HLF School Purchases One Acre of Land For School Construction
Wed, 2011/11/02 - 20:37 —
The plot of land, which was purchased a few months ago, and which has already been surveyed, comprises four lots – or one acre, which is about 4,000 square meters. The land was bought in a community called the Bassa Community (in Buchanan), which is an area not too far from the current location of our school.
There is a street (unpaved) in front of the land, which is good news in that the school will be located on the road, and not in a corner. Standing on the road and facing the land, it is worth mentioning that the center-right side of the land is wetter and softer, while the center-left side of the land is much dryer and harder.
It may be recalled that the school in Buchanan started operating in 2005 with about 30 students, using an unfinished residential building, which we have been renting from the owners for the past seven years.
Our plan is to construct a 13-classroom school building in which the children will be transferred because we want to operate kindergarten, primary and junior high levels in the new building, if constructed. At present, the school operates only at the kindergarten and primary levels.
Some online volunteers – contacted through the efforts of Mary Smith of England, a very industrious partner of the school project – are helping to design the plan for the proposed building. The architects have completed the first phase, and they are working together to come up with a final plan based on the needs of the school and the condition of the land.
More information about how and where to contribute later.
Enjoy some photos from the surveying process below…
PAUL YEENIE HARRY
LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE, BUCHANAN
GARDENS/MINI-FARMS NETWORK
USA: TX, MS, FL, CA, AR; Mexico, Rep. Dominicana, Côté d’Ivoire, Nigeria,
Nicaragua, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Haiti, England, India, Uzbekistan
Minifarms@gmail.com
Workshops in organic, 0-tillage, permanent-bed gardening, mini-farming, mini-ranching worldwide in English & Español
School Gardens/Farms
Gardening/farming should be taught in grades 1-12. The benefits are proven. Also, it gives the graduates an excellent way to support themselves after graduation. There is a large demand for local, organic food in most countries.
Sales from the farm can help support the school.
teachamantofish.org.uk “Our organization helps kids from poor families across Africa, Asia and South America to get quality education. We work with schools to create new sources of income. Students get ‘hands-on’ involve-ment and learn practical skills and entrepreneurship.
The Learning Farm, Indonesia. thelearningfarm.com
S. F. Agriculture School, fundacionparaguaya.org.py/index.php?id=lo-que-hacemos. [English]
eldeber.com.bo/extra/2008-01-27/nota.php?id=080128000444 Colonia Pirai high school, Bolivia
These are based on the internet, US & international agriculture magazines, experiences teaching agriculture in many countries, research and farmer experiences in those countries and a demonstration garden. They are ecologically sustainable, environmentally responsible and economically viable. There is unlimited, documented proof. , These can double the yield and reduce labor by half, compared to traditional methods. There are 90,000,000 no-till hectares worldwide.
Organic, no-till farming, in permanent beds, using hand tools only, doubles or triples yields, reduces labor 50% to 75%, reduces inputs/expenses to nearly 0 [need seed for new crops and green manure/cover crops], increases fertility, stops soil erosion [no rain water runoff], eliminates most disease and insect problems and greatly increases profits. Use bucket drip irrigation [made by gardener] to produce during the dry season and in areas of low rainfall.
With organic, no-till, organic matter [green manure/cover crops] generates the following results:
The mulch gradually rots into the soil providing a constant supply of nutrients while eliminating composting.
Moisture retention due to the mulch layer means reduced need for watering; saving both resources and labor.
Mulch prevents weeds from growing, reducing another laborious chore.
Because of greater nutrients, plants can be positioned twice as densely as normally recommended.
Fukaoka Farm, Japan, has been no-till [rice, small grains, vegetables] for 70 years. Dripping Springs Gardens, AR, has been no-till [vegetables, flowers] for 8 years. At the time of my visit: An Indian farmer has been no-till [vegetables] for 5 years; a Malawi farmer has been no-till [vegetables] on permanent beds for 25 years; a Honduras farmer has been no-till [vegetables & fruit] on permanent beds on the contour (73° slope] for 8 years. Ruth Stout [USA] had a no-till garden for 30 years and 7,000 people visited her garden. Free dvd on request.
