Agricultural knowledge
As an employee of KSC, Wycliff is very experienced in the field of agriculture. He experiments with different types of crops as to determine the optimal crop specie to grow in this area. He has knowledge of the different insects and bacteria that hinder crop growth, of the amount of fertilizer and water that needs to be supplied, of which chemicals are best to use and how to prepare the soil.
Knowledge of water supply systems
The water that is used to irrigate the fields is supplied through pipes that are connected to the river. There used to be a rainwater harvesting system as a second form of water supply. However, some gutters and downspouts are damaged which has resulted in the negligence of this system. Now the water is supplied by two pipelines, to make sure there is a constant supply of water even if one of the pumps breaks down.
Knowledge on greenhouse farming
At the moment the greenhouses are out of use due to a soil disease. For the past eight years tomatoes were grown successfully. However, since the former manager did not have any knowledge of crop rotation and planning, the soil was exhausted and affected by a bacterial wield. Wycliff’s task is to repair the damage and get the greenhouses operational again. He obtains information about greenhouse farming through internet and books. To restore the harvest the soil of the first greenhouse will be replaced by new soil. In the other one Wycliff is experimenting with crops to see if they can survive the bacterial wield. Wycliff has never followed a course on greenhouse farming but he is eager to learn and is interested in Mr Achuti’s and our ideas.
Marketing knowledge
His research shows that has a feeling for marketing. He is trying to grow crops that can be harvested in short seasons. This way a farmer can be able to grow crops quickly after a period of drought and minimize the time of a low yield. Next to this, he tries to find crops that can endure the periods of drought in Bondo, which are very valuable as there is a high demand for crops during the dry season and prices go up quickly. With such crops, a high profit can be made.