Boost your production: How to make organic fertilisers for cocoa

Cocoa trees need fertiliser to increase the production and quality of the cocoa. In this document, you will find 15 short instructional videos on how you can make organic liquid spray fertiliser and organic compost fertiliser. The materials needed to produce organic fertilisers are available locally and affordable (or free).

1. Why is making organic fertiliser so important for farmers?

Making organic inputs allow farmers to:

• process all farm waste and recycle nutrients in weeds, manure and crop residues;
• increase at least 20% of production and quality;
• save money on fertilisers;
• access organic markets.

The materials needed for organic fertiliser production are available locally and affordable (or free), such as livestock manure, weeds, crop residues, earth, ash, rock dust from crashed rocks or discarded fruits.

These local materials' controlled production process, or fermentation,  allows farmers to work with beneficial microorganisms. These microorganisms work with the crops in 2 ways:

1. they increase bioavailable nutrients; and
2. they protect the crop from pests and diseases.

2. CBI organic input training programme for cocoa farmers

On behalf of CBI, RockinSoils organised an organic input training programme for cocoa farmers. During this programme, cocoa farmers learnt how to make 2 types of organic fertiliser for cocoa:

• a solid compost to improve soil fertility and nourish cocoa from the root; and
• a liquid foliar fertiliser to provide the cocoa plant with easy access to nutrients.

Instructors filmed the training programme. Now, every farmer can access this information and make organic fertiliser with the help of instructional videos.

3. Instructional videos to make organic fertiliser for cocoa trees

Farmers have access to two specific playlists on the CBI organic cocoa channel. This channel has step-by-step instructions for the production of organic inputs. Each playlist contains short videos that explain every necessary step of the process, from gathering ingredients to production, storage and use.

How to make compost fertiliser

1. For cocoa compost fertiliser [playlist 1]
   1. Compost site preparation and materials
   2. Preparing beneficial microorganisms
   3. Making the compost pile
   4. Testing and assessing the composting process
   5. Compost application to cocoa

How to make liquid spray fertiliser

2. For liquid spray fertiliser [playlist 2]
   1. Why liquid fertilisers?
   2. Materials and ingredients
   3. Preparing local microorganisms
   4. Preparing the liquid fertiliser
   5. Fermentation
   6. After fermentation; sieving, and testing quality
   7. Storage
   8. Applying liquid fertilisers to cocoa
       

RockinSoils organised the training programme and videos on behalf of CBI.

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