1 Master the Basics
Highly successful growers make it a habit to always include the fundamentals of growing when dealing with crop issues. These fundamentals or “Basics” refer to 5 considerations when growing a crop:
• Air exchange: all plant life depends on Oxygen and Carbon dioxide and cannot survive long without it.
• Water exchange: second most important in a plant’s survival
• Nutrient exchange: mastering the basics of plant nutrient uptake can determine a great crop from an average crop.
• Light exchange: essential for photosynthesis
• Temperature stability: for both air and soil, specific for each crop.
Mastering these basics involves a complete understanding of how and why they affect the crop at every stage, without this knowledge the grower is unable to determine what conditions and techniques are best when managing the crop. The successful grower when making changes makes it a habit to not override the plant basics and hinder the goal of a quality crop.
On November 12th, the official kick-off of project SMART in Rwanda was launched. The kick-off of this project is part of the economic mission to Rwanda, led by Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Minister Ploumen. The aim of this project is to enable farmers in Rwanda to develop a sustainable and profitable business where productivity and food-safety are key. By combining Dutch technology and expertise with local expertise of farmers and knowledge of institutes, both parties see a clear win-win-situation.