Donating to Mission Trip to Guadalajara

If you  would like to join our mission support team, by making a donation, follow these instructions here.

Simply mail your check, made payable to Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, to 7686 Herber Rd, New Tripoli, PA 18066 or give in person to the DeMaster family. Checks payable to Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary are tax-deductible gifts You can also donate online at www.sfxmission.com. If you choose to contribute this way, please be sure to include Annika's name or Tessa’s name in the “donation on behalf of” field at the Paypal checkout. Please note that there is a small charge taken out of your donation for Paypal.

Parishioners join Mission Trip to Mexico

I want to tell you about an exciting opportunity my Mom and I have to grow in our faith and serve others.

This Easter, we are going to spend 12 days in Guadalajara, Mexico doing mission work. In Mexico we will be spreading the faith by sharing the Gospel through our example and by assisting with service projects. During the trip we will spend Holy week in Guadalajara at Our Lady of the Pillar parish and end the trip with a visit to Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine in Mexico City.

Our faith calls us to continuously grow closer to God which includes knowing Him, loving Him, and serving Him. This is a great opportunity to take part in service as we show God’s people the love they are meant to encounter every day. St. Therese and many other saints show us that the way to holiness is through acts of love and service, and this mission trip in an excellent way for us to do that. The trip is sponsored by the Saint Francis Xavier Mission of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter and you can learn more about it by visiting www.sfxmission.com.

Christ calls us all to be evangelists.  Each person has a unique and critical role to play in God’s plan.  I write you today to invite you to join us on our mission in Guadalajara.  You can join us in a couple important ways – with your prayers and financial gift.  I ask you to prayerfully consider joining us in doing corporeal and spiritual works of mercy in Guadalajara. We need to raise $1,900 by March 1st plus an additional $1,600 for transportation, which brings the total cost to; $3,500. In order to meet this goal as quickly as possible, one-time gifts of $25, $50, $75+ are greatly needed.  There are no minimums or maximums and all gifts are greatly appreciated! Feel free also to contribute something now and to do so again in the coming months if possible.

If you would like to join our mission support team, simply mail your check, made payable to Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, in the stamped, self-addressed envelope. Checks payable to Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary  are tax-deductible gifts. I will mail it to the St. Francis Xavier Mission Trip organizers at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary.  Please send your check as soon as you are able.  I will call you within the next week to see if you have any questions. Thank you for your prayerful consideration!

You can also donate online at www.sfxmission.com. If you choose to contribute this way, please be sure to include my name or my mom’s name in the “donation on behalf of” field at the Paypal checkout. Please note that there is a small charge taken out of your donation.

Once again thank you so much for your support and I hope to hear from you soon.

“Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And he will say, ‘whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25: 37-40

Sincerely in Christ,

Annika and Tessa DeMaster

Farmer's Summary of trip to Moshi, Tanzania

In January, I travelled to Tanzania as part of the Farmer to Farmer program operated by Catholic Relief Services and funded by US AID.  This program exists to provide volunteer technical assistance from farmers, agribusinesses, cooperatives, and universities to improve productivity, access new markets, and conserve environmental and natural resources.  I had previously travelled to Tanzania with this program in 2015.  I chose a project that interested me and my application was approved in December. 

My assignment took place at St. Amedeus Secondary School in Kilema, Tanzania near the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro.  This school produces most of the food that serves to the 700 boys that board and study there.  It must also feed an additional 100 teachers and staff.  The assignment objectives required me to assist the school to put an additional three acres into vegetable production.  This included a preparation of cost estimates, a farm design, crop recommendations, equipment recommendations and a schedule for beginning the project.  As a result of this project, CRS hopes that this farm will be a place to demonstrate and to teach good farming practices to local farmers and to the students. 

One of the first steps that a farmer takes when planting a new field is to get a soil test.  This is difficult to do in Tanzania because it is expensive and complicated.  In order to do this quickly, I brought a soil test kit along with me.  This kit measures PH, available phosphorus, and available potassium.  On my previous trip, I had performed about 30 soil tests and I had a good idea of what to expect this time.  As expected, I found that the soil from the new field had a low PH, low phosphorus, and high potassium levels.  Once farmers know this type of information, they can take the necessary steps to improve their soil. 

My next task was to more effectively use the limited water resources available to this farm.  During the rainy season in the spring, all farmers plant crops.  The farms that have a source of water can also plant crops during the rest of the year.  The school does have a source of water but they are not using it as efficiently as they could.  Switching to a drip irrigation system allows farms to produce more vegetables using less water.  I spent some time visiting companies that designed and installed drip irrigation systems.  I got estimates from several companies and put together a plan for the system. 

Then I spent time gathering prices for seeds and fertilizer.  I helped the school select the varieties of vegetables they would grow and figured out how many of each plant that they needed.  I showed them how much of the crop would have to be sold in order to pay for their expenses and how much of the crop they would be able to use to feed the students. 

Along with my visits to various agricultural companies, I also visited organizations that assist farmers with various aspects of farming.  One of these organizations is called the Tanzania Horticultural Association.  This group is also funded by US AID and functions kind of like our farm extension service.  I met the regional agronomist and introduced him to the school headmaster.  The school agreed to join this organization and will continue to receive assistance from this group. 

