What do you do for work?

The rainy season (July-October) is a very busy time for agroforestry. We are outplanting trees for reforestation and for individual concessions. My village is currently planting native trees, Lengue, that have a valuable wood for carpentry. We are planting them near a water source to decrease erosion and protect the area. We are also direct seeding cashew for reforestation. A group of farmers is interested in starting coffee, so we’re preparing a seed germination bed and I’m tracking down seeds from an agricultural research center in the next big town away. My main project is planting moringa trees in individual concessions. The moringa tree is referred to as “the miracle tree” for its high nutritional content, medicinal uses, quick growth rate, use as animal fodder, and enrichment of the soil (nitrogen-fixing). I have approximately 2,000 trees going in my village and the next village over, and we’re working on outplanting them in concessions and educating people as to its benefits. You can prepare the leaves fresh, as in their leaf sauce they serve with rice, or dry them and pound them and use them as a nutritional additive to any dish. Tradition is held in high esteem here and a change from the norm is very difficult. People are already excited about the tree and expressing interest, so I am excited about its prospects here.

I attended a Pular book-keeping training for the farming co-ops in my district, where I introduced moringa to the co-ops and introduced myself as a local resource for technical information. By the end of the day I was frantically copying out local natural pesticide recipes for termites in Pular and handing out moringa trees to outplant throughout the district. Though work is slow-going, there are some days like that one where everything just comes together.

I’m also working with the village on secondary, non-agroforestry projects. They are interested in starting a community library, so we’re going to do a small test-run to gauge interest. The village currently lacks a youth center (Maison de la Jeunesse), found in many other places. They are hoping to start building one soon, and I am looking into outside donor options for audio and electronic equipment (for youth gatherings). Ideally the youth center could house a community library. They have also expressed interest in fencing off the village soccer field, to decrease maintenance costs.