This will be a day of viewing first hand some agriculture innovations being worked on in Tanzania.
We start off by visiting the headquarters of an MCC partner – Global Service Corps where Erwin is their leader. He shows us around and we are amazed at some of the work that they are doing.
Krispen introduces us to stingless bees who make honey that has medicinal qualities.
Erwin demonstrates solar dehydration units are used to dry fruit, making it available for consumption in times outside of the growing season.
Grain storage bins can be made without too high a cost and they safely keep the grain from rot and rodents.
We also went to visit two model farms. Their innovations will go a long way if they can promote their ideas to others and have them also follow suit.
One of the things that really caught my attention here was the concept of keyhole gardens. About one and a half metres in diameter, these gardens have a centre tube that accepts compostable material and then when the kitchen water is run into it, the nutrients from the waste materials become available for the plants that are grown in a concentrated fashion.
Sack gardening also allows for plants to grow not only from the top but also from the sides. This seems like a great idea for intensive gardening in small areas.
Non grazing goats are kept in pens.
A bio-digester produces methane gas for cooking inside while moving the sludge which can then be used for fertilizer through to the other end.
This model farm also grew fish fingerlings which were marketed regularly.
And how’s this for a new hand wash machine? The cord connected to the cap tips it over allowing the water to run through small punched holes – just enough to get a good wash. This innovative yet simple technological mechanism conserves water while also encouraging good hygiene.
Our second model farm was not that far away, but we had moved from a zone where water was scarce to one where water was in abundant supply. This farmer was able to grow rice
as well as sugar cane.
After Nyama Choma for lunch with Mike and Maguy Salomons and their children we had an afternoon at the Art Museum (simply WOW! fabrics and more delight!)
and a bit of Maasai Market shopping before heading back to the hotel for the evening and night.
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