There is plenty of resource on the internet on gardening. The focus of your website could be tilted more towards educating the village on self-sustenance, and how each household can reduce their food bill by growing their own food. The dynamics of the household economics must be linked with food for the population below self-sustenance levels. There must be clear examples on what is to be grown by each household, and in what quantities, depending on the number of people in each family, their ages, their state of health etc.

The website must achieve the aim of either totally eliminating, or considerably reducing, the buying of food by all families from outside sources. Self-sustenance in food must be the foundation on which future growth of the community has to develop.

Vijai

To increase the amount of food produced by a family, here is what must be done. INCREASE THE ORGANIC MATTER IN THE SOIL. INCREASE IT EVERY YEAR. In other words, a crop removes organic matter. Put more back in than you take out. Do it by growing it in the bed or bringing it in to the bed. Leave on top of the soil. Yields will increase every year. A lot the first few years and less each additional years.

Ken

Hi all,

We have been reading through these tasks, and we appreciate the efforts of the neighbors trying to help out with the best ideas possible.
However, you can visit this website http://www.kickstart.org/products/super-moneymaker/ and find out hpw best your irrigation posibilities can be achieved. We wish you the very best.

Henry

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Jehovah Jireh

That is a wonderful idea but to reduce the amount of water that must be pumped and sprayed, use bucket drip irrigation. It will reduce water use by 70%. Save all that water and all that work.

Ken

Ken, Henry, Vijai-

Thank you for the suggestions and comments.

Vijai- would you be available/willing to work with Rev Wasike and his team in Kimilili on creating examples of the needs of the households and how to meet them.
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-Tanja

Tanja,

Your message is not very clear to me. My interaction is only on the internet through the nabuur website, without any commitments about my availability or response time.

Best wishes

Vijai

Vijai,

I understand that your interaction is only on the internet. Would you be willing to exchange emails (use the Nabuur messaging system)with Rev Wasike and his team in Kimilili to help them outline a program focusing on self-sustenance in food production for the local families.
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-Tanja

Tanja,

In my first post in this thread, I have outlined the 'macro' view - the big picture, according to my own perceptions. I have provided a 'direction' to this task.

It is now for the local community to formulate their own 'micro' plans, based on their own ground realities, and by involving their own local network.

In case any discussion or clarifications are required on the contents of my first post in this thread, the 'macro' view, I shall be happy to respond if these are posted on this thread.

I shall not be able to contribute at the 'micro' level.

About your request for emails or messaging - I would prefer all interaction through this thread on nabuur, so that all neighbours can contribute and participate.

Vijai

Vijai,

Nabuur is a great platform, but does not work well with slow internet connections. This is the reason I asked for an additional level of interaction via email (or the personal messaging system that can send notifications to an email account).Thank you for clarifying your preferred level of interaction.

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-Tanja

Dear Vijai, You are very right about having to educate the households on sustainable gardening practices. That is why we are presently trying to find sponsors or trainers to come to Kimilili and help do training in a workshop this year. Hopefully, it will be one of many such workshops. Ideally, we are seeking someone in Kimilili to supervise a small-scale garden project.

I'll give consideration about what you said about the website. Might get back to you on that if I may. Thanks for joining our village.

best regards,

Lia

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lilalia

Ken, we have done as best we can to pass on your valuable information to Kimilili. Yet, admittedly, people seem to want to continue to practice farming and gardening in the way they always have. This is why we are trying to find someone or a group of people who wish to adopt gardening methods as you describe. Will let you know if we have any success.

Thanks.

Lia

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lilalia

Jehovah, Thank you so much for this information. I will send it on to Rev. Wasike as soon as possible. There is a chance we might have access to some garden land bordering a river, so this pump would be ideal for irrigation. We are also trying to get some family drip irrigation systems funded. We could pump the water up from the river into containers attached to the drip irrigation. We are also tying to use mulch systems, where the water could also help. As far as I know, Kimilili is facing further famines next year with 40% decrease in crop expectancy. Such a pump could help many families. I'll ask Rev. Wasike to contact the people in Kenya and ask what such a pump would cost.

Do you know if there is any way to become pumps partly funded by an agency?

Thank you for everything.

best regard,

Lia

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lilalia

http://blog.greenenergytv.com/blog/renewable-fuels/0/0/foot-powered-wate...

http://www.ide-india.org/ide/treadlepump.shtml

Maybe IDEI would help you to make these for Africa. This pump plus drip is the way to go.

Ken Hargesheimer

Ken, I think manufacturing a KB pump would be a good business concept for some young entrepreneur in Kimilili. First, we have to get our CBSM garden vocational training program up and running... then we will think of this. It is at least worth contacting IDEI and asking if there are any activities thought for Kenya.

I'll get Rev. Wasike to ask what such a pump would cost and put it into our project proposal.

bye, lia

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lilalia

I have been teaching no-till workshops since 2000. I taught double-digging since 1989. It is very difficult for a farmer to change the mind. In a workshop in Nigeria, a farmer said, "My grandfather plowed, my father plows and I plow." I told him to keep plowing if he wants but if he wants to increase his yields and reduce his labor he can change. No one plows the forest. No one plows the jungle. They are very productive.

Usually you can find one farmer who will start or make a demonstration bed so people can see it. You probably cannot find a person to teach a workshop who teaches no-till and they will not listen to him either. There are no-till farmers in every country. Chemical farming spread around the world because it was very profitable to the person promoting it but there is no profit to be made promoting no-till. I tell people do not buy anything from anybody except open pollinated seed. Showing my no-till video dvd might help. It is in English and French.

Ken