Progress so far!!!

It has been months of lull and pertubing silence, but here we are and promising to continue blogging on our successes and failures as we roll out our Conservation and Agroforestry project at Lwanda Dudi Secondary School in Siaya, Kenya funded by Teach A Man TO Fish, UK.This silence was partly contributed to by post-election violence in Kenya that made communication in general difficult.

The project has gone full cycle in terms of its key activities; Poultry unit, School Garden, Tree Nursery and linked school greening initiative and Green Food Kiosk which serves as an outlet for produce from the project activities. The structures are down and what remains is to enhance our efforts and operationalise the Green Food Kiosk which is yet to open its doors.

The project played host to Teach A Man To Fish Founder and Director, Nicholas Kafka in the month of April 2008, who was impressed with the advances the project has made so far.He stressed the need to improve on record keeping and involvement of students on the same in terms of financial input, sales, profits and loses. His visit was climaxed by conference in Kisumu whose participants were drawn from schools and civil society organizations that ascribe to the philosophy of self sufficient schools and entreprenuership.

Welcome to our blogging again and next month we will provide the finer details of our successes and failures.

Ecofinder

Ecofinder Kenya Project Photos

The Beginning of The Poultry Unit

A poultry unit with dimensions 40ft x 25ft with a capacity of carrying 500 layers or 1000 broilers was constructed using Iron sheets, wire mesh cement sand and Off cuts
The poultry unit was completed and stocked with Feeder and Drinkers in readiness for the rearing of the birds. The completed poultry unit was disinfected and the around cleared to get rid of disease causing organisms and vermins respectively. Four days before collection of Day old chicks a brooder was made using hardboard and wood shavings. On the 13th July Day old Broiler chicks were collected from the Kenchic depot. We ordered for 150 chicks and Collected 153 as we given three extra one. On arrival, we gave the chicks’ liquid paraffin to clean their digestive system. A glucose solution was administered 30 minutes later to give the chicks energy and relieve any stress. We started feeding the birds on Broiler starter Mash for the first four weeks. Birds were vaccinated on the 11th day, 16th day and 24th day against Newcastle + IB, Gumboro and Newcastle lasota respectively. Vitamin supplement are administered every week. Within the fourth week, we gradually started introducing Finishers mash as we reduced starters mash. By the beginning of the fifth week, we fed the on Boiler finisher mash. We recorded almost 99% survival as only three birds died. By six week some of the birds were ready for the market i.e (1.8-2.0 kg) and we have started selling them to the nearest Hotels eg the Famous Siaya Centre. We are selling a bird at Ksh. 250.00. We have sold 52 Birds.

BLOG FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE 2007

PRELUDE
Welcome on board and thanks again for flying our airline and we wish you a pleasant flight. Our journey will take us through June 2007 activities as we continue to conquer greater heights in the project. The activities undertaken were gapping, weeding, top dressing of vegetable plots, routine spraying, establishment of more vegetable nurseries, potting of multi-purpose tree seedlings, stocking of the poultry unit and collection of day old chicks and the visit by Changing World UK Directors and volunteers.

HORTICULTURAL PLOT
The Ecofinder project aeroplane first flyover is over horticultural plots. Here you will view successful Gapping which was done one week after the transplanting of the vegetable seedlings. Gapping is the replacement of seedling that wilted or were affected by worms, it was necessary as it ensured that we had healthy and uniform crops on the plots. The cabbage plot was gapped one evening when it showed signs of raining, Sugarloaf and Kales were gapped on the 12th and 13th days respectively. Pepper and Onions were not gapped because 98% established well. We had a break for one week before we started weeding our Horticultural crops. The weeding started on the 19th to the 25th day, we started with the Cabbage, followed by Sugarloaf, Kales and Pepper. Onion plot was weeded last as it needed much care because of their tender stems. As the weeding was progressing, spraying also commenced. The chemicals used were mainly Karate (pesticides) and Dithane M45 (Fungicide). We also used Gladiator to control Termites that started building a colony within our Kales plot.

Finally top dressing was done using Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (C.A.N) and Farm Yard manure from the school Zero grazing unit. C.A.N was applied at the rate of 5 g/seedling while the farm yard manure was spread all over the entire plot. We were very lucky that it rained after we had top dressed our crops.

MULTIPURPOSE TREE NURSERY
The next view is the ongoing work at Multipurpose tree nursery. The one week break from the farm, was utilized by members of the Ecofinder club for potting of the Grevellea robusta, Acacia meansii and Meosopis emenii seedlings that were ready. The Grevellea robusta recorded 90% germination followed by 70% of Acacia meansii while Meosopis emenii recorded the lowest germination percentage of less than 40 %. The students were able to pot a total of 300 seedlings with 200 of Grevellea robusta, 85 of Acacia meansii and 15 of Meosopis emenii. A total of 30 seedlings wilted and replacement was done after 3 days. Members of the club ensured that routine watering was done to ensure the survival of the seedlings.

