[Stoves] VermiChar eco-fertilizers, A DIY concept for subsistence agriculture

[Rob Small]

Thanks Crispin, hello Kobus- we did have a young man with bio-char proposal
around earlier this year and he tested a kit on site at a community garden.
But the problem was that there is not enough bio-mass on site to produce
sufficient bio-char for soil enhancement. Importing bio-mass would be the
solution, but that is costly. And if we want the municipality to give us
bio-mass it's a red tape jungle. 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Crispin Pemberton-Pigott [mailto:crispinpigott at gmail.com] 
Sent: 11 August 2013 06:05 PM
To: 'Discussion of biomass cooking stoves'
Cc: 'Rob Small'
Subject: RE: [Stoves] VermiChar eco-fertilizers, A DIY concept for
subsistence agriculture

Dear Kobus

I think you should contact an old friend, Rob Small, from Operation Hunger
who is someone with whom you might find productive cooperation. 

He is knowledgeable and experience about many things to do with BOP
development, urban agriculture and so on. I have copied him above. He is in
the Cape Town area.

Rob, Kobus is one of the few guys willing to try to make a living selling
and promoting stoves. There is another guy Adrian Padt from Rocketworx in
Durban who is also a good fit.

Cecil is of course in Stutterheim. He used to raise elephant garlic but I am
not sure what is on his plots these days - ducks and emus I recall. Actually
those are on his wife's far near Bisho.  He can connect you to the old
Transkei crowd - those few who were decades ahead of their time as well.
Cecil was the head of the Transkei Appropriate Technology Unit (TATU) back
in the day. TATU demonstrated with others, much against expectations at the
time, that a Lorena stove saves a lot of fuel and reduces smoke exposure if
it is used for space heating and cooking. Cooking alone, that was a problem,
but combined it was quite good because massive stoves are good heat stores.

If you start something locally together cut me in to include New Dawn Eng in
Swaziland and Thabsile Shongwe - she runs the operation there.

Regards
Crispin



-----Original Message-----
From: Stoves [mailto:stoves-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of
Kobus Venter
Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2013 8:49 AM
To: stove list
Subject: [Stoves] VermiChar eco-fertilizers, A DIY concept for subsistence
agriculture

Hi all,

Hope this is not considered off topic, but if you feel this is a project
worth supporting please vote for our concept proposal. I think there are a
lot of claims being made about the benefits of biochar to the soil, but only
once this can be substantiated with plant trials can we make any kind of
claims. If we get the support we hope to get we could end up in the top 3
and qualify for assistance to take the idea further. Please vote to keep us
in the running.

To be able to vote you have to log in, and if you have a Facebook account
you can use that login to be able to cast a vote. After logging in you will
receive 'smiles' and then clicking on VermiChar and sharing it will earn you
more smiles. Use these smiles to cast even more votes for our idea.

Vote here: 
http://www.blog.fnb.co.za/ideas-can-help/view-idea/?id=3231&d=7011807846665
<http://www.blog.fnb.co.za/ideas-can-help/view-idea/?id=3231&d=7011807846665
>
and share on Social Media.

Many thanks and comments welcome.

Regards

Kobus

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