Wed, 2007/05/09 - 21:49

I am posting an introduction to our project. Please read the following:

Fri, 2007/09/28 - 22:21

hi
thank u to became a member to this village is big tusk ahead of us i thought is just to source a tracktor well to contribute to this bussiness plan i would love to know is any land available? who own the land?
how big is it ?
we need to set the centre first to have meeting ?
and where are we going to get knowledge about crops and differance one ? information centre need to be established
who going to teach all this people about methods of farming ,resources books , library is needed olso. training lecture is needed , :-)
well thank u
for now
Ali Baasit

Sat, 2007/09/29 - 00:16

Hi again Ali

In this village the discussion is mainly here:

http://www.nabuur.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=5575&forum=33...

cheers

Dennis

Fri, 2007/10/05 - 14:52

Hi Ali,

maybe you are willing to write the introduction of the businessplan for us. You can use some information from the report of the Dutch intern that was in naigobya for 4 months (attached to this posting).

Please let me know if you are willing to help with this.

Sat, 2007/10/06 - 09:57

Dear Claudia

Thanks for introducing this very substantial paper. I have some major concerns about it, but first I acknowledge how much information is there. I have read the document. There is a huge amount of information assembled. There are also many judgments made, some of which can be questioned.

This, for example

is deeply flawed - organic farming is a great deal more than using organic fertilisers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming
--- and there is abundant information on long term damage to soils in the third world by dependence on chemicals. The sheer cost of doing so raises major questions of funding. I cannot see anywhere information about who is going to pay for those chemical fertilisers.

There is reference to this report presenting a way of sustainable farming but this is not evident. The rejection of organic farming is followed, as one may find in manufacturers' literature, by details for application of large amounts of chemical fertiliser. It is noted that the soils are already exhausted, dependence on chemical fertilisers is likely to keep them exhausted, create more problems and represents an enormous input cost.

The proposal is for a disc plough. This means dinner plate sized discs of steel cutting into and over-turning soil. Whether exhausted soils can sustain this treatment without being further exhausted, compacted, deprived of air, exposed to erosion by wind and water, is questionable.

It is stated that the area is hilly or marshy. It is also proposed that crops be grown in straight lines. There is a photo of crops in straight lines on land as flat as Holland. How are straight lines to be achieved in hilly country? If you go sideways on the hill with the tractor, the tractor is likely to roll over and kill the driver if there is a significant slope. If you plough down the hill, the soil will follow you down now or when it rains... I do not know good evidence of disc ploughing in hilly country.

I do not know the qualifications of the person making the report, I do not know whether it is possible for him to be present in discussion here, I do not know whether any effort has been made to have the report peer reviewed. Pardon if I have missed any such points...

I asked in discussion earlier about land ownership and who does the farm work. It was said that the problem was that women could not produce enough to feed families. I asked then whether work could be rearranged, who owned the land, who would own the tractor, how use of it would be paid for. It does not seem sensible just to 'give' a tractor into this situation ... I note that there is no provision in the cost-benefit report for depreciation of the tractor.

As you know Claudia, unfortunately I am not going to be able to participate for the next several weeks. However, it seems to me that we lack much information that will be essential.

I DO KNOW that Ali has a razor sharp mind and that if he is in charge of this matter, of producing an introduction to a business plan he will see the importance of these and more issues for clarification by the community.

Overall, my concern is that an expectation has been created that the report provides an answer to everything, and that the gift of a tractor would make it all possible instantly. But the situation is not as simple as that. The tractor would be a small part of real costs...

I am not trying to be difficult, but to draw attention to problems with the report, the need for expert review of it (I have some experience in small farming, but I do not know the place or the people or the soil or even if there is any soil left after recent floods!)... or at least an avoidance of such trust in it as seems now to be placed.

best wishes

Dennis

Mon, 2007/10/08 - 09:41

Dear all,

I am taking the liberty to post two documents sent to me by Greame about the vision of the community and a map of the project. This can be used for making a start on the businessplan.

Greame, can you post the other comments you made in your e-mail, they are very clarifying for everyone! I think.

Claudia V.

Tue, 2007/10/09 - 15:23

Dear All,

Please find the texts from two recent emails that I have written. I would sincerely welcome any comments.

Email 1:

Dear Claudia and Moses,

This morning I wrote a very long email reply to you (on the Naigobya site) and went out from the house to check a poisonous snake that was coming to close to us. When I returned I sent the email but I have no idea where it went because I can’t find it.

