Thanks for questioning the computation…we were able to check and true enough we found out that an error was committed in the formula in activity #5 (Lesson 2 p.3). It should read like this:







Note that the total area of quadrats should be 4 sq.m instead of 1 sq.m, as was written in the published lesson. The example should therefore read as:

Example:

If for instance you were able to gather 5 kilos from your 1,000 sq.m. area (measuring 50m x20m), your computations will be as follows:

5kg /4sq.m. 1,000 sq.m = 1,250 kg.

The succeeding example on page 4 should read like this:

Example:

The no. of goats your 1,000sq.m. area can support is computed as follows:

1,250kg /500kg/goat = 2.5 goats

This means your 1,000sq.m. area can accommodate only 2.5 goats. If you intend to raise 25, your computation will be as follows:

1,000sq.m /2.5 goats x [(25 goats) – (2.5 goats)] = 9,000sq.m.

This means you need another 9,000sq.m. area for pasture establishment to support your production target.
Please note that the example given, where 5kg of edible plant parts is generated from 1000sq.m. area, is quite high, considering that most backyard farms have only native vegetation naturally growing. For such farms, a realistic figure would just be between 1-2kg of edible plant parts. Farms, which are planted with a mix of improved grasses and leguminous trees and shrubs can get 5kg plant yield or even higher.