In the last couple of weeks, I have been incredibly fortunate to take part in a few different project visits where I have learnt lots from the Ripple Effect Rwanda team and our dedicated project participants.
Fodder growing and home gardens:
From 12th-14th October, I joined Valens (Farm Systems Officer) and Shema (Farm Systems intern), on a trip to Musenyi sector, Bugesera for three days of fodder establishment and home gardens training with the Peer-Farmer Trainers (PFTs) and Community Animal Health Workers (CAHW).
Tumbukiza method: The Tumbukiza method is a technique for growing highly productive napier grass (for livestock consumption) on small pieces of land. Farmers dig pits/holes where a mixture of manure and soil is put in and the napier cuttings are planted below ground level. After around 3 months, the grass grows enough to be harvested
This method helps to sustain soil fertility and moisture levels, ensuring that napier grass can grow even during the dry-season and so livestock are well-fed.
As well as the Tynwald day event, we fortunately had a bit of time to explore the Isle of Man. Richard and I went for dinner at a local pub in Peel, a town on the west coast and enjoyed a walk around the walls of Peel Castle (photos below).
On Wednesday 6th July, we ventured up to the Point of Ayre, the most northerly point on the Isle of Man. We explored the Point of Ayre lighthouse, saw the nesting common terns and even spotted some seals resting on the pebbly beach and swimming nearby. Overall, it was a great trip and another amazing opportunity to passionately share about the outstanding work our Ripple Effect colleagues are doing in Africa to support rural farming families improve their livelihoods.
Other activities:
- Drafting and supporting the writing of various project reports for a range of donors.
- Engaging in project update meetings
- ‘Ripple Effect Values’ afternoon- this was a great opportunity for staff to come together along with tea, cake and activities to catch-up with each other and build team rapport.
- Continued planning and preparation activities for travel to Africa- a blog on this will be coming shortly!
Push-Pull farming:
Push-Pull farming is a natural, pest management farming technique which we promote for our farmers.
We prepared the plot for the push-pull demonstration, plating napier grass around the outside, then rows of maize and desmodium.
The napier grass attracts a pest- the stemborer moth which otherwise can attack the maize crop. The desmodium is good at suppressing weeds whilst also improving the soil quality by fixing nitrogen in the soil. The desmodium also controls a parastic weed- the Striga weed. This method can therefore increase the yield of maize a farmer produces whilst also producing desmodium and napier grass that can be used to feed livestock.
It was great to see the teaching and implementation of push-pull farming in context, to see what is involved for farmers in Africa.
The two methods were both labour intensive and tiring in the heat. The farmers were very engaged and worked tirelessly. The training gave me a huge respect and appreciation for the hard work and dedication our farmers put in to improve their lives and the lives of their fellow community members.
Home gardens:
On Friday 14th October, participants learnt how to build a ‘keyhole garden’ and a ‘double-dug bed’, for growing fruit and vegetables at household level. Farmers are taught these methods so that they can grow more fruit and vegetables to support better nutrition at the family-level whilst enabling them to sell the excess. These methods use compost and manure to organically fertilise and improve soil quality to get a better yield and quality of crop.
The keyhole garden is basically a mound of soil with a 60cm wide gap in the middle. The idea is that farmers put garden waste, manure and waste water (from washing foods) into the hole into the middle which breaks down to provide vital nutrition for the growth of the plants.
Valens also taught farmers how to construct double-dug beds. This technique involves removing the top soil layer, exposing the subsoil hardpan beneath, breaking it up and combining it with manure/compost, and putting back the topsoil mixed with compost. Breaking up the subsoil and mixing with manure improve the soil fertility, enables the soil to retain water for longer and allows plant roots to grow deeper which means plants don’t need watering as often.
“Double digging allows roots to reach deeper into the earth… Deeper roots mean plants don’t have to be watered as often. And more plants can grow in the same area because they don’t have to rely on the topsoil alone for moisture and nutrients… It’s the fastest way to good soil. (Source- Fine Gardening)
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‘Participant-led stories’:
On Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th October, I joined Apophia (Project Manager), along with Claude (driver) and a photographer to hear and collect participant-led stories (personal testimonies) from some of our project participants in Musenyi, Bugesera and Cyahina, Nyaraguru for an end of year donor report.
Learning highlights from Year 1:
From the conversations with project participants, some of the key learnings they took from the first year of the project included:
- Gender and family relations training- participants talked about couples working collaboratively now and making decisions jointly. Women talked about men being more willing to participate in household tasks and sharing of the workload. As a result, relationships and family harmony is improved and families are working together towards a goal/target.
- Nutrition and diet- the importance of healthy diet consisting of fruit and vegetables. As a result, families are growing fruit and vegetables and are beginning to include these more frequently in their diets.
- Hygiene- personal hygiene and household hygiene. This includes using simple measures and techniques like washing lines, kitchen drying racks, tip-taps, and the importance of personal and family hygiene.
- Community group development- How to work as a community group for training savings and working together. Participants talked about previously being ‘lonely’, but now they feel together.
- Savings culture- families talked positively about starting a saving culture, not matter how small an amount, so that they can save up to improve their house (render the house, put a new front door, etc) or invest in income generating activities.
