Yesterday we went to visit the farmer in Mgongo (Mombasa slum) with some advice on how he could produce more on his shamba. Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I'll try to give you a description.

We got off the Matatu (mini-van bus) at the end of the line and walked down the puddle filled road to the shamba. We entered through the corrugated metal gate into a relatively green area that might be the biggest open space in Mgongo. Sammy and Eric (the farmers) meet us and immediately we take another tour around and get to discussing some options. The house on the compound is falling apart, with half of the roof still intact and the other half completely fallen into the house itself. There is a roofed area where they do tie dying of dresses to sell at market that has a roof that is for the most part intact.

The almost dry borehole (the well) and the underground rain water tank are located directly beside the septic tank, which is definite cause for concern as most of the community comes here to get their drinking water. Both the well and the tank are covered by cracked cement that the goats walk over and could be contaminated really easily.

The growing area is dry and not nearly as productive as it once was, we were told. There is one area where the grey water from the neighbours seeps under the cement wall which is watering the banana trees nicely, making for a little green oasis in the corner of the property. There are papaya trees dispersed throughout the production field in an attempt to offer some shade to plants growing below, which is a step in the right direction. There is a small forested patch that Sammy has left as he understands the importance of shade. This area is beside the chicken coop which is great as the chickens go in and forage frequently. As we're chatting seven goats come running along butting each other out of the way to get a drink of water.

Sammy and Eric are set. They have small animals, land to use, trees growing and are keen to produce more food in any way possible. We told them it may be more experimental at this point and their response was that so little grows now that they are willing to try anything.

We offered the advice we could. One suggestion was to stop tilling their land. Currently they weed all of the dead plants out and mix up the soil. This is fairly common procedure, but in doing this they're drying out the soil and killing the micro-organisms that keep the soil healthy we explained. They agreed to try direct planting into the soil without tilling. We also pushed the idea of mulching everything. It's crucial that they not have any soil bare in this climate. When it's exposed to the elements you run into erosion and evaporation, which they already knew, but needed reminding. When we mentioned using a green mulch like groundnuts and squash they were happier to hear that they can do this and produce food at the same time.

A borrowed picture of the garden bags.

We decided that as there are no gutters on any of what's left of the roofs that planting things below it would be ideal. Sammy decided to do garden bags, grain bags filled with compost and soil in which he'll plant kale on all sides. This way he can grow as much kale as he would have on his field in bags and leaves the field space free for growing different things. He was jazzed about this idea. He also has a lot of tires lying around. This is a great place for him to grow potatoes we told him. Just fill the bottom tire with soil and plant some potatoes in it. As the plant comes up through the soil, add another tire and fill it with soil. The plant will continue to reach the top of the soil. By the end you'll have a stack of tires with kilos of potatoes all only using 2 square feet of ground space. He liked that too.

These were some of the ideas we presented them, mainly Sammy as he's the main farming guy. We also talked about swales, intercropping and not using straight lines. I'll keep in touch with Sammy and Eric and hopefully we can get them to a permaculture course in the future and use their plot as a demonstration to the community at Mgongo.

Happy Holidays

I hope everyone has enjoyed a wonderful holiday season this far. My Australian friend, Morika and I have been spending the holidays relaxing and enjoying a bit of Kenya's beach life. Christmas day started with hazelnut ice cream and espresso, then capuccino and the newspaper, followed by a long walk down the marine park beach. The afternoon consisted of a few drinks at a fancy hotel and swimming in the ocean. We felt we had to relax as we'd spent the whole day before snorkelling, watching dolphins and boating through Mida Creek.

Tomorrow we head back to Mombasa after one more day of relaxation to work with Sammy, the farmer in Mgongo slums. It's been a nice vacation, but I'm looking forward to getting back to different projects.

Permaculture Plus

The last few weeks have been amazing. I have finished my Permaculture Design Certificate and now am itching to find a project to do. Luckily, a lot of people are open to an idea that costs little and produces a lot of food. So far I've met a farmer in Mgongo slums outside of Mombasa who is keen to have his farm revamped and another volunteer conservation officer who wants some advice on his shamba in Watamu (just north of Mombasa). So I hope to work with them in the next few days to develop a plan for their properties. Fun!

The rocket stove.

The course itself was incredible. Every day I woke up excited about learning the next bit of information we were going over. We had a demonstration of making a rocket stove, learned a lot about biogas, went over different strategies for different climates and designed a demonstration plot for the Nyumbani Village, where we were staying. That among two weeks of other information, which I'm sure you'll all hear about in the future. It was really interesting doing the more theoretical part of permaculture after having already worked on a few projects. I came away with a better understanding of the principles of permaculture and really excited to put them into practice in many aspects of my life (and other people's properties).

There were 47 people in the course, 11 westerners, 10 Liberians, and the rest from different parts of Kenya and Tanzania. It made for interesting conversations concerning the meaning of wealth, different cultural beliefs and how to grow food.

The maize field, and probably the extent of its growth.

Where we stayed in Nyumbani Village was nice. The Village has had a lot of money put into it from the Vatican amongst other sponsors so it was unlike anything else I'd seen in Kenya. The infrastructure was amazing, but though there have been many permaculture courses held there, it hasn't really taken off among the families. Instead maize is still being mono-cropped and with the dry season coming up things don't look good. Luckily the village offers subsidies of food from their permacultural areas (which are thriving) so there is still enough food for the community to eat.

One of the definitions of permaculture that came up was -- a design science surrounding human settlements and the environment. It seems every time I try to explain it to someone new I come up with a different explanation, so I'll leave you with this definition until I see you all again.

Off again!

After a few relaxing days in Nairobi, I'm headed out to Kitui to do my Permaculture Design Certificate. I've been looking forward to this for a while and am excited to share ideas and experiences with the other 47 people who are attending. It sounds like a good mix from the U.S., Tanzania, Liberia (a group of peace building workers who used to be child soldiers), Kenya and of course Canada. And at the end I'll be certified!

As I'm already running late, this post is short, but I thought I'd let you all know my next move. Happy December everyone!