Mbolea!

This week our team returned to Ngurdoto for HIV prevention and bio-intensive agriculture (BIA) training. While two of the volunteers lead a prevention class, I was the only counterpart teaching sustainable agriculture. Javeson (one of the GSC staff members) and I provided farmers with an in-depth lesson plan about BIA. Our classroom was nestled in the cornfields in a cement church building that overlooked Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro.

As I had mentioned before, my favorite aspect of SA is being able to apply the lessons taught in the classroom to the field. On the third day, we constructed a double dug bed that was 6 x 1.5 meters. In order to make a double dug bed, farmers must dig 1 foot of top soil, a second foot of sub-soil, and a third foot must be loosened. It may be hard to picture but this trench is massive! After digging three feet or 1.5 meters, farmers place the sub-soil back into the trench and then add manure or compost onto the sub-soil. This step is repeated for the topsoil layer. The double-dug bed in its final stages has a semi-circle tubular shape that allows for increased number of plants per unit area. The ultimate goal of double digging is to produce a "living sponge-cake" in the soil (produced by the soil-manure combination). Double dug beds improve soil moisture retention, air circulation, promote plant growth, and control soil erosion. Additionally, these beds have a lifespan of three years! If anyone is interested in forming her/his own double dug bed feel free to email me and I will provide you with detailed information. I highly suggest this method for growing your own fresh vegetables!

MBOLEA (Manure)

During the construction of the double dug bed, babas and kakas (fathers and sons) shoveled soil while mamas and dadas (mothers and sisters) carried buckets of manure from a farm on a hill to the farming site. While Javeson lead the digging, I helped women rake and carry mbolea from the home. These women were surprised by my physical strength and, as a result, nicknamed me "dada Africa." As we carried the buckets, farming songs were sung in unison. I was eager to learn the songs and move with the African rhythm. Shoveling manure, with only women by my side, made me profoundly respect the strength of African mamas who assume the roles of farmers, caregivers, and household keepers. With all of these duties, there is a mutual understanding between the women that farming plots (like the double dug beds) can be shared as a community. There is a widespread saying in Kiswahili termed "Tuko pamoja" or "We are all one." Ngurdoto farmers clearly apply this phrase to their way of life.

Offering Gifts

After constructing a double dug bed, I felt deeply connected to my class. The practical portion allowed me to interact with farmers informally. I became a Maasai babu's adopted granddaughter, a friend of the dadas, and individual teacher to the babas. Throughout the week, I took several photos and printed copies for each member in the class. They were all amazed by the abilities of the digital camera and appreciated my photos. On the last day of class, all of the women left the church and re-entered while singing the offering of the gift song and each holding a present for me! Tears filled up in my eyes as I saw mamas carrying sacks of beans and corn, bags of pineapple, mango and eggs, and two freshly cut banana trees! Peter, one of the village leaders, then delivered a written speach thanking Javeson and me for our teaching sessions. I found out later that this was the first time that Ngurdoto had a non-profit travel to their village to deliver farming training! Fortunately, we return to this village at the end of the month for follow-up training so I will be able to re-visit the compassionate, thoughtful, and kind people of Ngurdoto.