Land use
Crops (and rotation)
The agricultural activities in the basin are dominated: firstly by the rain fed cultures that occupy an area of 5904ha. This activity is performed from July to October during the rainfall period and the main cultures are corn and various species of association beans, that is, in the same ditch and without composts or fertilizers. The average area of an exploration is around 1.0ha against 1.9ha in the national level (RGA, 2004). The obtained productions are essentially used for self-consumption.
Secondly are the irrigated cultures, which occupy a reduced surface of 361ha, commonly used in the valleys of the basin and in a much reduced scale at the bottom of the creeks. The mainly practiced cultures are: the sugar cane, bananas, tubercles, fruits and vegetables.
The irrigation is mainly done with two systems: a traditional irrigation that consists in inundating the areas or plots; this type of irrigation consumes a high amount of water. The second system, localized irrigation or drip irrigation, is modern and uses less water. It was introduced in Cape Verde in the 80s. Its use is very limited in the basin and in the archipelago due to its cost.
Crop calendar & tillage practices
- Fc = Field cleaning
- S = Sowing
- W = Weeding
- H = Harvesting
- H* = Beans (Sapatinha quenti [only in semi arid and humid zones] and Bogonlon species)
- H*1 = Beans (Sapatinha quenti [only in semi arid and humid zones] and Bogonlon species)and green maize
- H*2 = Beans (Baxinha, Feijon congo and Mbonji species) and dry maize
- H** = Beans (Baxinha and Feijon congo species) and dry maize
- H*** = Beans (Baxinha and Feijon congo species)
The tillage is done manually, right before or after the first rains in July/August. Harvesting is performed at the end of the wet season.
Chemicals (fertilizer, pesticides) applied
No pesticide application in rain fed fields. Pesticides are applied to irrigated fields.
Irrigation
Only in irrigated fields, that represents a minority of the agriculture land.
Natural vegetation, main types and species composition
n.a.
Stocking density of animals
Some people own an occasional goat that they tie with a rope for them to graze.
