
“Push-Pull" (www.push-pull.net) is an integrated, sustainable
farming method that improves maize yields and soil fertility:
The stemborer pest is repelled by the smell of desmodium
planted as an intercrop between the maize and beans
(“Push"). Napier grass is planted as a border crop and it
attracts the stemborers away the maize field (“Pull").
Desmodium can also fix nitrogen and so improves maize
yields without the use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides.
The napier grass is also a welcome source of healthy animal
fodder. The aim of the project supported by Biovision is to
extend the use of this sustainable method in the area around
Lake Victoria. The Push-Pull method is being taught at many
agricultural schools and information that is easy to
understand is being made available in the form of manuals or
comics. Practical instruction and short films are used to reach
the farmers who often have little or no formal schooling.