Nine-maize hole

"Nine-maize hole" is an intensive cropping practice in which 9 maize seeds are planted in a hole that has been filled with compost or other organic fertilizer. This practice aims to increase maize production by breaking the soil hardpan, and to improve soils which have been continuously cropped. Nine-maize hole was originally developed by a small-scale Kenyan farmer as a way to increase the productivity of his small plot of land.

The holes measure 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm (2 feet x 2 feet x 2 feet). The distance between the holes is also 60 cm (2 feet). Each hole is filled with about 15 kg of manure or more, depending on availability.

Location

Nine-maize hole was developed on volcanic nitisols soils in Kirinyaga district, Kenya. This area is over 1500 m above sea level, and has more than 1000 mm of rain a year.

This technology is useful in areas where maize plots are very small: 0.4 ha (1 acre) or less. It could be used in larger plots, but this would require a lot of labour.

Advantages

  • Increases the productivity of very small areas of land.
  • Helps to break the soil hardpan, allowing better crop root development.
  • Allows a higher plant population in a given area.
  • As the hole's fertility rises, less organic material is used in following seasons.
  • Minimizes the risk of the maize plants falling over.

Disadvantages

  • The initial digging of the holes requires a lot of labour, although the holes need to be re-dug only every 2-3 years.
  • Compost (or other organic fertilizers) may not always be available. 

Requirements

  • Spade or other digging implements.
  • Compost.
  • Maize seed.

Procedure

1. Clear the area of weeds and prepare it for planting.

2. Measure holes 60 cm x 60 cm (2 feet x 2 feet), leaving a space of at least 60 cm between them (Picture 1).

3. Dig out the topsoil from each hole and put it on one side. Continue to dig out the soil to a depth of 60 cm, removing the sub-soil and placing it on the other side (Picture 2).

4. Place some dry and green plant material into the hole. This helps conserve moisture and releases nutrients to the plant as it rots.

5. Mix the top soil with 7–10 kg (one tin full) of compost or well-decomposed manure. In the following seasons, you will need only 2–4 kg of compost per hole.

6. Fill the hole with the topsoil–compost mixture. Mix the subsoil with some manure and spread it around the hole.

7. Sow nine maize seeds in the hole (only five seeds in drier regions). You can plant beans in the gaps between the holes (Picture 3).

8. After harvesting the maize, you can plant other crops like beans, kale or tomatoes in the holes.

9. As the soil in the hole sinks, you can use the additional soil–compost mixture around the hole to hill-up the maize.
Susanna Gatundu's farm

Susanna Gatundu is a farmer and member of the Kiawaruguru women's self-help group. This is one of the groups in Kirinyaga District (120 km from Nairobi) working with the Association for Better Land Husbandry (ABLH). Susanna is reaping benefits from the nine-maize hole practice.

On her 0.8 ha (2 acre) farm, Susanna has one cow, several goats and a few chickens, from which she collects manure. She mixes the manure with crop residues to produce compost to be used on her maize crop. Nutrients on her farm are well-recycled, providing a stable environment for production with few costly external inputs.

Susanna learned about the nine-maize hole practice during a training course with the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming and ABLH. After many seasons of frustratingly low yields from her 0.2 ha (0.5 acre) maize plot, in March 1996 she decided to try it out.

In an area of about 1/20 ha (1/8 acre) she dug 250 holes in 4 rows, with about 60 holes in each row. She planted maize in the holes, following the nine-maize hole teachnique. From this area, she harvested two 90 kg bags of maize. This was a marked improvement for Susanna, as she usually only got 3-4 bags from her entire half-acre plot. In the two following seasons, she increased the number of holes to more than 750.

"My maize was stronger and withstood the strong winds", Susanna said. "Each plant gave 2 large cobs. The small area gave a higher production. With a higher plant population of 9 plants it was possible to get up to 15 cobs, as compared to the conventional way of growing maize where the same area would produce 4 plants giving up to 8 cobs. I save extra money as I no longer buy fertilizer from the coffee factory. I only spend KSh 5 to hire a worker to dig the holes and mix the manure."

In the drought of November 1996 to March 1997, Susanna was able to harvest maize, while her neighbours had almost nothing. The holes and manure helped retain moisture in the soil.

"Over one season I decided to carry out rotation and planted beans in some of the holes," said Susanna. "The beans did better than the previous crop. The holes are improving the soil in my farm."

What about the reaction of her neighbours and friends? Many people have admired her maize crop. She has taught a few other farmers, and some of them are using the practice and reaping benefits. She has been motivated by visits from other self-help groups and government officials.

ABLH staff helped Susanna compare yields from the conventional production practice with the nine-maize hole. They marked out two 35 m2 plots, each measuring 9 m x 3.9 m (30 feet x 13 feet). One plot used the conventional production practice and the other used the nine-maize hole. The conventional practice produced 33 kg of unshelled maize; the nine-maize hole plot produced 44 kg—an encouraging increase of 33%. —For more information, contact Lucy Kioko, Association for Better Land Husbandry, Kenya.

 

Do’s

  • Measure the holes carefully, or the area could be under-utilized.
  • Watch how the crops perform, and if necessary, vary the number of plants or the distance between the holes.

Don’ts

  • Don’t dig the holes every season: it is a waste of time and effort.

Comparison of nine-maize hole and conventional row-cropping of maize

  Nine-Maize hole practice Conventional practice
Land preparation Holes are dug once and need to be re-dug only every 2-3 years Ploughing is done every season, destroying the soil structure each time.
Planting pattern
Planting spacing Nine plants in a square spaced at 30 cm x 30cm (1 foot x 1 foot); squares at 60 cm x 60 cm (2 feet x 2 feet) spacing Plants in rows, with spacing of 30 cm within the row and 60 cm between rows (1 foot x 2 feet spacing).
Plant population Total of 9 plants in 1.44m square area: 62,500 plants/ha (9 plants in 16 square feet, or 25,00 plants/acre). Total of 9 plants 1.62 m square area: 55,555 plants/ha (9 plants in 18 square feet, or 22,222 plants/acre
Compost application Incorporate with the soil throughout the 60 cm (2 feet depth of the hole. Boradcast and mixed with the top soil, only in the top 15-20 cm (6-8 inches).
Yield Yield is higher by as much as 20 - 40%

 
Click to Close Topic
PreviousClick for the Previous Page
Click for the Next Page Next