Lets fly together now....
Yes friends, our project, Conservation and Agroforestry in Kenyan schools is up and running and you are welcome on board, tighten your seatbelts and lets fly merrily together.Your captain is obviouslyECOFINDER.
But first let us acquint ourself with the history of this flight, I promise to make it interesting and brief not BORING like some histories .The flight, our project, is situated in a rural secondary school (Luanda Dudi Secondary School) in western Kenya (East Africa) and intended to tackle food insecurity, natural disasters (wind blowing classrooms roofs interferring with learning) and other ecological and socio-economic problems.Our strategies include agricultural and conservation education and action and capacity building on entreprenuership.Our interveteiuons include School garden and tree nursery, afforestation and reafforestation and poultry keeping. This is intended to showcase the concept of "self-sufficient school" for eventual adoption or replication in other schools in the neighbourhood and eventually nationally in Kenya.The project is being implemented by Ecofinder Youth Movement and funded by Teach A Man To Fish (US $ 5000) which is a registered charity no. 1112699 in United Kingdom . I hope that is interesting and brief, if not then I promise to try again next time!!!
Stories aside and back to business. Now what have we done for the month of April 2007? We have tried but not satisfactory, you for us sky is the limit;
Managed to undertake TRAINING for the school Young farmers and Commerce clubs members who have come together to form Ecofinder Club.The training was on 13th April 2007 and focussed on Agricultural production, entreprenuership, conservation education and outreach and leadership.No more classroom training, lets match to the field.....
Action in the field was ushered by LAND PREPARATION and the students we the main players.Primary cultivation of the farm was done during the dry spell to reduce weeds and to allow for aeration. It was done by an ox-plough. The secondary cultivation was undertaken using hand hoes. Horticultural plots with different Vegetables were set on the harrowed section. Kudos to the students or what do you think!
Our next task was ESTABLISHMENT OF HORTICULTURAL CROPS NURSERY BEDS.
Two nursery beds measuring 6m by 1m were set up using locally available materials by Ecofinder Club members. The soil was ploughed and made fine using a rake to allow germination of seeds. The seed nursery was left for two days for aeration and seeds of a variety of Vegetables were sown on 9th April 2007 in the morning. The seeds sown were 50g Kales, 50g Cabbage Copenhagen, 50g Onion, 50g Cabbage Sugarloaf and 50g Pepper California wonder.
Watering was done on a daily basis since the sowing was undertaken during the dry spell. After two days of sowing the long rain season begun and the watering regime was halted and done only when it doesn’t rain. After four days seeds of Cabbage Copenhagen, Kales and Sugarloaf started germinating. Seeds of onions took five days to emerge while those of Pepper took seven days. The percent germination was over 90%. Thinning and weeding of the nursery beds was done on 16th April 2007 by Ecofinder club members. The students were happy to see their hardwork being manifested in germinating crops!
Remember I told you at the beginning that there is also ESTABLISHMENT OF MULTIPURPOSE TREE NURSERY component in this project? So a multi-purpose tree nursery bed was set up the same day the Horticultural ones were constructed. The soil was cultivated fined grained using a rake and Sand soil put on the top to facilitate germination and easy pricking during potting. Seeds of Nandi flame were collected by the Ecofinder Club members within the school compound. The seed were broadcasted on 12th April 2007.
On 16th April 2007 seeds of Terminalia catapa and ‘Mti Kahawa’ were sown.
Now what do I tell you about ESTABLISHMENT OF A POULTRY UNIT ? Well
this component of the project is still not up and running as materials for its construction are in full gear. Next time you will surely hear about it and even have some free eggs to taste!!!
Let me leave you here for today as the flight has reached one of its many stop-overs!!! You can breath fresh air and ensure you are back in the plane before the next phase of our flight.
Thanks for flying with us and have a pleasant rest!!!
Enjoy our photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/ecofinder/TAMTF/photo#s5054446932513347762
They will soon be uploaded!!!