When I write this down on paper and read it from an American perspective, it sounds like a simple and straightforward process.  It is not difficult to do this on my farm because I am accustomed to having an elaborate infrastructure supporting agriculture.  I have access to dozens of businesses that exist to help me succeed as well as research institutions and farm agencies funded by taxpayers.  I cannot overstate how difficult these same things are to accomplish in Tanzania.  Travel is difficult and expensive and farmers do not know about the resources available to them.  Searching the internet is tedious and time consuming.

By the end of my project, I had put together a plan that will help the school move forward with its project.  The plan addresses short term needs as well as some long term issues.  Both CRS and the Tanzanian Horticultural Association will continue to provide support and oversight for this project.  I gathered many emails from the teachers at the school and I am able to continue to communicate with them.  It is not easy for a farmer to make changes to his or her farming practices.  New knowledge takes time to understand and to implement.  Farming success is measured in years, not in months.  I'm thankful for the opportunity that I had to both teach and learn while in Tanzania. 

-Reuben DeMaster

Willow Haven Farm

New Tripoli, PA, USA

Last days in Tanzania

On the day that I was supposed to meet the Bishop, I woke up sick.  Until Monday, I enjoyed good energy and health.  This week something went awry with my intestinal system.  Mostly it was just a churning sensation but this morning it was worse.  I also felt dizzy and occasionally feverish.  However, this was the day to pay a visit to Bishop Isaac Amari of the Catholic Diocese of Moshi.  It took an hour of driving to arrive at his office.  Driving with Brother Charles means that we are always either rapidly accelerating, passing someone, or slamming on the brakes.  The major roads are paved but they are filled with speed bumps because otherwise no one will observe safe speeds.  By the time we arrived, I was also motion sick.  We signed in and waited an hour for our turn.  
Bishop Amani, is a peaceful and insightful man and we had an enjoyable conversation.  He asked about my family and about my work in his diocese.  He understood what I had learned, what needed to be done, and how difficult it was to achieve.  His remark was that it sounded like the research that I had done needed to be given to farmers to use.  This has been my dilemma for the entire project.  I mostly concluded that it is impossible for an outsider to come for a few weeks and make significant changes in farming methods.  This week, I have focused on compiling information and ideas and sending them to people who might spend time reading and thinking about it.  So far on this trip, I have worked with an extension agent, a beginning farmer in the Maasai land, St. James seminary (high school), Kilacha friary, St. Amedeus where I am staying and now the Bishop's farm.  At our meeting, the Bishop reminded Brother Charles that he was supposed to take me to his farm.  It belongs to the Diocese but it is called the Bishop's farm.  So in spite of my sickness, our next stop was Uru farm.
At Uru farm they grow coffee and avocados - my specialty!  The farm is operated by several brothers from the same congregation that I visited, Kilacha.  They wanted me to test 5 different areas and somehow I was able to complete the walk.  At the beginning and end of these visits, the guests are expected to sit down in the house for drinks, food, and relaxation.  Fortunately, I was able to convince them that I really was sick and needed to get home.  I am also down to my final day here and now I have to test an additional 5 soil samples and write a report for the brothers at Uru.  Brother Charles has air conditioning in his vehicle but people prefer hot wind to the A/C.  He likes to blow A/C on our feet with the windows open.  Thankfully I fell asleep in spite of the rapid acceleration and deceleration. 

I'm compiling my final reports tonight and sending email attachments to priests and brothers at 4 different farms.  All of them have farm experience and they participate at various levels in the farmwork.  Almost everyone in this area grew up on a small farm.  Several of them will attempt trials and they will share information.  I think they will continue to communicate with me by email. 
The Bishop shared one significant piece of information with me.  He said that in the past, farmers were taught to plant a crop called marejea with their corn and it was used to improve the soil.  They were given free seed and it was a common practice.  It figures that I would learn this on my last day here.  The funny thing was that last night a priest told me about the same crop and said that it is still used as a cover crop in the large sugar plantations (owned and operated by a company from South Africa).  The knowledge that this was once practiced reminds me that farming is a slow process of learning and of passing on wisdom to each generation.  There are no shortcuts.  Farmers must be attentive, patient, careful, and virtuous.  Success is measured in generations and this process can be interrupted at any time.  What a great task!  I can't wait to get back to my farm. 

Reuben DeMaster
Willow Haven Farm
www.WillowHavenFarmPA@live.com
 "The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings."?? - Masanobu Fukuoka
 

Chagga & Maasai

There are two main traditional cultural groups in northern Tanzania.  The Chagga people live on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and the surrounding hills.  They seem to dominate the East and South areas around Kilimanjaro.  The Maasai people live mostly to the North and West of Kilimanjaro.  Historically I think that they lived separate from each other but today there are areas in which these groups interact.  

My experience with these groups is limited to the 5 weeks that I have spent with them – mostly with the Chagga.  Many people have gone out of their way to show me kindness and a warm welcome.  I especially enjoy seeing the large numbers of children who love to say ‘hello’ to the muzungu or white person.  However, I am mostly still a mystery to them since their perception of the United States is mostly formed by the media and by various aid organizations.  Although I am a modest farmer in the United States with an income below the federal poverty line, I am considered quite wealthy by Tanzanian standards.  My family size also does not fit the perception of an American family.  In the same way, their culture is largely still a mystery to me.  Although I am present with them, I do not have anyone to explain what I am seeing.  There are many habits and customs that I do not understand.  