No technique yet devised by man has been anywhere near as effective at halting soil erosion and making food production truly sustainable as no-till (Baker)
1. Restore the soil to its natural health. Contamination: inorganic pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fertilizers, etc
2. Maintain the healthy soil [produces healthy plants which have few diseases, pests and weeds. Healthy soil produces healthy crops to have healthy students]
3. Feed the soil; not the plants
4. Maintain plant diversity [with crops and/or green manure/cover crops]
5. Increase the soil’s organic matter every year.
6. Little or no external inputs. [It is not necessary to buy anything, from anybody, for the garden.
7. Plant all land every year [no fallow land]
8. Leave crop residue on top of soil [no burning]]
9. 0-tillage - no digging, no cultivating. [No hard physical work so children can easily garden]
10. Permanent beds [for crops]
11. Permanent paths [for walking]
12. Hand tools
13. Soil always covered
14. Use green manures/cover crops.
15. Feed the soil through the mulch.
16. Organic matter [Free? Take to farm when economically feasible. Use as mulch; compost surplus]
17. Compost [For surplus organic matter and/or special use. No vermicomposting as worms will be in the beds]
18. Bucket drip irrigation: should be used during the dry season and in areas of low rainfall: Imported bucket drip kits are US$15. A bucket drip line can be made locally from poly tubing [US$3, Nicaragua]. One will irrigate a row of crops 33 meters long using only 20 liters of water per day. A dripline can be moved to irrigate several rows per day. Water can be from a stream, pond or well. A drip kit returns $20 per month to the farmer [FAO study].
19. Crop rotation.
20. Intercropping
21. Muscovies [insect control, eggs, meat] and goats [milk, meat]
22. Imitate nature. Most gardeners fight nature. ¡Nature always wins!
Ken Hargesheimer minifarms@aol.com
Tue, Dec 30, 2008
Dear Ken,
Thank you for all the DVD’s you sent me. Thank you for all the info. I am applying it in my own vegetable patch. It is working. Got half a pocket of potatoes off a square metre. So would imagine about 10 pounds per square yard. This off previously dead low, carbon soil. Sure next crop will be better. Got yams coming up on same spot already. Want to plant herbs and spices. I will send photos.
Your advise is so simple. People do not believe me when I tell them. I am so excited about growing things now. This coming from a commercial plum farmer. May you be blessed this holy season a thousand times more than you blessed me with you help.Jeremy Karsen, middagkrans@mwebbiz.co.za
Project room: Kyomya, Uganda
We have been working on improving farming techniques for almost a year. Unfortunately, the farmers are planting small plots of land that only feed their family. There is no other choice but to try new techniques to improve the output of their plot. Ken Hargesheimer suggested the "no till" farming techniques as well as the "drip system". Both have proven effective at increasing produc-tion by at least 5 fold. The time is now for Kyomya to become a model agricultural village. [nabuur.com]
I confirm Ken's advice. I've been using mulch and no-till since the late sixties. It works. It really works. I now manage a 5,000 ft² community garden in its fifth season. It started on hard clay with turf grass using cardboard and mulch. Leaves are added to the beds every fall and it has never been tilled. It's a beautiful, fruitful garden. I have friends who have sand and advised them to do the same. They've been very successful as well. It will work anywhere. Judith Hainaut
Thanks Ken :) I know they are hoping to start a school garden for food, so have told Paul about your post and suggested he gets in touch with you if they are interested in trying what you suggest,
Mary
GARDENS/MINI-FARMS NETWORK
Self-Supported Schools
They should be established everywhere. Education/training is the only solution to poverty.