ECOFINDER
But first let us acquint ourself with the history of this flight, I promise to make it interesting and brief not BORING like some histories .The flight, our project, is situated in a rural secondary school (Luanda Dudi Secondary School) in western Kenya (East Africa) and intended to tackle food insecurity, natural disasters (wind blowing classrooms roofs interferring with learning) and other ecological and socio-economic problems.Our strategies include agricultural and conservation education and action and capacity building on entreprenuership.Our interveteiuons include School garden and tree nursery, afforestation and reafforestation and poultry keeping. This is intended to showcase the concept of "self-sufficient school" for eventual adoption or replication in other schools in the neighbourhood and eventually nationally in Kenya.The project is being implemented by Ecofinder Youth Movement and funded by Teach A Man To Fish (US $ 5000) which is a registered charity no. 1112699 in United Kingdom . I hope that is interesting and brief, if not then I promise to try again next time!!!
Stories aside and back to business. Now what have we done for the month of April 2007? We have tried but not satisfactory, you for us sky is the limit;
Managed to undertake TRAINING for the school Young farmers and Commerce clubs members who have come together to form Ecofinder Club.The training was on 13th April 2007 and focussed on Agricultural production, entreprenuership, conservation education and outreach and leadership.No more classroom training, lets match to the field.....
Action in the field was ushered by LAND PREPARATION and the students we the main players.Primary cultivation of the farm was done during the dry spell to reduce weeds and to allow for aeration. It was done by an ox-plough. The secondary cultivation was undertaken using hand hoes. Horticultural plots with different Vegetables were set on the harrowed section. Kudos to the students or what do you think!
Our next task was ESTABLISHMENT OF HORTICULTURAL CROPS NURSERY BEDS.
Two nursery beds measuring 6m by 1m were set up using locally available materials by Ecofinder Club members. The soil was ploughed and made fine using a rake to allow germination of seeds. The seed nursery was left for two days for aeration and seeds of a variety of Vegetables were sown on 9th April 2007 in the morning. The seeds sown were 50g Kales, 50g Cabbage Copenhagen, 50g Onion, 50g Cabbage Sugarloaf and 50g Pepper California wonder.
Watering was done on a daily basis since the sowing was undertaken during the dry spell. After two days of sowing the long rain season begun and the watering regime was halted and done only when it doesn’t rain. After four days seeds of Cabbage Copenhagen, Kales and Sugarloaf started germinating. Seeds of onions took five days to emerge while those of Pepper took seven days. The percent germination was over 90%. Thinning and weeding of the nursery beds was done on 16th April 2007 by Ecofinder club members. The students were happy to see their hardwork being manifested in germinating crops!
Remember I told you at the beginning that there is also ESTABLISHMENT OF MULTIPURPOSE TREE NURSERY component in this project? So a multi-purpose tree nursery bed was set up the same day the Horticultural ones were constructed. The soil was cultivated fined grained using a rake and Sand soil put on the top to facilitate germination and easy pricking during potting. Seeds of Nandi flame were collected by the Ecofinder Club members within the school compound. The seed were broadcasted on 12th April 2007.
On 16th April 2007 seeds of Terminalia catapa and ‘Mti Kahawa’ were sown.
Now what do I tell you about ESTABLISHMENT OF A POULTRY UNIT ? Well
this component of the project is still not up and running as materials for its construction are in full gear. Next time you will surely hear about it and even have some free eggs to taste!!!
Let me leave you here for today as the flight has reached one of its many stop-overs!!! You can breath fresh air and ensure you are back in the plane before the next phase of our flight.
Thanks for flying with us and have a pleasant rest!!!
Enjoy our photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/ecofinder/TAMTF/photo#s5054446932513347762
They will soon be uploaded!!!
ECOFINDER
1 Comments:
Great blogging, and fantastic photos - it'll great to see them within the blog when you get time.
Keep up the good work!
best regards
Nik
Managing Director
Teach A Man To Fish
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