The Chagga have lived around Kilimanjaro for centuries in a tribal system.  Hundreds of separate tribes traded and fought with each other.  With a favorable climate and source of water, they grew crops such as banana, maize, beans, yams, and coffee.  In the 19^th century, the Germans took control of the area and eventually set up a system of colonial rule.  After World War I, the area was given to the British and they ruled until Tanzanian independence in 1961.  German missionaries introduced Christianity to the area through the Lutheran and Catholic Church.  I drove past a German Catholic church that was built out of stone around 1890.  I also read that the parish was founded by an Irish Catholic so I’m not sure which is accurate.  I have asked several people about their history and they do not seem to study it or to know it.  I also spoke with an elderly German woman who told me about how her Lutheran grandparents were the first to write down the Chagga language. 

Although I do not know much about the history of Christianity in the area, the Chagga tribe embraced it wholeheartedly.  I am in an area with Catholic parishes and schools every mile.  An elderly priest told me that over 90% of the people are Catholic and there are not other churches around.  The larger towns and cities are more diverse.  There are different areas in which the Lutherans are established.  In the Catholic parishes and schools, I have yet to see a white priest or student or parishioner.  Religious vocations are also plentiful and schools are run by nuns and brothers.  One priest told me that one of the religious orders in the Dioceses has 1000 sisters.  Most of the priests and religious that I have met are younger than I.  

Several online descriptions of the Chagga people, assert that Christianity and the European influence has led to the prosperity of these people.  I suppose that is up for debate but certainly the Church emphasized education and hard work.  The Chagga were also traditionally known for their work ethic and many of them have been able to prosper.  The population of the Chagga is close to 1 million and continues to grow rapidly. They have spread to all parts of Tanzania.   

The Maasai people were traditionally pastoralists who cared for herds of cattle and goats.  They did not grow crops but wandered throughout the plains surrounding Mount Kilimanjaro.  Their diet came from their livestock and they survived on milk, meat, and blood.  They travelled great distances with their large herds in order to find enough grass.  The Maasai are famous for their piercings and for their ear stretching.  They were taller than other tribes and dominated the region.  Traditionally the wealthy Maasai took several wives and had many children.  I met a man with 3 wives and I have heard stories of Maasai with up to 10 wives.  

Although the cultures have many similarities, I think that there are also conflicts.  I have asked several Chagga men about the Maasai and they do not think very highly of several Maasai habits.  First, the Maasai men have a reputation for not working hard.  Some of this probably comes from that fact that many of them can no longer care for their animals in the traditional way.  Grazing land has been reduced due to population growth, sporadic rainfall, and preserved land for national parks.  Many Maasai now live in towns but they often do not pursue education or regular employment.  The Chagga men also have been critical of the Maasai practice of having many children.  They think that the Maasai do not adequately care for their children and that they should make a greater effort to educate them.  One man told me that in his village, families only had as many children as they could educate and that men were expected to have a job and a house before getting married.

Research in Arusha, Tanzania

In the past two days in Arusha I have visited two drip irrigation supply company, one fertilizer mining and supply company, the ECHO farm, two equipment sales companies, the Tropical Pesticide Research Institute, and the Salian Agricultural Research Institute. All of the people I have met have been kind, helpful, cheerful, competent, and appreciative. These places were not easy to find and the journey was made much easier with the help of several excellent drivers, a new friend that I met by 'chance', and a well connected agronomist at the ECHO farm. I discovered a genuine interest in sustainability and in reducing agriculture's dependence on chemicals. I spoke with several researchers and a soil scientist who are exploring ways to accomplish peat control and to improve soil fertility using natural methods. They know that it is possible. They know that the poor soils can be improved and the farmers could achieve better yields and healthier crops.

I learned several options for planting cover crops and green manures. I saw each of them growing and had help considering the positives and negatives of each. Rama Ngatoluwa, the soil scientist, spoke for a long time about the benefits that these crops could have for the soil and for farming. He helped me to appreciate both the benefits and the difficulties of applying these methods in Tanzania. 

I am thankful that I have been able to learn so much in a short amount of time. 

Farming Interest - Watermelon Cultivation – Tikiti Maji

Monica cooks for the brothers and the priest in the house and for any visitors who come. In addition to these duties, she cultivates a large garden plot. When she gets too busy, other people help her. At this time, the plot has watermelons, or tikiti maji, growing. Expensive F-1 hybrid seeds were purchased to grow this crop. The seeds might be from Austria. Twenty five grams of seed cost $50 or more and was enough to plant ½ acre. The seeds were planted directly into the ground in November. There are 8 rows 200 feet long and 10 feet apart. The plants look vigorous and the fruits are ripening.
After emergence, aged cow manure was applied along with one tablespoon of NPK per plant. The brand name of the NPK is Yara Mila but I could not discover the concentration. At about one month, she applied a urea spray. At fruit set another fertilizer is applied but I couldn’t find any information about it. It was called ‘Can’.