A CD holds 650 MB. The Bible is 1.4 MB. Therefore, a CD holds 464 copies of the Bible. A DVD holds 3,000 copies of the Bible. A dual layer DVD holds 6,000 copies of the Bibles. DVDs should be loaded with educational materials: books, videos, etc. I have a DVD on farming for US50¢. 2 DVDs, mailer, postage, cost US$3.50 to mail anywhere in the world. A traveler can deliver them. Just imagine what would happen if every school in the bush of Africa, the jungles of Latin America and the mountains of Asia had a DVD library to use for teaching and training. The internet is not necessary and is expensive in some areas. People can study for hours on a computer [home, office, cybercafé, etc] using DVDs. Use HTTrack website copier [free] to download websites into computers and on to DVDs. Those without electricity use a computer, internally altered, to operate directly on 12 v. from a battery with a solar charger [email for instructions]. This opens up a whole new way to teach. Thousands of DVDs are available on hundreds of subjects and many are free. I have free ones.
Nations University, nationsu.org: free university courses. six languages.
Mobile school: In Vietnam, computer literacy is a luxury. The Dariu Foundation provides computer training to kids in remote villages using a mobile school equipped with computers, internet access and access to e-library containing DVDs in agriculture, animal feeding, etc. Not only kids but clients benefit from this school. Dariu.org
In Athens, Greece, a school operates weekends only because the students are employed weekdays.
School in a Suitcase: http://winministries.org/website/index.php/nation2nation, a religious ministry, has hundreds of schools in many countries. Over 100 in Cuba. A person with a computer, printer and DVDs can travel from place to place, on a schedule, to teach and train people. This is a very simple, inexpensive, effective way to educate children and adults. Use a bicycle or a bicycle with a trailer.
jesusfilm.org/equipment explains various portable equipment.
Class schedule: Classes can meet mornings, afternoons, evenings and/or weekends.
teachamantofish.org.uk “Our organization helps kids from poor families across Africa, Asia and South America to get quality education. We work with schools to create new sources of income. Students get ‘hands-on’ involve-ment and learn practical skills and entrepreneurship”. teachamantofish.org.uk/school-box
The Learning Farm, Indonesia. thelearningfarm.com
S. F. Agriculture School, fundacionparaguaya.org.py/index.php?id=lo-que-hacemos. [English]
eldeber.com.bo/extra/2008-01-27/nota.php?id=080128000444 Colonia Pirai high school, Bolivia
http://schoolatblairgrocery.blogspot.com [USA]
auronepal.net [India]
peas.org.uk/
curriki.org [K-12]
world-virtual-school.com
inacol.org
edublogs.org
e-learningforkids.org [grades 1-6. English, Netherlands, Spanish, Portuguese]
Khanacademy.org [free courses]
School Project - financially self-sustaining. R Stiff ron@montebelloacademy.org [Ecuador]
icr.org/essentials Creation science studies.
barefootcollege.org
olpcnews.com [laptop computers for children] olpcnews.com/content/ebooks/100_book_server_with_20000_books_4w_power_consumption.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OneLaptopPerChildNews+%28One+Laptop+Per+Child+News%29
Useful information
Mini-farming: organic, no-till in permanent beds using a machete/maize cutter. Input cost is 0 except for seed and DIY bucket drip irrigation [US$3]. Minifarms Unlimited opportunities in every country.
p4p.org [bicycles]
villagebicycleproject.org
mayapedal.org
arapalgoatfarm.shutterfly.com [self-supporting students]
compatibletechnology.org
cd3wd.com [5 DVDs free to developing countries] Information for doing just about anything.
thefullbellyproject.org/Products.aspx
childrensbiblestudy.com
Micro-credit - farmsinternational.org/farms-sept11nl-what_is_wrong_with_microcredit.pdf [how to do it]
1. kiva.org
2. kirfindia.org
3. accion.org
Vocational & High Schools: They should be established and self-sustaining. Students train & work so may need more time to graduate. They graduate with a skill to make a good living.
