It has been a couple of months of hard work but the Tulongeni Gardening Project is close to having its first seeds in the ground; just in time for the rainy season. For me, I have been spared most of the backbreaking labor involved with constructing the garden and getting the land ready to plant. There is no arguing that I am not as skilled as the women when it comes to transporting water or fencing wire on my head. However, it has been a lot of logistical work for me, which I actually enjoy less than swinging a hammer or digging holes. We depended on donated transport to get all the materials into the village so it has meant far too many trips to town for me and phone calls trying to figure out where our stuff is.
On what was a worthless plot of sand, grass, and a few scrubby thorn trees, is now a 23,000 square foot garden that will hopefully provide a group of women with a little extra income, an improved diet, and the opportunity to better themselves. The project, which has cost a mere US$3,000 (that money can go a long ways here) was funded through the U.S.’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). With the money we were able to install a water pipe, build a chain-link fence, build a small shaded nursery, buy tools and other equipment, and buy the first round of seeds for the women.
In reality, the easy part is done. Burying a water pipe and erecting a fence is pretty straightforward. However, growing vegetables in less than perfect conditions is going to take some work and patience. I have been told that it is a common belief amongst the Owambo that the soil in the region will grow nothing well except palm trees and millet. Luckily, I have proven this wrong with my own garden. I have found that many vegetables grow quite well and in the process I have learned a few tricks that will hopefully help the women succeed.
Come December the first seeds will be sowed. The group will be planting cabbage, carrots, beets, onion, squash, watermelon, tomato, and swiss chard. All of these are easily marketable to the surrounding community. I am also encouraging the group to use up to half of the garden to grow maize and sugar cane. Again, these are very marketable but also grow extremely well with little effort. In case the vegetables fail, the group will at least be guaranteed some success for their first season. It makes me anxious, nervous, and excited to see how everything will come together. There are a lot of hurdles ahead for this project but at least I am still here for nearly another year to help the women overcome the hurdles.
The first step in building the garden was running the water line. In total, we buried about 320 meters of poly pipe between the garden and the village.
A single tap for the entire garden. The garden will not be irrigated but instead will have to be watered by hand. During the rainy season the watering will be minimal, especially with mulching. However, in order for the garden to produce year round, daily watering will be necessary during the 7 months when there is absolutely no rain.
The women asked to have a full-fledged metal fence around the garden instead of a simple wood post fence like I initially thought would be best. Even though it upped the price, the metal fence will ensure that the garden is secure, which is especially important during the dry months when every cow, goat, chicken, donkey, and hungry person will be trying to invade the only patch of green for miles around.
In all, we put 41 posts in the ground, all of which had to be cemented in. This turned out to be a challenge with the sand. In order for the posts to be solid in the sand, the footings needed to be larger than one would expect. The holes that were dug turned out to be too small which meant that when the wire was pulled tight the poles would begin to lean. This has been one of several challenges in getting the garden built. It has been stressful at times not having the right tools, equipment, or know-how for the job. But, I have learned that you have to do the best you can with the resources available and even though it will not be perfect, it will ultimately serve its purpose.
Now, at the end of November the garden is nearly complete and will be ready for planting very soon. We are now waiting for one of the young guys from the village to bring his donkeys and plough up the soil. Its not much to look at now, but hopefully come March and April, there will be an abundance of edible plant life.
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