However the gist is as follows:

1: There is an excellent Community Strategy paper on the site, I am not sure who wrote it, and I have just found the Modern Crop Production report. I think that the Strategy paper should be edited and the primary results of the Modern Crop paper absorbed into the Community Strategy.
2: I now, at long last, understand where the drive to buy a tractor has come from.
3: The current cost-benefit plan is not bankable with a major aid agency and we should restructure it. In an improved form it can be used by any group to support the tractor purchase.
4: A Funding Search Group should be established to find a charity that would support the tractor support, e.g. Lions, Rotary, etc. I will meet a group within the next ten days but Neighbours in other countries can also contribute to this. This can be an independent activity.
5: I have drawn a Concept Map showing what I think we should be doing and consequently I would like restructure some of the tasks.
6: The Community Strategy paper is pivotal and addresses village issues in a overall way. The crop production and tractor purchase are (important) subsets of the Village Strategy and should viewed as such. Food Security and Improved Productivity are key issues – the tractor is an important path to achieving these goals.
7: I have a friend (non-Neighbour) reviewing the tractor requirements because it is possible that a charity would buy a tractor and send it to Uganda – this is sometimes done. The location of a suitable charity will underpin everything that we do at this stage; I do not think that a major international will help with this type of purchase. (Although if you know one who will, then I would love to approach them).

The reason I haven’t altered the website so far is that there was no foundation for the purchase of a tractor; I can see where the idea came from now and can begin to see how I can help.

I would welcome your comments.

Regards,

Graeme

Email 2:

Dear Moses,

I am very well thank you and I send my regards to you and your family.

I understand your feelings about the tractor and I realise how important it can be for your village. Because of this I will try and get you a tractor as quickly as possible, my only concern is that it is really a tractor that can help you.

In my last email I explained that I will try to get local (Australian) charities to help you because I think it will take a long time to get money from a large aid agency.

I have read the Community Vision paper on the village site and I believe that food security and productivity are your primary problems (as written in the paper) and that the tractor will form part of the strategy to improve productivity.

I am now going to try and write some documents for you that we can use for persuading charities to help us. This will take a small amount of time but I cannot go to them with my hands empty.

In order for me to write these papers I would need to ask for further help from you. And of course you can ask me for anything that you like.

Can I ask you these questions:

1: Even though you will obtain a tractor, what about your other hand tools, like hoes, that are used every day. Are they good quality or should we try and obtain some good tools for you at the same time as the tractor?

2: I notice that you have had village discussions about Zero Tillage. Are you using Zero Tillage in the village? If so, do we need to purchase a drill for the tractor as well as the disc blades. If you are using Zero Tillage how do you pay for herbicides because I can’t see this cost in your cost-benefit plan?

3: One of the problems shown in the Community Vision is the long hours the women must spend in the fields. I know that in some countries now the villagers are building child care facilities near the fields so that the Mothers can feed the children during the day. This only requires a simple building and the help of the grandmothers to take care of the children. Is that type of system possible for your village?

4: The report written for you, “Modern Crop Production”, is excellent and has provided you with a lot of information regarding crops, yields and pest control. Do you require further help to make this plan work for the village. The tractor is part of the plan, but do you have other longer-term agricultural questions that aid workers could help you with?

My main focus now is to purchase the tractor, but this doesn’t answer all of the concerns listed in the Community Vision. Once I have a better idea of all of your requirements then we can make some changes to the actions on the NAABUR site to reflect your strategy and vision.

I will send you some draft documents during the next ten days.

Regards,

Graeme

Fri, 2008/01/04 - 07:57

i ould like to know more about what you need neighbour to help for as I can help to write an intoduction to business plan.

Tue, 2008/01/22 - 07:36

Dear John,

Thank you for your kind enquiry; I am sorry for the delay but I have been away. I am about to discuss with Moses our plans for this year 2008 and the possibility of redefining our goals. I have not done this. When we have had a discussion I will include you in our plans - yours may well be a skill we need.

Regards,

Graeme

Tue, 2008/01/22 - 08:03

Thanks for replying. I will try doing my efforts so that we may help each other. Let me know when you will meet. Thank for your good idea of including me in your plans.
Best wishes,
John.

Sun, 2010/07/25 - 17:18

Hello friends of Naigobya on NABUUR,

Moses and I are in the process of finalizing immediate (read by the end of August) action plans to get the tractor the villagers have requested. All of the great work Moses and the neighbours have done to date has been invaluable. We have identified some administrative issues that need to be taken care of in order to acquire the tractor (or the funds to purchase one) but have also identified (not yet contacted) a local Ugandan not-for-profit in Canada that could be of great assistance.

You can expect to hear more in the next week or so.

Thanks and regards,

Cory

Thu, 2010/07/29 - 08:36

Here is the action plan; seems simple enough but there is much to do beyond the administrative aspects.

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Cory and Moses