Guam’s farmers often rely on hand weeding or gas trimmers to control fast-growing weeds in citrus, papaya and pepper crops. These methods can be expensive and time consuming, so one innovative farmer is instead trying sheet mulching as a cost-effective method to control weeds. Sheet mulching involves layering various sources of organic waste materials on top of the ground to smother weeds. This practice also has the potential to divert paper waste from the landfill and to build soil.
Glenn Takai of Takai Farm used a Western SARE Farmer/Rancher grant to research the efficacy of using waste cardboard and chipped branches as sheet mulch and found the practice significantly reduced weed propagation and growth. The approach also nearly doubled pepper yields on their test plots, prevented weeds from competing with crops for nutrients, and improved soil organic matter and quality.
Takai’s research improved the environmental and economic sustainability of his and others’ farms by demonstrating a more cost-effective model for weed control and soil improvement. After seeing Takai’s success, neighboring farmers on Guam began adopting the mulching method.A recent post-project evaluation of SARE projects awarded between 2016–2019 found that on-farm research demonstrations encourage other producers to adapt innovative new production practices.
“Mulching, hands down, is going to be the way to go compared to not mulching. I wouldn’t do without it,” said Takai, who credits the SARE grant for enabling his research.
Visit https://www.sare.org/sare-impacts-FW19-348 for more information on this project’s impact.
Sheet Mulch Using Cardboard and Nitrogen Fixing Trees is part of a series produced by Insight for Action as part of a post-project evaluation of SARE's regional grant programs. For more information visit https://www.sare.org/sare-impacts.
For information on grants and resources available from SARE, visit www.sare.org.
View Related SARE Grant:
- Sheet Mulch Using Cardboard and NFTs (FW19-348)