00 Start now — pre-work before arrival
The visiting team arrives to a farm that is already in motion. These are the actions farmers in Bombali District can take today — before any visitors, before any equipment, before any external input. Some of these actions take 8 weeks to show results. Start them now.
Collect every ash from every cooking fire. Do not throw it away.
Wood ash is a free liming agent. It raises soil pH — the most critical intervention in Bombali's acidic laterite soil. Every household that cooks with wood produces it. Store it dry in any container (sack, pot, plastic drum). Even a month of collection from one household produces a meaningful amount.
How to apply: Scatter ash across your worst-yielding plot. Scratch into the top 5cm with a hoe. Do not let it wash off — apply before the rain stops, or dig it in lightly. Repeat every 2–3 weeks.
Start: Today. Cost: Zero.
Build one compost pile. Use only what is on the ground.
Find a shaded spot near water. Pile: 3 layers of dry material (rice straw, dry leaves, maize stalks) for every 1 layer of green material (fresh grass, cassava peels, food waste) for every 1 handful of ash. Height: waist-high. Cover loosely with old sacking or leaves to keep moisture in.
Turn it in 2 weeks (flip it with a hoe so inside goes outside). It is ready in 6–8 weeks — dark, crumbly, earthy smell. Apply 2 handfuls per planting hole at the start of the next season.
Start: This week. Cost: Zero.
Test your seed. Float = throw away. Sink = keep.
Fill a bowl with clean water. Put your saved rice seed in. Seeds that float are hollow, weak, or dead — they will not germinate well. Seeds that sink are dense and viable. Discard the floaters. Dry the sinkers completely in shade before storing.
This simple test takes 10 minutes and immediately improves your germination rate at zero cost. A bucket of water is the only tool required.
Start: Before planting season. Cost: Zero.
Watch where water goes on your land. Mark it.
During the next rain, stand in your field and observe: which way does the water flow? Where does it pool? Where does it run off the field entirely? Where is the soil dry even after rain?
Push a stick in the ground everywhere you see: pooling (too wet), runoff (too fast), and good natural moisture. This map tells the visiting team exactly where to put swales and berms on Day 5. Your observation makes their work specific instead of general.
Start: Next rain. Cost: Zero.
Build an A-frame level from local sticks.
This is the tool for finding level on your land — essential for marking where swales go. Materials: 3 straight sticks (two ~1.5m, one ~1m), string, a small weight (stone, metal nut).
Tie two tall sticks together at the top (A shape). Attach the shorter stick as a crossbar halfway down. Tie string from the top to hang a weight. When the weight hangs over the center of the crossbar — you are level. Walk the land with this to mark the contour line for swale placement.
Start: Any time. Cost: Zero.
Clear a dry storage space. Identify where PICS bags will go.
PICS hermetic storage bags need to be kept dry, off the ground, away from rats, and out of direct sun. Before the visiting team arrives, identify and prepare this space — a dry room, a raised platform, a covered area. The bags are coming. Have a place for them.
Rat guards: cut a tin or plastic sheet into a circle ~30cm wide. Thread the storage post through the center. The rat cannot get past the disc. Make them now from scrap tin.
Start: Now. Cost: Zero to minimal.
Prime your seeds 2 weeks before planting day.
Soak seeds in clean water for 24 hours. Remove. Spread in shade on a clean surface — not in sun — for 12 hours to dry slightly. Plant immediately. Do not store primed seeds.
Compare: plant one row of primed seed and one row of unprimed seed from the same lot. Mark them. In 10–14 days, the difference in emergence uniformity will be visible. This is your evidence.
Start: 2 weeks before planting. Cost: Zero.
Tell your neighbors. More participants = more knowledge transfer.
The visiting team can work with 5–8 farms effectively in 3 weeks. If 8 neighboring farmers participate together, the knowledge transfers to 8 families instead of 1. Find your neighboring farmers who want to join. Write their names and what they grow. Have this list ready when the team arrives.
Also identify: is there anyone in your community who is already doing something interesting with water, soil, or storage? Bring the team to see them on Day 6.
Start: This week. Cost: Zero.