Suggestions for training and income generating ideas:
1. mini-farm
a. organic
b. no-till
c. permanent beds
d. permanent paths
e. bucket drip irrigation
f. SRI - system of rice intensification
g. SCI – system of crop intensification
2. new crops [grown in many areas]
a. baby maize
b. broomcorn [maize]
c. colored cotton
d. endamame [40% protein]
e. flowers
f. herbs
g. moringa
h. popping maize
i. popping sorghum
j. spaghetti squash
k. stevia [sugar, 0 cal]
l. sweet maize
m. sweet sorghum
n. tomatillos
o. valencia ground nuts
3. value-added farm products
a. brooms
b. dried fruit
c. dried herbs
d. dried stevia
e. dried vegetables
f. fruit juice
g. grind grain
h. ground nut butter
i. ground nuts boiled
j. ground nuts roasted
k. maize nuts
l. popped maize
m. popped sorghum
n. soy nuts
o. sweet sorghum syrup
4. value-added animal products
a. butter
b. buttermilk
c. cheese
d. cream
e. dried meat
f. sour cream
g. yogurt
5. farm hand tools
a. cart
b. hand hay baler
c. hand trowel
d. hay fork
e. machete/corn cutter
f. scythe [grain harvest]
g. sickle
h. v-hoe row planter
6. livestock mini-farm
Forges, fodder, etc
7. mini-livestock mini-farm
a. goats – milk, meat
b. muscovies – insect control, meat , eggs
8. micro-livestock mini-farm
9. fish farming
10. tree nursery
a. fruit
b. living fences
c. nuts
11. orchards
a. fodder
b. fruit
c. nuts
12. orchard hand tools
a. loppers
b. pruners
c. pruning pole saw
d. pruning saw
e. shears
13. vegetable starter nursery
14. seed production
15. vermiculture
16. hoop houses
17. farmer’s market
18. retail store/market stall [school, farm, arts/crafts products]
19. bucket drip kits
20. pedal/hand thresher
21. nut sheller
22. pedal/hand pump
23. DVD/book selling
24. burn/sell dvds
25. auto mechanic
26. welder
27. carpenter
28. plumber
29. electrician
30. barefoot doctor
31. barefoot dentist
32. barefoot nurse
33. midwife
34. wheel chairs [lawn chairs]
35. hippo roller [water carrier]
36. hand-dug water wells
37. village movie theater -computer
38. computer time rental
39. cell phone time rental
40. composting business
41. compost toilets
42. sewing
43. weaving
44. knitting
45. clothes washer/hand
46. pot-in-pot food coolers
47. papyrus sanitary napkins
48. coffee roasting
49. maize nuts
50. soy nuts
51. ground nut butter
52. soap making
53. soil/cement brick
54. soil/cement roof tiles
55. rammed earth construction
56. arts and crafts
57. recycling business
58. darfurstoves.org
59. water bottle roof lights
60. LED solar lights
61. solar water heaters
62. solar food driers
63. solar cookers
64. solar heating
65. solar water purifiers
66. solar lighting [schools, homes]
67. solar electric panels
68. sandals from old tires
69. pedal/hand grinder
70. maize tortillas
71. millet tortillas [chalupas]
72. bicycles
73. bicycle mechanic
74. bicycle electric generator
75. bicycle delivery service
76. B rope water pump
77. B nut sheller
78. B mill/maize thresher
79. B drum thresher
80. B coffee depulper
81. B clothes washer
82. pedicab
83. bicycle sidecar
84. snow bike
85. bicycle for 2
86. quadracycles
a. 2 or 4 passengers
b. 2 passengers/cargo
87. tricycle cargo service
88. B trailer making [1 or 2 wheels]
89. B sales trailer: food, drinks, farm products, DVDs, A&C, etc.
90. BT ambulance
91. BT water tank
92. BT delivery service
93. BT interchangeable units for a trailer chassis.
a. animal cage
b. cargo
c. passenger seats
d. sales display
e. shop
f. van [enclosed]
g. water tank
94. BT mobile shop
95. BT taxis [2- 4 adults; 3-6 kids]
Ken Hargesheimer, minifarms@gmail.com