POULTRY UNIT
The poultry unit is rearing to go. It was completed and stocked with Feeder and Drinkers in readiness for the rearing of the birds. The completed poultry unit was disinfected and surrounding cleared to get rid of disease causing organisms and destructive vermins. This integral component of the project is yet to be stocked with chicks as we wait for the installation of electricity in the school in one month time. However, Ecofinder Youth Movement (Project facilitator) has collected and stocked day old chicks (Broilers) into a donated space (has electricity) by community member for free and the proceeds will go to the school. This provides learning forum for school community before they embark on full fledged poultry keeping in the school. Here the brooder was made using hardboard and wood shavings.

CHANGING WORLD UK PROJECT VISIT
The Ecofinder Luanda Dudi School Agroforestry and Conservation project continues to attract local, national and international visitors for its great potential. On the 22nd June , the project was visited by the Director of Changing World UK Mr. David Gill and his team of volunteers. One of the Volunteer from Changing World Mr. Tim was impressed with the project and has been working with the School Ecofinder club members especially on Multi-Purpose Tree Nursery Section especially on potting of multi-purpose tree seedlings. The Ecofinder club members and the entire school community were happy with the visit and are looking forward to host more visitors in future.

The establishment of the Green Food Kiosk and sale of the project products will form our July blog. Please dont miss!!!

Thanks for flying Ecofinder Project Airways and we hereby stop for short stopover before we embark on this noble journey again to the promised land.

Yours in service,

Captain ECOFINDER

BLOG FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2007

PRELUDE
Welcome back on board after enhanced stopover. We apologize for the prolonged stopover but we hope you have enjoyed the rest and rearing to go. Our project aeroplane is ready to take off for this great journey. The captain as usual is Ecofinder and safe flight to the promised destination is guaranteed. We are ready for takeoff and we request you to observe all the safe flight norms. The May 2007 flight covers the activities of hardening off of Vegetable Seedlings, Transplanting, and Sowing of Tree seedlings, Potting and Construction of A poultry unit. The month of May also so the project visited by Mr. Jim Stephenson, the programme manager Teach A Man To Fish and the School Board of Governors Chairman.

HORTICULTURAL PLOTS
Our first tour is the happenings in the horticultural plots. The first week of the month marked the start of “Hardening off” of Vegetable seedlings in readiness for Transplanting in the seedbed. The process is necessary as it prepares the seedlings to the field conditions. We intended this to last for one week but it lasted for three weeks because of the changing weather pattern. The seedlings were spayed in the Nursery bed using Insecticides and Fungicides to control Aphids and Fungal diseases. We started transplanting on the 28th when it started raining. Drum head seedlings were transplanted on a 20 x 20 m plot at a spacing of 30 x 45 cm. A total 800 seedlings were planted.

Seedlings of Kales were transplanted on a 30 x 20 m plot at a spacing of 30 x 30 cm and a total of 2800 seedlings were planted. Sugarloaf seedlings were transplanted on a 20 x 20 m plot at a spacing of 30 x 30 cm. A total of 600 seedlings were planted.
100 stems of Pepper were transplanted on a 10 x 15 m plot.

Furrows measuring 10 m were made and Onions transplanted. A total of 300 were planted. We used D.A.P fertilizers and Farm Yard Manure during the exercise.
Routine watering was done whenever it failed to rain until the seedlings were fully established.
To ensure we supply the market continuously, another seed nursery was made and planted 250g of Kales, 50g of Spinach, 50g of Tomatoes, 50 g of Coriander.

MULTIPURPOSE TREE NURSERY
The multipurpose tree nursery is in full gear. The Tree seeds that were sown last month, Terminalia mentali recorded 95 % germination followed by Meosopis emenii which recorded 10 % germination. Meosopis sp. records low germination in the Nursery bed remarks Mr. Walter Adongo of ICRAF when he visited the project. So far we have potted 200 seedlings of Terminalia mentali and 6 of Meosopis emenii. We planted 0.5 kg of Grevelea robusta, 0.5 kg of Kai apple, 0.25 kg of Eucalyptus, 50g of Markhamia lutea and 30g of Paw paw.

POULTRY UNIT
Finally the poultry unit is gaining shape. A poultry unit with dimensions 40ft x 25ft with a capacity of carrying 500 layers or 1000 broilers is being constructed using Iron sheets, wire mesh, cement, sand and off cuts. The project community is upbeat about this section of the project and looking forward to it.

JIM’S VISIT
The project was privileged to host Mr. Jim Stephenson, the programme manager Teach A Man To Fish. Jim had wonderful opportunity to tour the project, interact with Luanda Dudi Secondary School students, teachers, school board members and Ecofinder Youth Movement staff and volunteers. The Ecofinder club members, the entire school community and the school’s Board of Governors Chairman were very happy to meet Jim and they thanked him for the project and were looking forward to working with him for the success of the project.
I hope you have enjoyed the flight. We have come to many of the stopovers in this noble journey. Have a pleasant rest till we meet again. I am your Captain Ecofinder.

Yours in service

Captain ECOFINDER

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