01 What to unlearn first (Midwest farmers)
Three assumptions that Midwest farmers carry will actively cause harm in Bombali District if not corrected before arrival. Read this before anything else.
02 The soil: the acidic trap
Bombali soils are predominantly Ultisols — highly weathered, lateritic, iron-rich, and red-yellow. pH range: 4.1–5.0. For context, Minnesota corn ground runs 6.0–7.0. Phosphorus availability collapses below pH 5.5 due to aluminum and iron binding.
| Property | Bombali District | Midwest comparison |
|---|---|---|
| pH range | 4.1 – 5.0 | 6.0 – 7.0 (corn belt) |
| Primary deficiency | Phosphorus — chemically locked at low pH | Variable |
| Iron/Aluminum | Very high — binds P and makes it unavailable | Low to moderate |
| Color | Red to yellow-red | Dark brown to black |
| Organic matter | Low in overfarmed upland plots | Moderate to high |
Amendments: sequence matters
| Amendment | Effect | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Wood ash | Raises pH, adds potassium. Free liming agent. | Every cooking fire — collect it |
| Agricultural lime | Most effective pH correction — target pH 5.5–6.0 | Makeni markets |
| Compost (rice husks, cassava peels) | Improves structure, mild pH buffering | Make locally |
| Bone meal | Slow-release P that resists acid lock-up | Make from dried animal bones |
| Mucuna / cowpea (green manure) | Fixes nitrogen, improves structure | SLARI/BRAC seeds |
| ❌ Raw manure | Too acidic here. Pathogen risk in tropical heat. | — |
| ❌ NPK without liming first | Fails — nutrients locked before plants access them | — |
03 Upland rice: the yield gap
Current upland yield: 0.72–1.3 MT/ha. Achievable: 3–5 MT/ha. Three interventions close most of that gap. Zero cost. No imported inputs required.
04 Post-harvest: the silent theft
30–40% of harvested rice lost to pests and moisture before it reaches the table. Primary pest: rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae) — breeds inside the grain, invisible until infestation is severe. Secondary: rats. The solution does not require electricity or chemicals.
PICS bags — the gold standard
PICS bags (Purdue Improved Crop Storage) are triple-layer hermetic bags. The sealed environment removes oxygen. Without oxygen, weevils die. No chemicals. No electricity. Reusable for 3+ seasons. Cost: $2–4/bag for 100kg capacity.
05 Water: swales, berms, and the rainy season
This is the most visible gap in Bombali District. During the rainy season (May–October), fields flood and the water leaves the land — taking topsoil with it. By March, those same fields are brick-hard. The rain is abundant. The problem is not the amount of water. It is that there is no infrastructure to slow it, spread it, and sink it into the ground where crops can use it.
What a swale is — explained from scratch
A swale is a ditch dug across the slope — perpendicular to the flow of water. A berm is the mound of earth from that ditch, placed on the downhill side. Together, they form a water-catching system that is used from the Sahel to India to Latin America. The same concept, many names: contour bund, water bund, keyline.
How water moves WITH a swale + berm
How to build one with local tools
| Step | What you do | Tools needed |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Find contour | Walk uphill from the area you want to water. Use A-frame level to find the line across the slope that is perfectly horizontal. Mark it with sticks every 2 meters. | A-frame level (free to build), sticks |
| 2. Dig the swale | Dig along the marked line — 30–50cm deep, 30–50cm wide. The shape is a flat-bottomed trench, not V-shaped. | Hoe, machete, labor |
| 3. Build the berm | Pile all dug soil on the DOWNHILL side of the trench. Pack it with your foot. Height: 20–30cm above ground level. Base width should be 4x the height. | Same tools, feet |
| 4. Plant the berm | Plant the berm surface immediately with grass, cowpea, or any ground cover. This prevents erosion of the berm itself. Unplanted berms erode quickly in heavy rain. | Any seeds, cuttings |
| 5. Add a spillway | One end of the swale should have a slightly lower exit point that directs overflow gently onto the next lower swale. This prevents a burst during heavy rain. | Hoe |
Rivers and existing water resources in Bombali
The Mabole River and the Rokel (Seli) River both flow through Bombali District. Inland Valley Swamps (IVS) — the low-lying wet zones between hills — hold water through more of the year than uplands. The best agricultural land in Bombali is the IVS edges, where moisture is available longer. The swale system extends the benefit of that natural moisture retention uphill.
