Perhaps the most distinct memory of the trip was seeing all the roadside buildings in villages along the way that have been marked for “bemoa” (demolition). The Tanzanian government recently realized that it has allowed a considerable amount of un-permitted construction – everything from walls to restaurants to gas stations – in government property adjacent to the state-built roads. All around the country, officials have marked with spray paint the buildings that must now be demolished. In Mtwara, this new policy means that the big stone wall outside the Lutheran seminary must be removed and one bank’s ATM must be relocated, so it’s not a big deal. But along 450 km between Mtwara and Dar, this means that much of the “commercial development” (a term I use loosely), must be torn down. It’s hard to imagine that the government will follow through on a policy that is likely to be so costly, particularly to less-developed communities.
Anyway, in other news, there was a good article last week in the New York Times (link), raising some very interesting points about the current state of agriculture and global food supplies. The basic gist of the article is that erratic weather (e.g., floods, drought, heat spells) has been cutting into agricultural yields, raising new doubts about long-term global food security, all the while the international community seems to have lost focus on agricultural research and development. The food riots that broke out in developing countries around the world in 2007 and 2008 were likely only the tip of the iceberg.
As on Jonathan Foley, a professor from the University of Minnesota summed up the issue, “We’ve doubled the world’s food production several times before in history, and now we have to do it one more time. The last doubling is the hardest. It is possible, but it’s not going to be easy.”
Meanwhile, Tanzania has committed itself to “Kilimo Kwanza” (Farming First), a national program intended to “Modernise and commercialise agriculture for peasant, small, medium and large scale producers” (link).
A major component of Peace Corps’ environment program in Tanzania is helping improve sustainable agricultural at the local level, particularly for people living with and at-risk of contracting HIV and AIDS.
My current contribution to this effort is a moringa tree program I am planning for villages in Mnazi Bay-Ruvumu Estuary Marine Park.
Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing, drought-resistant, highly-nutritious tree. The species is believed to native to sub-Himalayan tracts of northern India but now can be found worldwide in the tropics and sub-tropics. With leaves rich in protein, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and essential minerals such as iron, this tree is like growing your own multi-vitamin.
I hope that if introduced to some of the villages in the park, moringa could provide a readily available source of nutrients to park residents, who rely on vegetables to be trucked in for much of the year, given the lack of reliable rainfall. To test the feasibility of this idea I have been attempting to grow moringa seedlings in our own backyard, where the soil, to begin with, was about as bad as one can imagine. While the seeds have proven hard to get started, once growing the tree has certainly lived up to the hype.
A moringa seedling trying to grow in an early attempt of a bustani. Notice the poor soil quality.
The first round of a dozen or so seeds I planted back in November produced only two seedlings, one of which was planted in our backyard and one of which we gave to our Mama next door. To see how quickly these trees grow, here’s a little time series of how these two trees turned out:
Clockwise from top-left: (1) the moringa planted in our backyard in mid-February, only a couple of feet tall about a month after transplanting; (2) the same tree in mid-March; (3) by early April, the tree was as tall as our wall; (4) Mama’s tree next door, in early June, which was planted at the same time.
I had to substitute a picture of Mama’s moringa tree for the final photo in the above montage because we came home last week to find the tree in our backyard had succumbed to the Kusi (southeastern monsoon) winds, which have been especially strong as of late. A stiff afternoon wind gust snapped the tree in two. Apparently, while fast growing, moringa can’t be described as a hardwood.
Kali, having emerged from her palm lean-to, inspects the damage.
It was a sad scene – the main stem snapped in half, well below the lowest branch. But as it turns out, once started, moringa can withstand this. A little online research (thanks with the help of a certain Colorado “master gardener”) revealed that moringa can actually be cut back often, as low as a meter from the ground once or twice a year. This is actually recommended, as it keeps the branches from growing out of reach and encourages a thick, hardy main stem.
As for the other half of the tree, I cut off the fresh growth and hung the branches in our storage room to dry (once dried, the leaves can be made into a fine powder that can be added to soups, stews, even oatmeal). I also trimmed off the larger branches so that I could attempt to grow clones of the tree from cuttings.
Moringa leaves drying in our storage room (top) and planted moringa cuttings (below).
The jury is still out on whether the tree (and its cuttings) will live, but if it does, it won’t be a huge surprise. After what happened to the moringa Merritt planted, these trees seem to be fairly hard to kill.
To mark Merritt’s birthday, in early March we planted the sole surviving moringa seedling from our second planting out in front of our house, where the tree seemed to love the sunny, sandy conditions. But in May, just as the tree seemed poised to take off, construction crews arrived to build our front wall and promptly buried the tree under several dump truck loads of sand. After we dug out the remaining stump, we came home one afternoon to find the remains of the poor tree crushed under a cinder block that was being used to help hold up our front gate. I was sure that even if the tree had surviving being buried the first time, it wouldn’t survive this second crushing.
But to our amazement, a week after construction had finished out front, our Mama next door greeted Merritt one morning with the news that the “mti inaota” (“the tree, it is growing”), and sure enough the little sucker somehow survived. We’re letting the tree regain a little bit of its former self before relocating it to a safer local.
When we get back to Mtwara in two weeks, we’ll find out if the moringa in our backyard (and all its clones) have survived. I am hopeful, and encouraged that the tree is right for introduction into villages in the park. I’ll let you all know how it goes.
Anyway, that’s the green news here; hope everyone’s gardens back in the State’s are coming to life.
African honey bees, visiting the flowers in our front garden.
I think this project sounds SO sensible. Plus it is delightful that the tree does seem hard to kill. The perfect species for a tough neighborhood like yours! Love that beautiful banded bee! Flowers are nice, too.
ReplyDeleteWish we were there!