Buntun Shinkafa (Rice husk): Fertilizer or not? By Zanau Hassan

[zanau]

While working as manager livestock, feed mill, fishery and piggery at Kazu Farms, I had the cause of using buntun shinkafa a lot.
First, its being used as liter for the poultry pens.
Secondly, it was a major components of the feed ingredient during feed formulation.
Thirdly, the poultry litter is being mixed with the rice husk to make feed for cattle to consume as nutritious feed.
Another use was to mix it with molasses and feed the cattle.
Recently, my friend Happy Amos who is a promoter of renewable energy stove that reduces focus on fossil fuel as well as wood fuel. She teaches women and youth how to make the stoves and the briquettes made from rice husk or buntu and sawdust. Her innovation is a social enterprise project that is helping women find a cheaper source of fuel.
Now, why all these? Rice husk in Nigeria has become and environmental challenge and a major source of pollution in rice milling areas. In Tella town, Taraba state for example, which is the leading rice milling community in the state, has a mountain heap of rice husk which are often burnt and it takes a very long time to finish burning the huge heaps.
While I was in Soba to discuss with Mallam Tanimu who had achieved a record breaking feat of maize production in Nigeria in terms of yield 8 tons per hectare. One of the things he sell in his shop is "buntun shinkafa". The current price per bag was 400 naira and it is now 800 naira. Why are people buying what we term as waste material? Tanimu told me that they use it as fertilizer, and I was dumb founded for a long while. "Fertilizer"! I exclaimed, and he said yes. Then he told me how they use it on the farm to broadcast it before bulls plough with created ridges and incorporate them into the soil. They either apply poultry manure along side or buntu alone. Now, as scientist who understand soil composition for crops, I knew exactly what buntu does to the soil.
It helps in increasing the soil organic matter of the soil, which in turn helps improves the soil ability to retain moisture, nutrients and then improves aeration within the soil, which are very critical in root formation and the ability of the roots to absorb water and nutrient for the benefit of the crop. This is one technique that these rural farmers have found to enable them increase their yield per hectare.
Now Soba is a major maize growing area of Kaduna state with an average maize yield of around 4 tons per hectare. Because of climate change, Soba is loosing a lot of vegetation and the farmers have to find a way to improve their soil, and of cos buntun shinkafa comes very handy, its cheap and all you need do is to go and pack them and broadcast on your farm.
Now, why was I surprised, it is because in my state Taraba, we haven't found another use of rice husk outside burning it and the very few I mentioned above. Our farmers are battling with low yield and fertilizer usage. Taraba state has the lowest fertilizer usage in the major grain growing states in Nigeria. Initiatives such as using poultry manure, cow dung on farms is very low. Therefore, we have a nutrient depleted soils and because we have much land, what our farmers have result to doing is to engage in shifting cultivation by moving further into the bush where the soil is still fertile. All of these is due to the lack of exposure of our farmers, the absence of extension and research that can help farmers utilize their fields and increase their yields.
As I left Soba yesterday, I have been thinking of how we can utilize the abundant rice husk around the rice mills in our various communities and how best to educate the farmers on the importance of enhancing the soils to improve their yields.

[bonama]

With the story on that 80 bags per hectare yield on the other thread, rice husk should be like gold

[Josh123]

While working as manager livestock, feed mill, fishery and piggery at Kazu Farms, I had the cause of using buntun shinkafa a lot.
First, its being used as liter for the poultry pens.
Secondly, it was a major components of the feed ingredient during feed formulation.
Thirdly, the poultry litter is being mixed with the rice husk to make feed for cattle to consume as nutritious feed.
Another use was to mix it with molasses and feed the cattle.
Recently, my friend Happy Amos who is a promoter of renewable energy stove that reduces focus on fossil fuel as well as wood fuel. She teaches women and youth how to make the stoves and the briquettes made from rice husk or buntu and sawdust. Her innovation is a social enterprise project that is helping women find a cheaper source of fuel.
Now, why all these? Rice husk in Nigeria has become and environmental challenge and a major source of pollution in rice milling areas. In Tella town, Taraba state for example, which is the leading rice milling community in the state, has a mountain heap of rice husk which are often burnt and it takes a very long time to finish burning the huge heaps.
While I was in Soba to discuss with Mallam Tanimu who had achieved a record breaking feat of maize production in Nigeria in terms of yield 8 tons per hectare. One of the things he sell in his shop is "buntun shinkafa". The current price per bag was 400 naira and it is now 800 naira. Why are people buying what we term as waste material? Tanimu told me that they use it as fertilizer, and I was dumb founded for a long while. "Fertilizer"! I exclaimed, and he said yes. Then he told me how they use it on the farm to broadcast it before bulls plough with created ridges and incorporate them into the soil. They either apply poultry manure along side or buntu alone. Now, as scientist who understand soil composition for crops, I knew exactly what buntu does to the soil.
It helps in increasing the soil organic matter of the soil, which in turn helps improves the soil ability to retain moisture, nutrients and then improves aeration within the soil, which are very critical in root formation and the ability of the roots to absorb water and nutrient for the benefit of the crop. This is one technique that these rural farmers have found to enable them increase their yield per hectare.
Now Soba is a major maize growing area of Kaduna state with an average maize yield of around 4 tons per hectare. Because of climate change, Soba is loosing a lot of vegetation and the farmers have to find a way to improve their soil, and of cos buntun shinkafa comes very handy, its cheap and all you need do is to go and pack them and broadcast on your farm.
Now, why was I surprised, it is because in my state Taraba, we haven't found another use of rice husk outside burning it and the very few I mentioned above. Our farmers are battling with low yield and fertilizer usage. Taraba state has the lowest fertilizer usage in the major grain growing states in Nigeria. Initiatives such as using poultry manure, cow dung on farms is very low. Therefore, we have a nutrient depleted soils and because we have much land, what our farmers have result to doing is to engage in shifting cultivation by moving further into the bush where the soil is still fertile. All of these is due to the lack of exposure of our farmers, the absence of extension and research that can help farmers utilize their fields and increase their yields.
As I left Soba yesterday, I have been thinking of how we can utilize the abundant rice husk around the rice mills in our various communities and how best to educate the farmers on the importance of enhancing the soils to improve their yields.

This is great info. Thia is worth trying. Also Organic farming will most benefit.

[Tobi]

Is there any research on the best mode application? I mean, does one just spread and till the ground long with it? It would be nice to try it out cos rice husk is readily available and with the increase in the output of rice, there is a lot to use

[MustyJ]

Is there any research on the best mode application? I mean, does one just spread and till the ground long with it? It would be nice to try it out cos rice husk is readily available and with the increase in the output of rice, there is a lot to use

I think the article says the husk is applied before ploughing. My question is, what is the measurement of the application like? Eg kg/hectare.

[Achi]

Very good post Zanau. Despite all the positive things you mentioned in your write up, rice husk is treated as waste.

See what I saw passing by Tella Taraba State (incidentally one of the most agriculture intensive areas):rice husk thrown away! See money laid to waste!

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