Field Work: Training–Day 2

Back in May – I wrote a blog post on the field work training that we conducted in the Fulani village of Kongu.  All in an effort to stem the tide of famine and consistent food shortage due to rainfall.  Our team is helping the villagers to work with a new millet grain which will mature in half the time as the traditional grain.  So, even as the rains may decrease, the millet will be ready to harvest in August instead of October!  This new grain should also harvest a larger crop, and as the years progress and the villagers continue to replant this grain from harvest, the harvests will continually increase in yield.

The first day of training in May – the villagers learned how this new grain works, learned planting techniques and how to use organic and non-organic fertilizer to increase their field productivity.

The second day of training was designed as a pratice day - going into the near-by fields to practice the lessons of the previous day.  I headed off to the third training area of Kongu Faldjam to see how the training was going in this location. 

When I arrived, the training had already moved out to the field, so I headed out to meet them.  The trainer choose this field specifically as it was wind-scarred land, and he wanted them to understand that this land could be revived and productive with the new planting techniques.

 

The trainer stood to the side and watched the villagers dig the holes in the ground with their hoe – judging to see if they understood the spacing and placement of the holes correctly.  It must be hard work – for a few of the men took their turns each digging one row.

  


In the picture above – you can see that the holes are staggered row to row, so that the rain flows into each hole with seed.



First the micro-dose of non-organic

fertilizer is dropped into the hole






Then, the organic fertilizer is dropped on

top to cover the micro-dose completely.

The hole will then be left open until the rains

arrive and fill the hole, mixing the two fertilizers

together.  Then the seed will be planted and the

hole covered over.






Now – in this picture, you see one of the most useful and necessary implements of African village life:

What, you may ask, does a plastic teapot serve in field work . . . how is it used to plant millet seed?

Well, it serves no purpose . . . to the planting of fields.

This plastic teapot is the African toilet paper!!  The water inside is used for washing after going to the “outhouse” (or behind the nearest bush).  I love the fact that the toilet paper was carried around all morning to each location we travelled!  I suppose it makes the best sense – as we were far from the huts, the teapot I am sure came handy and saved time so that those present did not have to return to the huts whenever nature called!

After the work in the fields, we headed back to the village centre and gathered under the tree for the final teaching and Q&A time period.



And – men in Africa multi-task! 



As the trainer teaches, the men are stripping grain bags down to strings and then braiding the strings together into a rope which will be used as either as a tether for their goats and sheep or tied to a bucket with which to draw water from the well.

Stay tuned for the final installment of “field work” posts – coming soon: Distribution!