Several fungicides and insecticides are applied during the growing season to control whiteflies, aphids and fungal diseases. Some of the chemicals used include cypermethrin, profenofos, and abamectin. The fungicides used are copper and mancozeb. A foliar fertilizer called Easy Gro is also applied at the same time. This is a NPK foliar with trace elements. I couldn’t verify any kind of a spray schedule or amount applied. It seems like a variety of sprays were mixed together and sprayed a number of times. Some of the sprays have a 3 day reentry restriction and a 14 day harvest restriction. This means that people should not be in the field for 3 days after spraying. I am certain that they are not following that rule and I think they spray without protective clothing.
The watermelons are irrigated with flood irrigation. This seems very inefficient and they know this. Water is only required near the roots but they are using channels to bring water to the field.
The fruit set seems to be good although the melons are only 3-5 pounds each. They say that a melon sells for 2,000 – 5,000 TSH or between $ .90 and $2.10.

Farming Interest - Natural Sprays

Mwarobaini - Neem spray
To make neem spray use one kilogram of fresh neem leaves. Put the leaves into a pot and add 5-6 liters of water. Boil the mixture until the bright green color is gone from the leaves. When the green color is gone it means that the part of the leaves that affects the insects has gone into the water. Let the water cool overnight. The next day, remove the leaves.The spray is now ready to use on the plants. Use within one week. This method is used in India. Neem does not work as a knock down spray that kills insects on contact. Instead, it makes plants less attractive to insects. Plants are able to absorb neem sprays through their leaves or roots. Neem also interferes with the reproductive cycles of insects. By doing this, it may be possible to lower the overall population by keeping them from reproducing. Neem can be used every 1 – 2 weeks during the growth of the plant. By using it when the insect population is low, it will help to keep them from growing to a large population. The seeds of the neem trees are more effective than the leaves but the leaves are available any time.


Sabuni - Natural soap spray
To make a soap spray, find a natural soap without added color or scents. Soap made with animal fats might be safer for the plants than soap made with plant based fats. The soap should be mixed in a 1-2% solution. This means that if you want to make 1 Liter of spray, you should add 10 mL of soap solution. Dissolve soap shaving in a small amount of water. Use 10 ML of this solution with 1 Liter of water to make a 1% solution. Neem and soap sprays can be used to affect whiteflies, aphids, spider mites, and mealybugs. The neem and soap sprays may also be combined.


Natural fungicide
Potassium Bicarbonate can be added to the soap spray to control mildew, scale, and common fungal diseases. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate but it can damage plants. Add 1 Tablespoon to 4 Liters of water.

Utupa – Rusha – Tephrosia Vogelii – Goats Rue
Sometimes people know that this plant can be used as an illegal way to kill fish. This is because it is a natural source of rotenone. Rotenone is an effective way to control soft bodied insects including aphids, whitefly, mites, ticks, worms, and termites. To make this spray, place 1 kg leaves in 5 L of water and boil for 30 minutes. Remove leaves and add about 70 mL of a liquid soap mixture. Use within one week.

Farming Interest - Soil Test Results

One of the first principles of agriculture is that healthy plants grow in healthy soils. Many farmers have forgotten this and neglect the long term health of the soil for short term gain. In the United States we are in the middle of an agricultural crisis as we watch our topsoil erode and disappear in front of us. Farmers spray large amounts of chemical fertilizers onto transgenic crops on fields with little organic matter and the fertilizer run off pollutes our waterways and even larger bodies like the Gulf of Mexico. In the process we are able to produce such an abundance of grain that we don’t know what to do with it. We even burn it in our vehicles. In spite of this the price of grain is so low that few farmers can make a living by growing it.

In Tanzania, the crisis looks different and worse because the soils are less fertile and because they receive less rainfall. Few farmers have been trained in soil health and few think about what constitutes a healthy soil. I’m told that soil testing can be done in Tanzania but I have yet to come across a farmer who has done it. The soils that I have seen are marginal at best and are unable to produce healthy crops or large yields.

Before I left I purchased a LaMott Soil Testing Kit and I have it with me in Tanzania. The kit tests PH levels as well as Phosphorus and Potassium. There is also a nitrogen test but this test is not relevant for my purposes. This gives me one way to understand what is happening in the soil and what can be done to improve crops. I have taken 5 soil samples so far and have tested them using the testing kit. The soil samples were taken from different fields. Two fields were for future vegetable production, two were currently in vegetable production, and one had been a corn field. The test results were very similar. I found PH levels in the 6-7 range. The phosphorus levels were low at 20-70 pounds per acre. The potassium levels were high at 180-220 pound per acre.

Phosphorus is one of the macronutrients that is needed in large quantities in order to grow plants. It is necessary for the hardy growth of a plant. It encourages root development and increases total yield. It increases the palatability of plants and stimulates the formation of fats, convertible starches, and healthy seed. It also increases a plant’s resistance to disease. Seeds, bones, and milk are all high in phosphorus and therefore large amount of phosphorus are needed to create them. It is also possible for phosphorus to be in the soil but in a form inaccessible to plants. Soils with low phosphorus levels need large inputs of phosphorus in order to grow crops.

