Last month, I had the privilege to go to Eastern Niger to see some field work projects being done by Samaritan’s Purse. It was a literal field trip – right out to the fields! It was great to see some work being done and learn a few things that I can bring to the village where I work.
I flew out East in a little missions plane – which landed at a missions station. We radioed in to the station and as we landed on a little dirt/gravel strip, someone was waiting at the gate to wave us in … I felt like I had gone “old school”!!
As I had to wait a few hours for my ride out to the village, I received a tour of the missions hospital. It was great to finally see and experience the hospital of which I have heard many good stories since my arrival in Niger! It was amazing to see and hear of how many people are blessed through this hospital each month. But what struck me the most was the words of one doctor we met, who was going home after his shift. When asked how his day was, he replied “No one died today!” I cannot even imagine the fortitude and strength of character it takes to work in a hospital in Niger – day in and day out – when the highlight of the day is that no one died! May God continue to bless the work and the workers here!!
My ride eventually came and I headed out to the next small town where I would stay for a few nights. On Sunday morning, we woke up early – I managed to find some farimaasa (fried flour dough) for breakfast on the streets, even though I cannot speak Hausa beyond greetings. I managed to communicate how many I wanted and set out to enjoy my sugary fried goodness! We then headed off to the villages that host the “farmer training school” programs that SP manages.
This trip along the national highway (equivalent to the #1 in Canada) took quite a while – we happened to be travelling along the stretch that is in need of repair.
So, when the highway looks like this, you drive more in the ditch …. or off the road on the side dirt road which is better!
At the first village, the training school consisted of a half-hectare plot of land, on which the villagers are practicing new farming techniques.
They have learned to do zai holes and to plant three new varieties of millet seed.
They also learned a technique called FMNR (Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration).
A process of trimming trees so they grow taller, versus as shrubs (tree to left and shrub to the right). The trees then can provide windbreak, wood for cooking … the trimmings are also used on the fields to help prevent the soil from blowing away.
We also inspected the acacia tress which had been planted around the field edges – one every five metres.
These trees serve a few purposes:
- wind break
- soil regeneration
- firewood fuel
- food
The seeds from this tree are ready to eat in two years – and contain 29% protein! Once ground into a flour, it can be used to make the traditional porridge meal that the Fulani eat. It can also be combined with a few other flours (millet, sorghum, peanut) to make a healthy, nutritious and protein based weaning formula for the babies.
For the first year or two – the trees are surrounded by thorn bushes so that the goats cannot eat them. After the first year, once the leaves are no longer soft and sweet, the trees will not be eaten by the animals.
Unfortunately, in the second village, the villagers did not understand the clarification of needing a year to grow – and understood only that the goats did not eat the trees. So they decided not to invest the labour into the tree protection … and the goats came and ate the trees!
It was so sad to see all this work and investment destroyed. I also learned that if I do these trees in my village, I will need to be very clear about the protection for the young plants as well as follow-up to ensure the trees are enclosed in thorn bushes before the animals can eat them. It doesn’t take much time at all – just two weeks prior, these trees had been thriving and were now striped bare.
I am excited to learn more about these trees and how they can be used to help my village! There is so much to learn in order to help my village regenerate their land and be able to better support their families with their crop production!
Stay tuned for Field Trip – Part 2 on a later post!
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