Estelle and Ali

As mentioned in an earlier post, we’ve been working to develop a research nursery in Abdallah’s community, Shumba Viamboni, in hopes of advancing our tree-planting projects here on Pemba.  With support from Seeds for Africa, a British Charity that assists African communities with agricultural equipment and technical advice, CFI, CFP and local community members have come together to help construct CFP’s main research nursey on the Island.

Nursery construction

The nursery, which will fascilitate the expansion/experimentation of tree species and growing techniques also includes a covered area or “banda”  that  we have built to house our new Pod Press and process/store local seeds.

Abdallah & the Pod Press

The press (seen above), is designed to compress readily available “waste material” such as dried leaves, saw dust and sugar can husk , into a usable “pod” that seedlings will be grown in. If successful, this method will help replace the expensive and harmful dependence on black poly casings that seedlings are grown in throughout the tropics.  Depending on the molds used, the press can also be used to make a replacement “bricket” that once dried has shown to be a very efficient fuel source for cooking, reducing the dependence on charcoal.  Abdallah is now experimenting with different mixes for both seedling containers and fuel brickets and growing  many indigenous and endemic species of trees.  We hope, over the coming months to introduce new techniques and tree species for our projects next season, and plan on hosting  training sessions for community members from each of the tree planting communities.

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Hello again from Pemba! Updates are becoming few and far between, but rest assured that can only mean we’re working overtime here on the ground. Fortunately for us Genki Kondo, another volunteer with experience tree-planting across Canada, is here with us now assisting with the project.

As mentioned in the previous post,we have been working with the community of Uwandani recently. We have identified some measuring and planting techniques specifically suited to the help the 60 students who will be planting trees there. To our delight, the site at Uwandani was full of old Baobab trees, providing soil stabilization and sun/wind protection for the new seedlings.

Last weekend we arranged an expedition to Ngezi Forest, Pemba’s ecological centre. Our goal (other than to explore the indigenous tropical forest) was to locate specific varieties of trees we had identified as species we wanted to add to our nurseries. This was informed by Daimen’s research and local investigations, trying to find nitrogen fixing alternatives to a particularly harmful species of Acacia, as well as varieties of long lived, high quality hardwoods like Mtondo (Mahogany) and Mbamba Kofi (huge trees used for boat building) that could increase the species diversity in our nurseries. We arranged a meeting with a guide and forests ranger and spent the day hiking and collecting seeds from different species that we came across. We logged all the data in the GPS for future seed sources, and marked those species not currently producing seed with the proper name and fruiting season. The Mahogany that were collected had been deposited in certain areas by the Pemban Flying Fox, an endemic species of giant bat that is essential in spreading specific seeds through the forest.

For those of you interested in the latest pot press updates I have included some photographs of its construction. We are nearing completion; however, due to the lack of a few specialized tools, we have been delayed in its completion. If all goes well we will be sending you photos of it in operation in community workshops throughout Pemba soon. Inshallah!

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Hello again! I am happy to report that after two months of traveling, I arrived safely on Pemba Island yesterday morning. The journey itself, from Bombay to Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania, was fraught with some mystery sickness and a few surprise delays and missed connections.  Safe to say, I was happy to see Zanzibar when I arrived.  While in Zanzibar, I had a brief  crash course in Swahili and a few spectacular swimming sessions before leaving for Pemba. I had the opportunity to stay briefly with Akmed and Fatma and their beautiful children (watoto), Lilham and Saada. They arranged for me to enter Pemba via the “back door” on a small cargo ship that was delivering  fuel for the island’s generator in Wesha.  Contrary to what you may think, the overnight journey on the cargo ship was great. I was greeted by a friendly crew  and the most beautiful display of stars I’ve seen in years.

Yesterday, soon after I arrived, I met Mbarouk for the first time in person. He had brought Daimen and Estelle along for our long anticipated reunion.  In a flurry of embraces and unrestrained excitement  we exchanged laughs outside a stall serving octopus soup. After some introductions and a few stories, I loaded my bags into the back of the bright white pickup they had brought.

We wasted no time in getting right to the business of planting trees. We drove nearby to a school and collected the waiting students and headed to the coast to collect, and plant some Mangrove trees. Mangroves  are essential to the coastal stability of the island (preventing erosion) and provide habitat for many fish and other creatures. It is also an important fuel for making charcoal, and as such is commonly cut down.  We spent a great morning  planting with the students and MICA members in thick muck along the tidal river/bay. We were also joined by a reporter, a friend of Mbarouks who is putting together a story for a local Tanzanian television station on the mainland. She filmed the event while I snapped a few photos.  All in All a great way to start kick start my time here in Pemba; planting trees with students and friends. 

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Having finished working with Nadukuppam High School (and Pitchandikulam Forest), I have settled into a month of travelling. Being drawn to natural wonders, I visited Hampi, Karnataka for a week. Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage site that covers a huge area surrounding what is now the current town. Like most well know amazing places in India, Hampi is quite busy with tourist and travelers.