For comparison, the vegetable fields on my farm in Pennsylvania had phosphorus levels of 230 and 138 pounds per acre when I tested the soil in 2012. This was after the first year of growing in these fields and the fields were in the transition from conventional to organic production. By the time that I tested those same fields in 2015, the phosphorus levels had risen to 450 and 406 pounds per acre. In those three years, I had made several compost application totaling about 10 tons per acre. I had also grown several different green manure crops that I did not harvest but tilled directly back into the soil. Finally I had added some organic fertilizer blends and an application of soft rock phosphate. This has made a big difference in the productivity of my fields and of the health of my vegetable plants.

Farming Interest - Kale Cultivation

It takes a long time to learn agricultural methods in another culture. Brother Adolfo had time this afternoon to help me speak with Valence, the gardener. Brother’s English is quite good but we have trouble understanding each other. The way that Africans pronounce English words and the way that I pronounce them are quite different. It really is true that I say toMAYto and they say tomahto. If we spend enough time patiently listening to each other, we can communicate in English.

Valence showed me the ‘garden’. They wisely grow plants in layered high density plantings. The top layer is banana or mahogany or mango. In some places the lower layer is coffee but on this farm they are growing kale. Yes, the trendy CSA vegetable that so many people in the U.S. adore or despise. Kale truly is a superfood. It grows in many conditions and is full of nutrition. It is cooked with the beans and served to the school students every day. I have also eaten it each day that I have been here. The Swahili name for kale is ‘skumawik’ and it is a different variety than we have. One time I grew Ethopian kale and I think that this is similar.

The kale is started from seed and then transplanted into 3x6 foot beds at 10 inch spacing. The beds are hilled on each side and connected by a series of channels. Two weeks after planting, they spread a layer of chicken manure in the bed. One week after that the beds are weeded. The leaves are harvested after 6-8 weeks and can continue growing for 8 months or more. Additional manure is applied and the plants will grow up to 6 feet tall. The kale plants produce suckers around the base of the stem. These suckers are broken off and used to propagate new plantings. They do this by pushing the sucker directly into another bed and waiting for roots to form. This makes it very inexpensive to grow these plants as long as they have enough water. Since this is the hot, dry time of the year, the kale would be worth a lot of money if they sold it.

In order to irrigate, the channels are flooded. The water must flow to one bed at a time so Valence must open and close waterways all day in order to irrigate the kale. Since it is so hot and dry at this time of the year, he must do this at least twice a week. They have almost 2 acres of kale growing right now and it is the only vegetable that they are harvesting in large quantities. The watermelon patch is also growing and will be harvested in February.

There are several insect pests that harm the kale. Grasshoppers eat the leaves. Aphids and whiteflies grow under the leaves and ruin them. Aphids and whiteflies are also present in the U.S. In the summer months, they are controlled by rainfall and ladybugs. In Africa they are also not as bad when the rains come. But during the hot, dry periods these insects are very harmful. Several insecticides are used to control these insects – cypermethrin, imidacloprid, and chlorpyrifos. A Chinese company, Hangzhou Agrochemical Ltd., manufactures these products. I am not familiar with these chemicals since I do not use chemical sprays on my fields. Valence claims to be using them according to the instructions. After spraying, people are not supposed to reenter the field for three days and there should be a 14 day wait before harvest. I am not able to verify if this is what actually happens. I know that Valence was spraying something yesterday and we were in the same field today.

At the same time the insecticide is sprayed, Valence sprays a foliar fertilizer. The product is Easy Gro and it is made by Osho Chem. It is a 27:10:16 that contains trace elements. The numbers refer to the
ratio of nitrogen to phosphate to potassium. I was not able to learn how often this is sprayed because I was told that the insecticides are used as needed and the foliar spray is used with the insecticide. Knowing that the foliar spray is used helps me to understand how such nice looking kale can grow from the soil that I tested. After doing the test and discovering the lack of phosphorus, I did not think that such vigorous kale could grow using only a layer of chicken manure. The foliar fertilizer and the insecticide allows them to get a good yield and to feed the students.

Organic farmers use other methods to achieve similar results. We insist that the long term soil health must be addressed in ways that simply using chemical fertilizers cannot. We seek safer ways to produce food by avoiding chemicals. Tomorrow I will start a trial that will attempt to control the aphids and whiteflies using a spray made with soap and boiled neem leaves. This spray does not work in the same way as an insecticide because it does not kill the insects. Neem has been studied for many years and scientists are still not sure exactly how it works. It seems to confuse the reproductive cycles of the pests and if they do not reproduce their overall population decreases. I do not want to insist on discontinuing the use of chemicals because the farm must produce a harvest. I will suggest some alternative methods and consider what practices can be added to address the long term soil health.

It takes time and effort to create a healthy ecosystem in the soil capable of producing high yielding crops without the use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides. Certain areas of the world are able to do this easily for a period of time. For example, the U.S. has some of the most fertile soil in the world in the great plains. The topsoil is deep and full of minerals. Other areas of the world must rely on fertilizer if they want to increase yields. Maybe my project will provide some assistance toward increasing yields by building the soil fertility.

St. Amedeus School as a community and an ecosystem

I’m starting to think about this project as a board game or a computer game. Do you remember the game ‘Sim City’? The game required you to design a build a city from nothing. As your infrastructure grew, your population grew. Once the population grew, you had to expand your infrastructure to meet the growing problems. You never really could keep everything in balance because the variables were always changing. The game gave you the ability to raise enough money through taxes to continue to expand. There were options to connect with other cities to import or export services such as power or trash services.