These were some of the highlights and key learnings from the first year of the project. This project has two more years left and so it is exciting to see how these households and families’ livelihoods will improve over the duration of the project.
Ongoing challenges faced:
- Dry weather/drought/lack of rains/water
- Food/harvest- as a result of the lack of rains, families worry about having enough food
- Lack of manure- to naturally fertilise their gardens
- Lack of electricity (for some families)
- Health of family members
- Paying school fees- the families are reliant on a good harvest during the rainy season to be able to sell enough to pay for their children’s education.
As a result, it is clear from meeting the families in both Bugesera and Nyaraguru that climate change is affecting farming families in sub-saharan Africa in very real ways. It was evident how reliant these families are on the ever-increasingly unpredictable rains for their livelihoods and how these rains can effect food and families’ ability to pay bills like rents and school fees.
It highlights the importance of training and skills delivered to farmers to build their resilience to overcome climate related shocks, so that they can develop happy and productive lives.
Water tanks distribution:
As part of the trip, the project distributed water tanks to some community members to support in rainwater harvesting efforts. We were joined by Innocent, the Musenyi Sector, Executive Secretary (the governmental head of the local area), who thanked for project for the work that is taking place, but also encouraged the participants for the efforts in changing their livelihoods. He shared with them how the water tanks can be a mechanism for change in their lives and the lives of other community members. The project participants were very grateful and it was a joy to watch them roll their water tanks back home, where they had already built the stone and concrete base in preparation.
Push-Pull farming:
Push-Pull farming is a natural, pest management farming technique which we promote for our farmers.
We prepared the plot for the push-pull demonstration, plating napier grass around the outside, then rows of maize and desmodium.
The napier grass attracts a pest- the stemborer moth which otherwise can attack the maize crop. The desmodium is good at suppressing weeds whilst also improving the soil quality by fixing nitrogen in the soil. The desmodium also controls a parastic weed- the Striga weed. This method can therefore increase the yield of maize a farmer produces whilst also producing desmodium and napier grass that can be used to feed livestock.
It was great to see the teaching and implementation of push-pull farming in context, to see what is involved for farmers in Africa.
The two methods were both labour intensive and tiring in the heat. The farmers were very engaged and worked tirelessly. The training gave me a huge respect and appreciation for the hard work and dedication our farmers put in to improve their lives and the lives of their fellow community members.
Home gardens:
On Friday 14th October, participants learnt how to build a ‘keyhole garden’ and a ‘double-dug bed’, for growing fruit and vegetables at household level. Farmers are taught these methods so that they can grow more fruit and vegetables to support better nutrition at the family-level whilst enabling them to sell the excess. These methods use compost and manure to organically fertilise and improve soil quality to get a better yield and quality of crop.
The keyhole garden is basically a mound of soil with a 60cm wide gap in the middle. The idea is that farmers put garden waste, manure and waste water (from washing foods) into the hole into the middle which breaks down to provide vital nutrition for the growth of the plants.
Valens also taught farmers how to construct double-dug beds. This technique involves removing the top soil layer, exposing the subsoil hardpan beneath, breaking it up and combining it with manure/compost, and putting back the topsoil mixed with compost. Breaking up the subsoil and mixing with manure improve the soil fertility, enables the soil to retain water for longer and allows plant roots to grow deeper which means plants don’t need watering as often.
“Double digging allows roots to reach deeper into the earth… Deeper roots mean plants don’t have to be watered as often. And more plants can grow in the same area because they don’t have to rely on the topsoil alone for moisture and nutrients… It’s the fastest way to good soil. (Source- Fine Gardening)
Visit of Fred, Ripple Effect Africa Director:
On the week beginning 24th October, the Rwanda office had a visit from Dr Fred Ochieng (Ripple Effect, Africa Director) and Brandy (Zambia Rainbow Development Foundation, Country Director).
During the week, I had the opportunity to visit Rweru Model village, Rweru, Bugesera. This is a three-year project being generously funded by Jersey Overseas Aid.
The model village brings a community of people who have been re-located from an at-risk area (Lake Rweru), and provides them with government funded housing and a cow (part of the government’s Girinka scheme).
We met with the Rweru sector Executive Secretary (governmental head of the local area), who was very happy to see us and shared his experiences of working with Ripple Effect Rwanda. He was delighted that we were working in his sector, as he has seen the changes and impact of our projects on the lives of participants and communities.
The project has been supporting the community with food security and training in livestock health and management.
We visited the community cow-shed, where the community keep all their cows and have been trained in how to care for their livestock to ensure good health and milk production. The community had also been taught how to grow animal fodder (like growing napier grass using the Tumbukiza method), to ensure their cows had sufficient food/nutrition.
We were shown around the community where families live in the government-provided houses and the project had taught families (within groups), how to grow fruit and vegetables on community land.
We heard from participants including Josephine and Innocent who shared that before the project, they could only buy vegetables with the little money they had and as a result, weren’t so common in their diet. Now, they are eating a great variety and amount of fruit and vegetables and the group are selling the excess to other community members.