Update from save School, Gisagara
With @PermacultureRw, now students are able to produce fruits and vegetables themselves. pic.twitter.com/YkQicFIVSh
— Rwandan Women's Permaculture (@PermacultureRw) June 7, 2023
Visit to Bugesera
The final chapter of the three-project “Voices from the Margins” involved an evaluation and follow-up visit to the Rwandan Women’s Permaculture, also to see the work of Barnabe Mukezangango, also a graduate of the S39 PDCUG18. He works in farming support and is bringing organic techniques to the front line in the Eastern region. This garden began at the start of 2023 in Bugesera, near the border with Burundi.
In this design, Barnabe wanted to create something striking and engaging that might serve as an opportunity and inspiration for the local groups working with it. Features include raised beds for easy access, soil building, and visual effects, making the most of the available space. The community also wanted an area dedicated to papaya, pumpkin, and squash. They have utilized local materials in its construction and are using companion planting to attract pollinating insects and to confuse potential pests.
GRFFN, quality not quantity
S39 members and learners are part of the GRFFN network, and part of the reason behind this trip was to begin to collect data for them on the connection between soil quality and plant health.
“Our vision is for a world where all food is grown for its nutritional qualities using regenerative practices. Nutritious food will be made accessible to all, creating an abundance of health and harmony, reconnecting humans with Mother Earth.” GRFFN
The deep understanding offered by GRFFN’s research is that the quality of the food depends on the quality of the soil and that soil quality is defined by the abundance of microorganisms within it. The bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa, and microarthropods help plants absorb minerals and nutrients from the soil. The organic approach, without chemicals and minimum disturbance of the soil, promotes an abundance of soil biota. Healthy soil is alive and promotes ideal conditions for plant growth, which directly translates into the nutrient density of the resulting plants. GRFFN is a UK-based network building a dataset of growers and farmers’ experiences worldwide. Last year, they were able to reach out to 8,000 farmers in Andhra Pradesh, India, and this is the beginning of building an African farmer network.
In the pictures, Barnabe is using a BRIX refractometer to test the nutrient density of the sap in the plants they are growing. The team has been testing plants grown using natural farming methods and contrasting those with those grown on our organic permaculture plots.”
Soil life is the key to fertility
BRIX testing results
Building a data set that stands statistical scrutiny will take a little time. These are drwn from 20 initial results from our first phase of field work. We do not claim that these results prove or disprove our hypothesis, but are merely indicators that encourage further study.
Intensive
Crops treated with petro-chemical inputs and tillage
- Green peppers tested at Kambuye grave a very low result of 3, poor. An excellent result would have beengreater than 10
- Cucumber tested at Kigali, treated with bio fertilisers scored 4, poor. 12 is Excellent
- We need more data for non organic produce
Natural farming
Crops raised using organic and permaculture methods
- Beetroot Kamabuye, 12 which is excellent
- Cabbage, Gisagara 5 poor. 12 is excellent
- Carrot, Kamabuye, 11 good/ excellent
- Amaranth leaf. 11 Good/ excellent
- Papaya, Kambuye 10, average, 20 is excllent
There are many variables, and the garden at Kambuye is still in its first year of cultivation. Fertilizers and pesticides have not been used in this area to our knowledge. Most plants tested here were above average, with many being good or excellent. However, we need to test more from treated soils to allow for contrast. This field visit focused on permaculture members, hence the balance of the results.
Call to Action, help us raise £750 ASAP
Help Stella complete her studies
Stella Rose is a project evaluator specializing in sustainable development, with a background in social work. As a permaculture trainee, she completed her PDC in Kumi in 2020 and is now a Master’s Student at Makerere University, specializing in disaster management and permaculture as a tool for organization.
She is about to complete her first year of the Master’s program but needs to raise £750 in fees (and £50 costs) to be able to sit the final exams. Without this, she will be forced to begin the whole course again and lose out on the first term fees already paid.
She came to S39 as an intern in 2020 as part of her undergraduate studies and has since made a very valuable contribution to our work, visiting students in their home locations and completing follow-up evaluations of the impact that permaculture studies have had on their daily lives. Through this work, we have uncovered the extraordinary effect this training is having on households and have been inspired to extend this work much further. Permaculture is transforming lives and has the potential to grow much more.
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