Strangely though, as soon as you get out of the main bazaar/town and start to explore, most everyone disappears, and your left surrounded by this fantastic landscape and temple after temple, structure after structure to explore. I rented a scooter and just soaked it all in, climbing giant boulders and visiting the ruins of a 700 year old civilization. It is a magical experience to stumble on one  of these more secluded  structures or rock formations all by yourself. A well enjoyed break from the normal hustle and bustle of India.

I’m now in Delhi. The “Big Hazy”. I came initially to meet a friend of mine, Vikas Gora, an amazing man whom I had the opportunity to spend a week with on my previous trip to India. Vikas heads up Disaster relief for all of India, and has spent a lot of his academic career studying community forestry and how to help coastal and Island communities lessen, mitigate, and manage disaster. We caught up and realized how much our areas of interest are overlapping (I found out  he did his thesis on aspects of community forestry!!) and have laid the ground work for future collaborations.

Getting ready to leave Delhi soon. I’m off to Rishikesh for a dip in the glacial waters near the mouth of the Ganges. A little cold, but I hear it pays great spiritual dividends.   Aside from the photos here, I have uploaded a lot more to our flicker page. http://www.flickr.com/photos/38230891@N06/

Great to hear that Daimen and Estelle have arrived safely In Pemba. Looking forward to finally get a chance to meet all our team in Pemba in person! See you in 2 weeks!

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Having spent the last several days visiting Pitchandikulam Forests and its surrounding projects, Lourdes and myself have decided that Nadukuppam High School is a perfect candidate for the Global Schools Link ( GSL) in India. Yesterday I returned to the school to give presentations to the Headmaster, Teachers and Students concerning Community Forests International (CFI) and the GSL. The day was a great success and the program was met with a real enthusiastic vigor.

The students were especially excited to speak with children in Tanzania, when they saw how similar  the landscape and biota looked.  After speaking to the school, I had the honor of planting a tree with some of the younger students.

 This was a symbolic act to mark the beginning of the GSL here at the school.  The same students are responsible for the care of this medicinal tree and can see it grow  alongside the project during their time at the school. I am relly thrilled to be working with Lourdes and Pitchandikullam Forest, and Nadukuppam High school, as they are really very progressive, and can bring a lot to the GSL and the schools that comprise it. Below is some pictures of Nadukuppam High School’s water filtration system which cleans waste water from bathrooms through a 5 phase natural system, using a solar pump to finally get the water to the onsite nursery and surrounding environment.

Here is a small spirulina (algae) production managed by Pitchandikulam Forest. It is  set up near  the school. The spirulina produced here is self sustaining financially and also provides the school with the super food for inclusion in school meals (which are also grown onsite by the children in the vegetable garden club!)

This area is also used as a place for women groups and medicinal healers to meet and learn about a host of different things (from smokeless stove operation to sewing classes) and share and teach each other new skills. They are also developing a model home for the village level on this site, which comprises appropriate technologies to improve life and reduce costs. Lastly there is a huge section devoted to restoration of arid land, and will become a area of food production and forest.   All in all a great new partnership has been developed and I look forward to future collaborations with all our new partners!

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Pitchandikulam Forest

After an overnight train to Chenai (Madras), a bus to Pondicherry and a 4km walk, I have found myself, in a place called Auroville. My teacher, Rico had been telling me of this remarkable couple who had worked to build an amazing forest where arid nothingness had been. (You can check out a video with Rico  at www.vimeo.com/3760052 )  The story of Auroville is in itself quite interesting as well. It became a site for a universal community, based around the ashram of Shree Aurobindo and his spiritual partner, know as Mother. People came from all around in the late 60’s and began building a new community from the ground up. This couple is an absolute inspiration! Jos and Anita( along with a host of others) have rejuvenated what was arid sandy coast , into  the forest  it had historically been .

 They did it while helping build this new community and presently have a forest (Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest) which contains 500 species of indigenous plants (and their associated animals and organisms) in a forest type that is so endangered only  an estimated 500 acres of healthy forest remain in scattered areas.  Jos mentioned that one of the saving graces of the Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest (TDEF) was that these small pockets of indigenous forest had remained intact surrounding village temples.

 These pockets of heritage biodiversity were kept as sacred groves, where a local deity lived and rode out on horseback to protect the villages from evil during the night. Another important factor in helping protect the areas and build on these successes was the verbal knowledge of these plants/trees and their medicinal uses were still around. They used both of these to the forests advantage, and in the past 35+ years has turned this sandy coastal land into one of the most diverse pockets of endangered ecosystems going.  

Jos and company have been working through their NGO, Pitchandikulam Forest to promote renewable energy, biodiversity, and environmental education (to name a few). I have had the opportunity to work with Lourdes, Pitchandikulam Forests Education Coordinator on the Global Schools Link (GSL).  That is for the next post though….so stay tuned!

