Praise God for rain! Now that it has started raining relatively frequently, the KIDO staff have started programs involving planting in the communities. I
have had the opportunity to go with KIDO staff to several communities for some
practical trainings. The theoretical,
classroom trainings are now being put into practice.
One of the
trainings was on vegetable nursery bed production. Nursery beds were something new to me. I am used to starting seeds inside in the
winter and then transplanting them outside once it gets warmer. It turns out that nursery beds are kind of
the same idea. You start seeds in a
safe, well-tended location, then transplant them into the garden once they get
to a decent size.
First, we cleared
the space for the nursery beds. These little girls
really wanted to help out with this tiny hoe.
It was intended for adults, but it really was their size.
After
clearing the area, it is important to measure out the bed with nice, straight
lines. It needs to be a width that isn't
so wide that you would step on the bed to water or weed.
I learned some useful techniques for making measurements without a ruler.
After smoothing out the soil, they burned leaves and grass to help sterilize the soil from some insect pests.
Next, we marked out careful lines and planted the seeds at the proper spacing.
Then, you use bricks around the edge of the bed to keep the soil from washing away in the rain.
Or, if you don't have bricks, you can use whatever you have, like banana stalks.
We did some
different things for the maize and the beans.
With the maize, the farmers are planting mucuna, a green manure, in
between the rows of maize, after the maize germinates. Mucuna grows very quickly and will cover the
soil, helping prevent erosion and keeping the soil moist. It also adds nutrients to the soil and will
provide mulch and organic matter when the plants are cut at the end of the season.
With the beans, the farmers are going to put mulch in between the rows of beans after the beans germinate. This is for pretty much the same reasons as the mucuna.
After one of the trainings, the farmers fed all of us from KIDO a lunch. They wanted to take a picture of us in which I was eating. This is what they got:
I just love everything that you two post on your site. The pictures and the videos always bring a joy to my heart and make me smile. I can see God's hand at work and I can tell that your ministry is bringing God glory. Everything you two do has such wonderful results. God is surely blessing your work.
ReplyDeleteBill Durkin
You are clearly enjoying your life and work in Uganda!
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