DOI issue:
Vol. VI : 1 1988
DOI article:Strømgaard, Peter: The grassland mound-system of the Asia-Mambwe of Zambia
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49003#0040
38
PETER STR0MGAARD
Fig. 6. During a work-party mounds are system-
atically laid in alternation, left and right, in parallel
lines perpendicular to the slope.
Wahrend eines Arbeitseinsatzes werden Hugel
systematisch alternierend rechts und links der in
parallelen Reihen ruckwarts arbeitenden Manner
senkrecht zum Hang (d.h. parallel zu den Hohen-
schichtlinien) angelegt.
by soil thrown with a hoe; a thin layer of soil
is spread over the seed when a clod is swung
sideways shoulder high on the hoe, and then
tossed over with a light movement that scat-
ters the earth evenly over the ground. The
early introduction of Leguminosae ensures an
addition of nitrogen both to the crops grown
in the mixture on the mound and the cereals
grown after the harvest of the beans and the
spreading of the mounds.
Work by Lal (1986), Swift and Sanchez
(1984) and Attiwell et al. (1985) reports the
effects of mulching and compost-like proc-
esses of the system described here to be con-
siderable: physical effects of mulching in-
clude conservation of soil moisture,
improvement of infiltration rate, reduction in
weeding and weed competition, lowering of
soil temperature and improvement of soil
structure. Biological changes include in-
creased activity of soil micro-organisms and
animals; activities of micro-organisms and
soil fauna involved in the decomposition in-
Fig. 7a, b. The compost-mounds, fundikila, with
beans in the mounded 1-year garden, ntumba,, see
further page 39.
Der Garten-Zyklus der Aisa Mambwe. Siehe Seite
39. Die Komposthugel/zzzzdzLzLz, und der hiigelige
einjahrige Garten, ntumba. Siehe Seite 39.
crease, and the added organic matter also
stimulates decomposition of soil organic mat-
ter. The nitrogen in the buried organic matter
is necessary for the growth of bacteria re-
sponsible for the further decomposition. A
low carbon-nitrogen ratio in the added mate-
rial is therefore important: the use of Legu-
minous crop cover makes sense.
Chemical changes initiated by mulching
are increased in humus content and cation ex-
change capacity; the increase in humus re-
presents the net effect of the dynamics of in-
PETER STR0MGAARD
Fig. 6. During a work-party mounds are system-
atically laid in alternation, left and right, in parallel
lines perpendicular to the slope.
Wahrend eines Arbeitseinsatzes werden Hugel
systematisch alternierend rechts und links der in
parallelen Reihen ruckwarts arbeitenden Manner
senkrecht zum Hang (d.h. parallel zu den Hohen-
schichtlinien) angelegt.
by soil thrown with a hoe; a thin layer of soil
is spread over the seed when a clod is swung
sideways shoulder high on the hoe, and then
tossed over with a light movement that scat-
ters the earth evenly over the ground. The
early introduction of Leguminosae ensures an
addition of nitrogen both to the crops grown
in the mixture on the mound and the cereals
grown after the harvest of the beans and the
spreading of the mounds.
Work by Lal (1986), Swift and Sanchez
(1984) and Attiwell et al. (1985) reports the
effects of mulching and compost-like proc-
esses of the system described here to be con-
siderable: physical effects of mulching in-
clude conservation of soil moisture,
improvement of infiltration rate, reduction in
weeding and weed competition, lowering of
soil temperature and improvement of soil
structure. Biological changes include in-
creased activity of soil micro-organisms and
animals; activities of micro-organisms and
soil fauna involved in the decomposition in-
Fig. 7a, b. The compost-mounds, fundikila, with
beans in the mounded 1-year garden, ntumba,, see
further page 39.
Der Garten-Zyklus der Aisa Mambwe. Siehe Seite
39. Die Komposthugel/zzzzdzLzLz, und der hiigelige
einjahrige Garten, ntumba. Siehe Seite 39.
crease, and the added organic matter also
stimulates decomposition of soil organic mat-
ter. The nitrogen in the buried organic matter
is necessary for the growth of bacteria re-
sponsible for the further decomposition. A
low carbon-nitrogen ratio in the added mate-
rial is therefore important: the use of Legu-
minous crop cover makes sense.
Chemical changes initiated by mulching
are increased in humus content and cation ex-
change capacity; the increase in humus re-
presents the net effect of the dynamics of in-