So... how much is on your bank account?

As you might recall from Mexico, interviewing a farmer is not the same everywhere in the world... To get the answers that you could at least to some extent call reliable it takes a great deal of patience and creativity. From both sides, I'd say as some of the questions could be 'quite intruding'.

Whereas a Dutch farmer would be more than happy to tell you the number of cows he owns, here the question is equivalent to asking 'how much is there on your bank account.' And most people here are just as little willing to disclose on that as would be your neighbour. For that reason I never ask the question straight away, but will always explain that I want to know it only to see if he has access to animal manure. Than still, some people will say that they do not have any animals, probably as they think it is better to look poorer than you really are as that might make it more likely you'd receive some kind of assistance (it hardly helps telling them that this white lady does not go around with a bag of money).

Lately, I went to Libga, a village where the soil fertility has declined over the years and with fertilizer going skyrocketing (from 20 dollar last year to 40 at the moment and prices still going up, as farm activities are starting now), it is hard to sustain chemical fertilizer application. Interestingly, the people had received quite a bit of extension on alternative methods of soil fertility improvement from extension service and NGOs. It was very hard to find out though, what they reallly thought of those interventions. Where a Dutch farmer would tell you straight away that governmental policy is his biggest constraint and the environmental NGOs should stop nagging, farmers here are mostly more 'polite'. Listen..

The first interviewee is joined in the conversation by some other farmers that pass by: “Yes, we know of other methods than fertilizer to improve our soils. We were taught to plant trees and use the branches. But we don’t do it because of the money.” Me: But what is so costly about planting trees?
Farmer: “You first have to nurse the seedlings which needs a lot of labour. Besides the trees can sometimes compete seriously with the crop for the scarse nutrients".
Me: Mm, I see, so how is it that you would plant the trees and manage them and why is it that they compete?
Farmer: “Ah you plant them on the hedges and come back to cut the leaves. When you plant them wide [two farmers start to pace around the show me the planting distance for a few minutes] and cut them in time it does not even compete. And it gives you fertilizer for free.”
We get back to the issue of labour requirement in nursing the trees and transplanting them to the field.
Me: Fertiliser costs money, which you say you could save by putting those trees. Hiring labour also costs money. Do the extra labour costs outweigh the savings on fertilizer you think?
Farmer: “No it would be better to invest in the trees”.
Me: “Okay, so you think it would be a better investment to plant the trees and you know how to manage them so that they do not compete with the main crop. But you are not practicing it. So, is it that there is yet another problem that you did not yet mention?”
Farmer: “Ah but we do practise it”.
Me: "Ah, could we then go to the field and see how the system works in practise."
Farmer: "Ah, it is a pity, but the fields where we have planted them is very very far away....."

Than on the other hand, in the Netherlands I often did not feel very comfortable talking about the use of human excreta (shit) or urine, whereas here they do not find it quite as strange.
Me: Mmm. Yes. Well, I would like to aks you a question. You see I have heard that some farmers use the sewage waste from the city to fertilize the soil. Is that also practised around here?
Farmer: "Yes, we would love to get the shit from the city, with that the crops grow well, but a lot of people want to have it. Only when you pay they give it to you."