Imagine starting a city in the middle of East Africa with much less money and not quite enough water and little ability to get resources from other villages. The population of this ‘city’ is 700 boys and 20 staff living on site. An additional 80 teachers and staff come to work during the day. The population has increased significantly in the past 2 years and it has outgrown its infrastructure. All facilities need to be expanded including water, toilets, livestock, classrooms, roads, and more. Almost all of the food must be produced on site for the city. It is too expensive to purchase the food from outside sources. The fall rains did not come and the spring rains are several months away. The grass for the livestock is gone and yet there are 60 head of goats and cattle to feed each day. The underground well provides just enough water for the city and for irrigating the vegetables but it occasionally runs dry. The soil has little natural fertility and the animals are suffering. There seems to be enough money but little extra.

This is the picture I have of St. Amedeus Secondary School. It is a beautiful place that has been well planned. Many of the systems work well together but they are struggling to take the next step forward in food production. Now I need to try and figure out what I can do to help. I do not have a budget and I may not get one. Any large expenditure must provide a big return. Next week I will be travelling to farms, seed companies, equipment dealers, and agricultural suppliers. It will be a crash course in farming in Tanzania and in the economics of agriculture. Maybe some of the questions and issues will become clearer as I continue to learn.

As I consider what help that I can offer, I am looking for the limiting factors. These are things that prevent the system from functioning as well as it could. The water supply is the main limiting factor so any suggested improvements must take that into account. Another limiting factor is soil fertility. This must be addressed in both the short term and the long term. Equipment and knowledge are other potential limiting factors. Others may become clear as I progress through this project. My challenge is to quickly understand what is happening and to make suggestions that will help the farm move forward in a productive way.

Communication in English

English is the language spoken at the school. All classes and prayers and books are in English. This means that I am able to speak a little with the brothers and priests and teachers. The students greet me occasionally. The English that they speak is quite difficult to understand because they are not proficient in our vowel variations. In Swahili all of the vowels have the same sound. This makes it simple to pronounce Swahili and very difficult for them to pronounce English words. It also makes it very difficult to hear the English words that they attempt to say. If I have enough time and patience to speak with someone, we can eventually come to an understanding but it takes time.

The workers, and anyone who has not been to private schools, do not speak English. As a farmer and as a carpenter, I am interested in what the workers and gardeners and cooks are doing. There are masonry workers and people tending the animals and many cooks and gardeners and even people digging a septic system. One day I saw someone with a pulley system and a bucket full of rocks. He dumped the bucket on a pile and lowered it into a hole. Thankfully I walked over to the hole slowly because I could not see the bottom. Once my eyes adjusted I spotted a man with a pickaxe at least 30 feet down. The hole was 4 x 10 feet and he was still digging. I think that it was a septic system since it was behind the new bathrooms.

With the difficulty in communication, it takes me some time to learn what is happening. For example, I thought that they had an underground well and that they also received water from the river. Brother Adolf corrected me yesterday. Apparently they only get river water. During the dry season it comes underground through pipes and during the rainy season it travels each day through a system of canals. I have not seen the river yet. It is at least ½ mile from here. I was also told that they attempted to dig a well and went down 150 meters. At first I thought that he said that they didn’t find water. Then he said that they found water but it was too expensive to get the water to the surface. I still am not sure which is correct.

I have spent a lot of time this week at meals and in social settings with people speaking Swahili. It is difficult to be present with people that cannot speak easily in a common language. I wish that more people would have this experience because it brings a change of perspective. I find myself paying more attention to facial expressions and personalities. I think that it is also very tiring and even lonely at times.

Brother Procuro

It is a profound and humbling experience to listen to an African Brother speak the joyful words of the gospel. Brother Procuro Amedeus introduced himself to me today. He had difficulty understanding English but he spoke well enough for me to understand him. His English was not good because his family was too poor to send him to a school that taught good English. The better and more expensive private schools teach children to speak and understand more English. He was in the Kilacha congregation of Jesus the Redeemer.

After speaking about the large number of priests and religious in Tanzania and in Africa, I told him that it was not like that in the United States. When he asked why I told him that when people have material goods they think that they have all that they need and they forget about God. Then he began speaking about how the Africans remember that the white people came both to bring the Christian faith and to exploit them. He said that what man intended for evil God used for good. He spoke about how the white people of Europe have largely forgotten their Christian faith and how the Africans remember it. He spoke about how God is near to the poor and how difficult it is for the rich to be with God. All of this was spoken with such simplicity, gentleness, and joy that I was very moved.
Then Brother Procuro told me about the mission of his religious order is to pray for the world and especially that the Christian faith will return to Europe. He reminded me of how short our lives are and how we need to seek after things that are eternal rather than the temporal. I told him that I am working for that same goal in farming. I will help people to consider the long term use of the soil in addition to improving short term yields.

In writing this down, it is impossible with my meager writing skills to convey the beauty of this interaction. By the world’s standards this man should think of himself as oppressed, poor, and unhappy but instead he radiated joy, thankfulness, and forgiveness. He ended by explaining that I should feel at home in Tanzania because we are all one family. In the U.S. I hear this spoken in a way that is trite. Brother Procuro truly meant it and he showed the Father’s love to me today. Thank you.

