New agricultural land has recently been developed at CAAS – including for the cultivation of kinkeliba (herbal tea), lemongrass, and allspice. The beds were prepared with deep furrows for humus and organic fertilizer. We use an adapted form of the traditional Zaï method, in which one-meter-wide planting strips are created instead of individual holes.
Zaï originated in Burkina Faso and was made famous by farmer Yacouba Sawadogo. The technique is based on small, targeted depressions in the soil that store rainwater, improve soil quality, and decompose organic material with the help of termites – similar to earthworms in European soils. Yields can triple, and at the same time, more CO₂ is sequestered than with conventional farming methods. At CAAS, this traditional knowledge is combined with current ecological approaches.
Additional farm workers from the surrounding area were hired to lay out the planting strips and plant the crops.
