New farming method brings cheer and cash to farmers

David Buule an agronomist shows how to mix the EMO. PHOTOs by michael kakumirizi

What you need to know:

At Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute Kabanyolo (MUARIK) hope abounds that soon Uganda farmers will not be hustling with making the traditional tedious and unpredictable Indigenous Microorganism (IMO). Denis Bbosa visited the newly Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) constructed Effective Microorganisms (EMO) technology facility at Kabanyolo and expounds more.

Filled with vest and optimism, youthful agronomist David Buule, the fermentation and solar operator at Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) summarises the entire Effective Microorganisms (EMO) project as one tailor made to ease pest management, fertiliser and decomposing problems many Ugandan farmers face.
“The main reason for establishing this facility is to try and produce Effective Microorganisms (EMO). They are mixed cultures of beneficial naturally-occurring organisms that can be applied as inoculants to increase the microbial diversity of soil ecosystem. They consist mainly photosynthesizing bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, actinomycetes and fermenting fungi,” Buule explains to Seeds of Gold.
He adds that they are beneficial microorganism that they get from nature and are used in animal and crop production. Fermentation applies to compositing and decomposing in all aspects of production which is organic.
Buule, a fermentation expert trained in South Korea observes that the cardinal difference between EMO and IMO is the purity of the microorganisms.
“At this facility, we culture the microorganisms that we buy from South Korea or Kenya while for IMO, any farmer can capture them from the environment but they can be good or bad,” he stresses. In a nutshell, Buule says they are so sure about the microorganisms captured in EMO which brings perfect results.
“We culture and mix them with necessary components before giving farmers to use as pesticides, fertilisers, decomposing animal feed and provide the beneficial effect which would have otherwise been done by a drug,” Buule adds.
How EMO is processed
Step 1:
Ingredients
LAB – 5g
BS – 1g
Sugar – 6g
Water – 300ml

Procedure
Dissolve the ingredients thoroughly
Keep for 12hrs to allow for fermentation (bacteria volume will increase)
Step 2:
Ingredients
Molasses – 150ml
Sugar – 600g
Water – 13L
Procedure
Mix the ingredients to full dissolution
Mix the product from step 1 and step 2
This forms the microbial stock (EM concentrate).

MAKING EM-MICROBIAL STOCK
How to incubate EM
Ingredients
Molasses
Water
EM Stock

Procedure
Dissolve 1L of molasses in 48L of water by stirring in the container.
Add one litre of original EM
Stir gently for two minutes
Close the cover to prevent bugs and dust.
Leave it for seven days in storage house or shadow.
According to Buule, EMO mainly consists of a few microorganisms. These mainstays microbes include photosynthesising bacteria, lactic acid bacteria and yeast (they are physiologically compatible and can co-exist in liquid culture).
To him, EMO is the product of mixed cultures of beneficial naturally-occurring organisms that can be applied as inoculants to increase the microbial diversity of agro-ecosystems.
Healthy soil ecology has the capability of protecting plants against pathogenic microbes. This is through balanced relationship between pathogenic and beneficial microbes working together in synergy. Dead soils have less of the beneficial microbes while living soils contain an abundant diversity of beneficial microbes.
Benefits of using EMO
EMO offers an abundant diversity of optimally balanced microbes when introduced. And so their effect is persistent and long-lived.
“EMO helps to suppress soil-borne pathogens and also increase decomposition hence form nutrient-rich humus. It also enhances the activities of IMO such as mycorrhizae which fixes atmospheric nitrogen,” says Buule.
Fermented feed is a feed made easy to digest by mixing it with EMO because it improves the environment in livestock house, increase livestock weight, improves livestock immunity, and reduces use of medicine and antibiotics.
“It can also be used as an insect repellent. When sprayed enough of the mix to wet the plant from germination or plant establishment and before pests and diseases are seen,” he says.
It is an organic fertiliser made from various by-products, excretion, and food waste and used in soil amendment.
The organic waste is subject to full decomposition creating a nutrient-rich fertilizer that helps to improve the physical and chemical properties of soil.