Baby Steps
The company that runs the Land Cruiser line to Mbulu sometimes pulls tricks on its customers. The time schedule is meaningless. No explanations are ever offered for any delay or route changes. The seating arrangement is a mystery to me. Arguing with the staff never does any good since the tickets are pre-paid and changes are announced at the last minute, if at all. Customer service is just non-existent. We are always at the mercy at the company.
So it didn’t surprise me that Moses, the most skinny 5-feet man that I have ever met, got screwed again. When he was put on a late-afternoon bus with a different route, he refused to get on. And when he tried to sit in the first bus in the next morning, he got kicked out. He had to buy another ticket to get on another bus, almost 18 hours later than his original plan.
By the time he arrived in the village for the meeting, half of the people had already left. He managed to do a demonstration of a new technique for the rest of the group. Now that the farmers have begun composting, the next thing is to teach them double digging which helps the nutrients penetrate deeper in the ground and create piles that look like the top of hangars which offer expanded surface for arable land.
We plan to give out seeds for carrots, tomato, cabbage to improve their health and income. Lettuce will also be given to see if it can grow in the mountains.
We discussed with the farmers about their contribution. The farmers said that they are too broke to share the cost. It’s probably true since the village was plagued with drought earlier this year and the previous years. I discussed the situation further with a local expert who suggested that we still ask the farmers to share a small fraction of the cost to avoid dependency on handout but collect the payment after they sell the vegetables. I was relieved that we are finally able to find a solution that will address all the concerns.
To be eligible for the vegetable program, the farmers will also be required to maintain 2 piles of composts in order to receive the heavily-subsidized seeds. We hope this will encourage them to implement what they learn in the class. Moses will go back to the village again this weekend to finish the field visit and determine eligibility of each farmer.
Baby step by baby step, the project is moving forward. I can’t wait until the day when farmers can begin the rip the benefit of all the techniques that they are learning.
Cheers to a brighter future.
So it didn’t surprise me that Moses, the most skinny 5-feet man that I have ever met, got screwed again. When he was put on a late-afternoon bus with a different route, he refused to get on. And when he tried to sit in the first bus in the next morning, he got kicked out. He had to buy another ticket to get on another bus, almost 18 hours later than his original plan.
By the time he arrived in the village for the meeting, half of the people had already left. He managed to do a demonstration of a new technique for the rest of the group. Now that the farmers have begun composting, the next thing is to teach them double digging which helps the nutrients penetrate deeper in the ground and create piles that look like the top of hangars which offer expanded surface for arable land.
We plan to give out seeds for carrots, tomato, cabbage to improve their health and income. Lettuce will also be given to see if it can grow in the mountains.
We discussed with the farmers about their contribution. The farmers said that they are too broke to share the cost. It’s probably true since the village was plagued with drought earlier this year and the previous years. I discussed the situation further with a local expert who suggested that we still ask the farmers to share a small fraction of the cost to avoid dependency on handout but collect the payment after they sell the vegetables. I was relieved that we are finally able to find a solution that will address all the concerns.
To be eligible for the vegetable program, the farmers will also be required to maintain 2 piles of composts in order to receive the heavily-subsidized seeds. We hope this will encourage them to implement what they learn in the class. Moses will go back to the village again this weekend to finish the field visit and determine eligibility of each farmer.
Baby step by baby step, the project is moving forward. I can’t wait until the day when farmers can begin the rip the benefit of all the techniques that they are learning.
Cheers to a brighter future.
posted by Nancy at 3:58 PM
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