Zambia Agribusiness Society

Most times, farmers or intending farmers think about land, capital, breeds, disease control, vaccination, farm structures and other requirements that they look at as more important than others. However, to the contrary, research and experience show that the most valuable and important resource of all, the Human resource is given little attention. As farms grow in stock and other operations, the owners can no longer rely on family members as source of unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled labour. Before one knows it, they need to employ and manage 10 employees and the years go by, the number keeps on increasing. Employing the right people on the farm is one thing and effectively managing them is the other. The key skills and tips to manage these employees make a difference between a failed farm and a successful farm. The following are the skills, expertise and strategies to effectively manage employees on your farm: 1. Good communication mechanism. Established to communicate with

Getting and keeping good workers is a challenge every farm owner or manager has to deal with on a day to day basis. Good workers are hard to find, so when you get one, you have to do everything possible to retain them. Below are some tips on how to retain good workers on your farm. 1. Comfortable accommodation Some farm owners provide better accommodation for their livestock than for the workers who look after them. I have seen this in parts of Mukono, Mbarara, Hoima and the central, true it is the livestock generating the money, but without the workers to look after them properly, their productivity will soon drop. So why dose a goat or cow even a pig sleep comfortably than the care taker. Buy them good mattresses, blankets and make them eat their money well (farm workers). 2. Good food You would expect farm workers to have the best meals, since food is produced cheaply on the farm; however this is not always the case. Unless they steal some it is common for a worker on

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a hardy crop that can survive low winter temperatures. While temperature and day length influence bulb formation, this is to a lesser extent than demonstrated by onions. Most conditions suitable for onion production also apply to garlic cultivation, with the ideal growth temperatures between 13°C and 24°C. Planting Space the divided cloves 8cm to 15cm apart in rows 30cm to 40cm apart. Plant the cloves approximately 50mm deep on raised beds or on level ground, by hand or mechanically. While the ideal planting date varies from one area to another, the general recommendation in South Africa is from February to May. Fertilisation Before planting, work compost into the soil to improve its fertility and structure. At planting, broadcast about 125g/m², 3:2:3 granular fertiliser. During the growing period, which lasts about six to eight weeks after planting, apply 40g/m² of 3:2:3 as a light side-dressing. Irrigation Garlic is successful under furrow,