06 Rainy season crops — what to plant when it floods
Most knowledge transfer programs focus on making dry land productive. This section does the opposite: what grows specifically because of flooding? The rainy season is not a problem to solve. It is a growing condition to exploit.
| Crop | Water tolerance | Why it works here | Time to harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowland / IVS rice | Waterlogged soil required | The most productive rice ecology in Sierra Leone. Higher yields than upland rice in the right varieties. IVS fields flood naturally — plant into that, not against it. | 90–120 days |
| Taro (colocasia) | Thrives in waterlogged and partial-flood soil | Edible root AND leaves. Tolerates flooding that kills most crops. Can be grown at the water's edge. | 6–12 months (root) |
| Water spinach (kangkong) | Grows literally in standing water | 25–40 days to first harvest. Cuts every 7–10 days after. High iron and vitamin content. | 25–40 days |
| Okra | More water-tolerant than most upland crops | Productive in wet conditions that stress other vegetables. Familiar crop — no adoption barrier. | 50–60 days |
| Sugarcane | Water-hungry, benefits from seasonal flooding | Cash crop, long cycle, but uses the wet season productively. | 10–12 months |
| Sweet potato | Tolerates wet feet better than most roots | Productive, nutritious, grows on raised mounds above the waterline. Mound planting is traditional and correct. | 90–120 days |
| Moringa | Grows at the wet edges of fields | Nutritional powerhouse. Leaves edible at 60 days. Established trees survive dry seasons. | 60 days (leaves) |
07 Permaculture: work with the forest, not against it
Permaculture is a design system that mimics the structure of natural ecosystems to produce food. The tropical forest of West Africa is already the most productive food ecosystem in the world — it just doesn't produce food in the monocrop pattern that most agriculture imposes on it.
| Layer | Function | In Bombali context |
|---|---|---|
| Canopy (15–25m) | Shade, humidity, carbon storage | Oil palm, breadfruit, shea tree — all productive AND protective |
| Understory (5–15m) | Secondary food production | Mango, citrus, avocado, papaya — establish these in year 1 |
| Shrub layer (1–5m) | Food + nitrogen fixation | Pigeon pea, moringa, banana — pigeon pea fixes nitrogen, moringa provides year-round nutrition |
| Ground layer (0–1m) | Ground cover, food, nitrogen | Cowpea, groundnut, sweet potato — all fix nitrogen or cover soil |
| Root layer | Starchy carbohydrates | Cassava, yam, taro — different depth roots do not compete |
| Water edge | Wet zone productivity | Taro, water spinach, moringa — turn the wet margins productive |
08 Seeds to bring from home
Check import regulations before bringing any plant material into Sierra Leone. The list below contains species either already present in Sierra Leone or available locally — bringing seeds accelerates access to good varieties. If in doubt, source locally through SLARI, BRAC, or Makeni markets.
Cowpea
Dual purpose: food (protein-rich pods and leaves) + nitrogen fixation. Drought AND wet tolerant. Already widely grown in Sierra Leone — bring a high-yielding variety to compare with local types.
Nitrogen fixer Food crop Cover cropMucuna (Velvet Bean)
NOT edible (pods are irritant). Purely a green manure crop planted in fallow. One of the most powerful nitrogen-fixing cover crops available. Plant in dry season. Till in before wet season planting.
Green manure only N-fixerMoringa
Leaves are harvestable at 60 days. Drought tolerant. Grows in poor soil. Leaves are exceptionally nutritious. Coppice hard and the tree grows back fast. Already in Sierra Leone — bring an improved variety.
Nutrition Fast growing Drought tolerantPigeon Pea
Perennial shrub that produces protein-rich peas for 3–5 years from one planting. Deep roots break compacted soil. Fixes nitrogen. Drought tolerant. Produces through the dry season when other crops fail.
