manage. To move away from monocropping, Deep Bed Farming diversifies crops through the application of intercropping and crop rotation.
Intercropping means that additional crops are planted alongside the staple crop of maize in the same season. These crops provide a natural ground cover that conserves soil moisture and also protects the land from the impact of large raindrops, which contributes to soil erosion. Crop rotation refers to changing the crops that are grown on a plot of land over the course of multiple seasons. In Deep Bed Farming, typical choices for intercropping include low-growing crops like pumpkins and ground nuts. For crop rotation, farmers will often rotate between legumes (e.g., beans) and cereals (e.g., maize).
Both intercropping and crop rotation regenerate the land, including undoing some of the damage caused by monocropping. Diversified crops restore depleted soil nutrients, increase soil fertility, improve soil structure and prevent erosion, and provide natural pest management. Together with the use of mulch and compost, this step enables farmers to transition away from the use of synthetic fertilisers.
Intercropping means that additional crops are planted alongside the staple crop of maize in the same season. These crops provide a natural ground cover that conserves soil moisture and also protects the land from the impact of large raindrops, which contributes to soil erosion. Crop rotation refers to changing the crops that are grown on a plot of land over the course of multiple seasons. In Deep Bed Farming, typical choices for intercropping include low-growing crops like pumpkins and ground nuts. For crop rotation, farmers will often rotate between legumes (e.g., beans) and cereals (e.g., maize).
Both intercropping and crop rotation regenerate the land, including undoing some of the damage caused by monocropping. Diversified crops restore depleted soil nutrients, increase soil fertility, improve soil structure and prevent erosion, and provide natural pest management. Together with the use of mulch and compost, this step enables farmers to transition away from the use of synthetic fertilisers.
Step 4: Weed, mulch, and compost |
Weeds are often thought of as a nuisance, but in climate-smart agriculture they have a valuable role to play! Alongside the residue of crops and other plant materials, weeds are cut or pulled up and laid on top of the land as a form of mulch. Mulch is another type of ground cover that helps protect soil by minimising impacts of big raindrops and conserving moisture. Weeding is lighter work than digging, and whole families can help! Meanwhile, other organic materials like crop residues, leaves and grasses, and household food waste are made into a rich compost.
Farmers may also add animal manure to the compost. To make sure that all farmers have access to animal manure, Tiyeni organises a livestock pass-on programme of pigs or goats to first-time farmers. Animal offspring are passed on to other members of the community, contributing to Tiyeni’s legacy effect that ensures our work is self-sustaining in communities after our departure. Farmers’ interest in the successful breeding programmes brings village communities together and increases uptake of Tiyeni’s methods.
Farmers may also add animal manure to the compost. To make sure that all farmers have access to animal manure, Tiyeni organises a livestock pass-on programme of pigs or goats to first-time farmers. Animal offspring are passed on to other members of the community, contributing to Tiyeni’s legacy effect that ensures our work is self-sustaining in communities after our departure. Farmers’ interest in the successful breeding programmes brings village communities together and increases uptake of Tiyeni’s methods.
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Mulch and compost add valuable organic matter to the soil that promote healthy soil microbiomes. They also enable farmers to transition away from synthetic fertilisers by providing the soil and plants with the necessary nutrients for healthy growth. Transitioning from synthetic fertiliser to mulch and compost also benefits farmers economically, as synthetic fertilisers are expensive. Plus, some of the methods that Tiyeni teaches to farmers can produce compost that is ready for use in as little as 21 days!
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We have learned how to make bokash manure which means we have to buy less fertiliser which is very expensive. |
Step 5: Harvest! |
Photo credit: Alan Dixon
When the harvest season comes, farmers using Deep Bed Farming benefit from crop yields that are more than doubled, starting from the very first year of adoption! Farmers have reported a ninefold increase in income in this first year as well. Healthier soil and diversified crops also provide more nutritious and balanced diets, helping to tackle malnutrition. Many Malawian farmers and their families have achieved food security through Deep Bed Farming, eating an average of one extra meal every day compared to their peers using conventional farming. Farmers continue to harvest these heightened crop yields year after year.