Brothers of Jesus the Redeemer

This morning I visited a friary called Kilacha. This friary houses about 30 brothers of Jesus the Redeemer. Their farm is about 80 acres and they have animals, vegetables, and field crops. They also have a tree nursery and they produce grafted mangoes and avocados and many other trees. Sales from the nursery help to pay for the needs of the friary. These needs include funds to allow the brothers to continue their education.

When a man is accepted to become a brother, he comes to the friary for five years. At the end of that time, the friary will determine his education level and will send him to school. The education levels are called ‘forms’ and they range from 1-6. They roughly correspond to grades 7-12. In order to progress to the next form, students must pass the examinations. Brothers at the friary are sent to school to progress through the forms of education. From what I understand, many of the brothers enter form 4 but they may also have to start with form 1. Once they complete form 6 they may apply to a university. There they will study for degrees in English, geology, history, science, or other areas. Once they have a university degree, then that will be sent to serve in different areas of society – schools or hospitals for example. Brother Adolph lives and works at St. Amadeus school and is helping me with my project. He is one of the brothers who recently graduated from the university with a degree in English and Swahili.

In this way the friary is able to make a great contribution to society. Their mission is to develop educated and well formed brothers who will bring the love of God to Tanzania. They have a great influence on their neighbors. This has been a model used within the universal Catholic Church for a long time. Its effectiveness has been proven over the centuries and in many cultures. I have the privilege of being welcomed into this community and of making a small contribution to their mission. The Catholic Church has deep roots here and will bear much fruit. 

Technology Difficulties

This is my third day without access to the internet. It wouldn't be too bad if it was only the lack of contact with family and friends. However, my project depends on the knowledge and information that I have access to online. I also have many friends helping me with technical information. Today, I was able to get a ride to town. My host brought me to the Library and they have an internet café. It costs about 50 cents per hour to connect. However, in order to sign in to my email accounts from a new location, my friends at Microsoft and gmail want to verify my location and to protect my security. To do this they want to send me a code. My phone does not function here. The best I was able to do is to have a code sent to another email account...which I also cannot access! The next step is to see if the library will give me the password to their wifi so that I can use my phone to get emails. I should also mention that I do not enjoy the technology hassles. They frustrate me easily even in the U.S. I'm trying to remain calm.

Description of School Farm

Today I saw the farm.  A tribal chief gave the land to the Diocese of Moshi many years ago.  Until recently, local villagers used it to grow beans and maize without paying rent.  For the past 6 years, Brother Charles has been turning it into a school by designing and overseeing its development.  It is roughly 200 acres of flat farmland in the northern part of Tanzania and within sight of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  I do not know where he learned his skill in design but he has put a lot of thought and work into the farm.  St. Amadeus Secondary School is in the middle of the farm.  The school houses, feeds, and educates 700 boys between the ages of 12 and 18.  In order to graduate, they must complete each of 6 ‘grades’ or forms.  Students are asked to leave if they do not pass examinations or for disciplinary reasons.  I’m told this rarely occurs.  If this happens, they could enter a trade school or look for another opportunity.  In Tanzania, education is the way to find employment and escape poverty.  Without education ones choices and opportunities are very limited.   

The day begins with Mass at 6:15.  Many of the boys are not Catholic but they all participate in Mass.  Classes begin after breakfast and continue until 4 PM.  They have tea at morning break and a fairly long lunch hour.  I think that recreation is from 4-6.  They have several soccer fields a basketball court and some of the boys run.  I was out today at 4 pm and it was at least 90 degrees.  I’m not sure about their evening schedule but I know that they have prayers.  Don’t know about homework.  I imagine that most of them are eager to get to sleep since they are up at 5:30!   

When I first thought about 700 boys in one school, I had a hard time imagining how it could work.  They have one building for classrooms, and one building for sleeping and eating.  Other than the 40 or so teachers who come during the day, they only have one or two adults with them at night.  In the United States, this would be trouble but it works in Tanzania.  Why?  I think that I have to be very careful in attempting to answer the ‘why’ questions.   They are questions to consider slowly. 

Since it is a private school, it is expensive for the students to attend.  Their parents make great sacrifices in order to send a child to school.  Brother Alphonso was telling me today about how this might work in Tanzania.  He is one of 8 children.  If a family has many children, the father will select some children to stay at home and work and some children to attend school.  The children at home will care for the animals, grow crops, and live at home.  The family will continue to provide for them.  Other children will have the chance to attend school.  Brother said that it is almost like some of the children have to sacrifice so that others get opportunities.  Maybe that helps us understand why the boys have so much incentive to do well in school.   

Unlike the government schools, this school must provide teacher salaries, food, and housing for all of the students.  Most of the food needed for the students is grown on site.  My project will help them produce more.  At this location, they have roughly 60 pigs, 30 goats, 30 cattle, and 100 chickens.  Four cows are milked twice each day.  The milk is heated and often served warm. They butcher one pig per week and never freeze anything.  Chicken and pig feed is purchased. They grow a lot of bananas, tomatoes, watermelon, and kale.  They have grown cucumbers and yams and cabbages in the past and would like to grow more in the future.  I’m not sure how they decide what to grow.  Brother Charles seems to make all of the decisions.  They also grow beans and maize.  The farm is subdivided into sections by hedgerows.  These hedgerows made of trees and thornbushes create 3-5 acre plots and create paths throughout the farm.  There are also several houses on the outskirts of the farm and teachers live here.  Thousands of trees and bushes have been planted here.  I attempted to learn some of them but I asked the wrong person.  There are a lot of neem trees and mahogany.  Other trees are planted for firewood or for animal forage.   

