The early planting method is paying off. We harvested approximately 1,500 lbs of grain in late March through early April, just from our demonstration garden. Other farmers who used the method are busy harvesting. For them, the harvesting season will stretch from March through June. Then the first irrigated crops after the rains will be ready in June or July. As we close the gaps in food production, year-round harvesting is becoming a reality.
These techniques are only available to irrigation farmers. Others rely exclusively on rainfall to water their crops, which is a vulnerable method of farming. That's why creating inexpensive irrigation pumps, and training farmers to use them, is so important. There really needs to be nonstop harvesting to not just produce sufficient amounts of food, but also to mitigate any emergencies that affect yields.