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Having finish with the Course, I had a day in Mangalore to meet with some past graduates from the Coady International Institute. I had the great pleasure of meeting  Emmanuel Monis, who now works as regional officer with a German Based NGO, Andheri Hilfe.  He works with over 45 small grass roots organizations in three Indian states. We discussed CFI’s projects as well as the myriad of small ngo’s under his supervision and have found a few that I can hopefully meet with on my way north.  (more on that later).

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What an amazing week! I have been busy working on our group design project on Purnavasu farm in the village of Adamaru, 15 kilometers south of Udipi in southern India. We left Beeja in  the morning, visited  Hindu and Jain temples in Belur and ended up near the coast 12 hours later,

….after what could be called a typically Indian journey (amazing but painful!) over the coastal mountain range known as the Western Ghats. Having arrived late at night, we settled into our home-stay with Vasu Roa and his family, leaving the unveiling of the farm until morning.

The sun brought us the full view of Vasu’s family land. We took a walk around and discussed our possible projects for the next week.  It is an remarkable place (parts of the house are 200+ years old). Our task was to help make the farm more productive and viable, so Vasu can return there permanently and live and work with his aging parents. Our week was spent working on farm-improvement.  Starting usualy with building projects during the cooler morning hours, then breaking into designing and mapping our group project in the afternoon. My personal favorite is the outdoor shower.

 We made ours in a flash , and we put it right between some arakia nut palms so excess water would feed the trees/plants. (they chop up the nut and put it in “pan”, which is a mild narcotic used by people all over India). We also built a small check dam to help hold and infiltrate water,bermed up the banana jungle for ease of watering for the parents , and a bunch of other smaller projects (that’s just scratching the surface)

 Our

design project revolved around transforming an old cow barn (seen above) into a fully functional permaculture guesthouse, which could accommodate 1 family and 2 woofers to provide income for the family (the family has been approached by a newly constructed powerplant inquiring if it had a place for a middle management/supervisor and family to rent)

.

All and all it is magical place for a Canadian east coaster. The entire course, my brain  has been turning out lots of ideas for possible solutions to issues in Pemba, like soil fertility, agro forestry and water catchment/storage. I think between Me, Daimen, and Estelle, we will be able to share some really meaningful approaches and systems with our colleagues in Pemba. One interesting method I could see having a role in Pemba, involves collecting and propagating indigenous micro organisms (IMO’s) from the surrounding landscape, and spreading them around to help enliven and enrich soils.

Being a mycophile I thought I would mention a method for collecting your very own indigenous micro organisms. The IMO’s we are looking for live in the first few inches of the soil (topsoil) and generally comprise the molds and bacteria’s that help enrich soils and speed up its breakdown, creating healthier, more fertile soils. This is particularly useful in a tropical environment because, unlike the temperate climates which keep a lot of organic material in the soil, tropical regions tend to store their organic material in living plants, so It can’t be swept away with seasonal rains of baked of by blaring sun. Used alongside other techniques, this could rejuvenate any area that has depleted soils and could be used to enrich garden soils and increase/promote soil fertility anywhere in the world using on-site micro-friends.

Recipe and instructions can be found at the end of this post. Please note that I would caution using this technique if you are growing mushrooms specifically, as molds and bacteria tend munch on our fungi friends.

This is where I geek out, so fell free to skip this part If you like.

Step 1

1-Get a few non-metallic containers that fits together in 2 halves (2 bowls).

2-Fill one side with cooked rice (loosely, making sure there is lots of air able to circulate)

3-Add a little (very small amount!) of water.

4-Close it up by tying the two halves together. There should be a small gap between bowls so organism can get in. Make 2-3 of these contraptions

5-Bury them (just covering the top) in an area with rich, dark brown/black soil. Each one in a different spot to maximize variety Forest and compost piles are great spots.

6- Leave for several days, the rice is ready when it is multi colored and smells sweet and organic. If it stinks of death, the mixture had too much water and became anarobic. Chuck it out and start again.

Step 2

1- Dig up mix, check the quality.

2- Take a bucket and dissolve 1/2 litre of molases in 4-6 litres of water.

3- add the newly “colored” rice (mixture should be a thick slurry)

4- cover well with cheeze cloth or a t-shirt (allowing it to breath)

5- put in a room temp environment for 5-10 days

Step 3

 check again, if it smells like death, you added too much water, chuck it.  Use the t-shirt to strain out the mix so you are left with two parts: IMO rice and IMO liquid. The rice for compost is used for speeding up decomposition of organic material and making better quality compost. You can also scratch it in around plants/ garden beds. The liquid is used as a foliar spray (spray underside of leaves at a mix of 20:1 (water: IMO liquid) The liquid will also act as a good deterent to pest and fertilizer. Can mix in compost or around plants.

Note: Very Potent stuff. Dilute well or use small amounts. Liquid will keep for 4-6 weeks (don’t freeze)

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