Perennial Protein N-fixerSunn Hemp
Fast-growing green manure (90 days to incorporation). Fixes more nitrogen than cowpea. Not a food crop — purely for soil improvement. Suppresses nematodes. A Midwest farmer cover crop that works perfectly here.
Green manure Fast growthOrange Sweet Potato
Orange-fleshed variety is exceptionally high in vitamin A — a significant nutritional gap in Sierra Leone. Plant on raised mounds in wet areas. The vine itself is ground cover that suppresses weeds.
Vitamin A Wet tolerant Ground cover09 The 21-day schedule
- Do not teach anything today
- Write every farmer's name and one thing about their land
- Ask only: "What is the biggest problem on your land?"
- Ask farmer to show you: where water goes in rain, where crops struggle, where yields are best
- Notice slope, soil color variation, existing water paths, shade trees
- Evening: sketch a rough map of each farm. Note water flow patterns from farmer's sticks (from Pre-work 4)
- Demonstrate test on your own sample first. Farmer watches.
- Farmer conducts 5 samples (corners + center) themselves. You watch.
- Explain results: "pH 4.5 means the rice can't get phosphorus. Wood ash changes this."
- Inspect the compost pile started in Pre-work 2 — turn it if needed
- Walk the slope with the A-frame. Mark the level line with stakes every 3 meters.
- Stand back and look: this line is where the swale goes
- Walk the farmer through what the swale will do: "Rain hits here, goes into the ditch, spreads level, soaks down. Crops below stay moist."
- Soak seeds 24 hours. Drain. Dry in shade 12 hours. Plant.
- Set up side-by-side comparison: primed vs unprimed. Mark both. Check in 10 days.
- Farmer does the priming themselves — you watch.
- 25cm row spacing, 15–20cm between plants. Mark with string and stakes.
- Plant one row together. Farmer plants the second row alone.
- Show how a push-weeder can now run between rows.
- Show the three layers. Demonstrate proper fill-and-seal technique.
- Show the 200L drum alternative with oil-sealed lid.
- Each farmer seals one bag of their own rice.
- Explain: "The seal removes oxygen. Without oxygen, the weevils die. No chemicals."
- 3 parts brown (straw, dry leaves) : 1 part green : 1 part kitchen waste + ash
- Farmer and family do the physical work. You demonstrate once, then step back.
- Inspect and turn the pile started in Pre-work 2 — it may be ready to apply
- Dig along the contour line marked on Day 5. 30–50cm deep, flat-bottomed.
- Pile all soil on the DOWNHILL side. Pack with foot. Plant berm immediately with cowpea or grass.
- Add a spillway at one end — slightly lower point for overflow.
- Farmer shows the completed berm to one neighbor immediately.
- Soil test results drive the rotation choices. Farmer decides, you explain the soil reason for each choice.
- Introduce: what can grow in the IVS zone during rainy season flooding? Show taro, water spinach, cowpea options.
- Plant moringa seeds at berm edges — they will establish through the dry season.
- One folder per farmer: soil results, farm map, compost guide, PICS guide, seed priming guide, row spacing guide, swale guide, rotation calendar, your WhatsApp number, your handwritten note
10 What success looks like
- Every farmer has built or is managing one compost pile
- All PICS bags in use with dry grain sealed
- 2+ farmers have taught PICS to a neighbor
- Primed vs unprimed plots show visible difference
- Swale on Farm 1 is intact and berm is planted
- At least one neighboring farm (not a participant) implementing one practice
- Soil test results informing planting and amendment decisions
- At least one swale has been replicated independently
- Extension office has used the curriculum once
- Measurably reduced post-harvest grain loss reported
- At least one farm reports yield increase from line sowing + priming
- Year 1 of 3-year rotation executed on at least one farm
- At least one farm growing green manure in dry season fallow
11 Who to contact in Sierra Leone
Contact these people before you arrive — not after
Youyi Building, Brookfields, Freetown
Ask for: Director of Agricultural Extension Services. Tell them your district and timeline.
Active in Bombali — seed distribution, organized farmer groups. Can connect you to existing groups rather than starting from scratch.