While I was out east learning about new farming techniques, we also stopped by a garden project being run by Samaritan’s Purse. The magnitude of this village gardening project was astounding!! A few of my village areas have gardens – but only those next to the marsh … it was encouraging to see what is possible with a well and hard work!
The group that dug the well for these people didn’t finish the job … so, the water is drawn by hand through a tube and dumped into barrels. There were at least two, if not three wells along the length of the garden – all being used in the work of watering the veggies!
From there, the villagers take the water into the garden with small buckets and watering cans to water each plant!
Truly a village effort as there were about 20-30 people working in the garden that day!
Another project that I saw in this field trip was an Animal Fodder Bank …. wheat bran bought in a market of farther distance, at a cheap price, and resold at a cheaper rate (than the local market) in these villages, while still making a profit.
While there are some logistics to this program that I don’t think will make it profitable for the villagers where I work … there is still perhaps some to be learned. I will need to determine market pricing of various locations to determine the feasibility of this. However, as my villagers often discuss the rising price of animal bran when there is no grazing available – there are perhaps things that I can incorporate.
One thing I did learn – was that the mill on the right is being used to mill a mixture of bought and organic food into a food mixture for the animals. The bran from the market along with the millet stalks (similar concept to a corn stalk) and salt. The salt in the mixture removes the need for a salt block for the animals. The millet stalks are normally left on the fields for the animals to graze.
However, the millet stalks should also be used as mulch for the seeding in the upcoming year. I need to investigate if mixing the bran and millet stalk mulch together will require les of each product to create animal food – thus reducing the amount of bran needed to be bought by the villager and increasing the millet stalks which can be left on the fields for mulch (versus food for the cows).
So much to learn! But, I have some great starting points for my research!!
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