During the day, a young man cares for the goats and cows as they graze.  I haven’t discovered how much he earns.  He takes the animals to various areas searching for food.  They plant grass forages in some fields but the lack of fall rains means that there isn’t much forage to find.  I saw him climbing some trees today and hacking off branches for the animals.  They came running when they saw him in the tree!  I don’t know how he keeps 60 animals together without having them wander in different directions.  When I show them pictures of my cow they are amazed when I tell them that I get 4 gallons of milk a day from only one milking.  I guess that they get ½ that amount from two milkings.  Since I do not know that much about cattle feed, I don’t want to offer any advice.  I also don’t have the heart to tell people that my cow produces about ½ the amount of a cow in a commercial dairy in the U.S.   

Around the school, the animals, and the vegetable gardens workers are building a masonry fence.  This is done by digging the foundation, manually placing boulders in the trench, mixing and pouring a concrete shelf on top of the boulders, and building a brick wall on top of the concrete.  Many of the boulders are dug by hand out of the fields.  The gravel is created by hand with sledgehammers.  The only mechanical aid that I have seen is a dump truck bringing the boulders needed for the foundation.  The wall is about 8 feet high and encloses at least 15 acres.  It must be a mile long.  There were 15 men working on it today.   

 The farm does not have a tractor but I will help them think through the process of getting one.  If they had a tractor it could be rented out to the neighbors.  Sometimes they pay someone to dig the fields to prepare for planting.  They don’t plow so it must be some kind of subsoiler.  The maize and beans are planted by hand.  They plant three seeds to a hill and scatter a small handful of fertilizer around each hill.  It takes six people one day to plant an acre.  Planting is done near the end of February in order to be ready for the rains that come in March.  My rough estimate is that some years they have planted 30 acres of beans and maize using this method.  On the best yielding year, this has given them 300 large bags of corn which was still not enough for this facility.  The maize harvest includes harvesting the stalks and leaves which are stored for cattle feed during the dry season.  The dry plants are chopped with a small machine.  I’m not sure how they harvest the dry beans or how they store them.  I know how long that takes! 

Getting enough water is always a concern.  Their well must supply drinking water for the animals and over 700 people.  It must allow these people to wash.  It must also irrigate the trees and vegetables.  There is a river a short distance away.  When the rains come, someone collects the river water and releases it through a series of canals.  I have no idea how this works but I did find out that the school is not required to pay for the water.  It must travel through ¼ mile of canals before the water gets to the fields for irrigation.  In the process a lot of water is lost to absorption in the ground.  Once it gets to the vegetable field someone must open and close the waterway to bring water to each bed.  They plant vegetables in 4x8 foot beds.  Channels surround each bed and the perimeters have hills.  Once the water floods a bed, someone must open another channel and close the opening.  If you are going to do this to one acre, someone will be doing the irrigation all morning while the water continuously runs.  They had a 4 inch hose coming from the well open all morning.   I didn’t check to see if he was still doing it after lunch.  They have a lot of kale growing right now.  The beds are planted under banana trees so it makes very efficient use of space.  I haven’t thought enough about it yet, but it might be a more efficient way to grow kale than using drip lines and planting in rows.   

They are very interested in drip irrigation.  I have set it up on my farm and know a little about it but it is another thing to source equipment in another country and make recommendations for them.  I think there is a drip irrigation supplier in Arusha that I will try and visit.  In order to put another 4 acres into vegetable production, they are going to have to get drip irrigation.  This will also allow them to grow vegetables throughout the year instead of just during the rainy season.  I think there is some hope that they will produce an excess so that some can be sold and help to pay for some expenses.  

This brings me to the business end of things.  This is a very complicated system and I doubt that accurate records are kept for the many enterprises here.  Even if there were records, I would be surprised if I would be allowed to see them.  I know that 700 students pay to study here.  This money must pay 40 teachers and at least that many staff members.   I have no way of knowing if it makes financial sense for them to purchase feed for 60 pigs, pay someone to take care of them and slaughter them each week for food.  In the United States the answer is a definite ‘no’ but here it probably is ‘yes’.  There may not be pigs for purchase in the area and there is a lot of expense involved in transport.  It doesn’t seem like there is a well developed food transportation system so I’m guessing that it must make the most sense to produce the food here.  This also employs a lot of people from the surrounding area and creates a local economy.   

I think that there is a hope that some of the farm enterprises could become a net gain for the school.  If they paid for the seeds, fertilizer, drip system, and labor would it be possible to sell the excess vegetables?  Most of the vegetables will go to the school and it seems difficult to quantify the value of those vegetables.  Maybe they will be happy if some vegetables get sold and there is some return on the investment.  For these things, I’m not sure which are acceptable to ask and if I am being understood when I ask them.  It will be interested to see how this unfolds.