Busy Busy

July 11^th 2008

1:42PM

 

It has been raining cats and dogs almost every evening and night. During the day I have been running around super busy.

Part of my job is to extend seed to farmers. This seed is a local variety but improved. It is not a hybrid but nonetheless has much higher yields. I am extending rice, corn, millet, blackeyed beans and sorghum. Haven't had a chance to extend the rice seed to the women in this village yet. Each meeting I have tried to call for the last 3 days has been rained out. Plus working with one of the men in the village that already has ownership of the rice program, sometimes he is out of the village or in town for a day or two.

Extending corn and beans in the other villages hasn't been much of problem. For the most part, I think this is the first time that peace corps seed extension program has worked in them. Really more to the point, the first time nonrice seed has been extended there for at least some time.

 

My strategy is to go the chiefs compound and chat with him. I have met them all previously. First I explain to them what I do. That I live and work Sare Demba Mballo. I tell them that I loan seed out. Seed that is very productive. I tell them that I want to help there village too. I say that this year I would like to work with them because they are the village chiefs and if I can't trust them and cooperate with them for this program, then I couldn't trust the rest of the village. (etc etc)

 

I explain to them that what the program is. That I loan them say one kilogram of seed and after the harvest they give me two kilos of seed. The following year I keep distributing seed to other farmers. It is a give and take program.

I make them show me the fields where they are going to be planting the seed. I tell that I will come out to their fields once a week or so to check the development and progress of the crop and maybe give them alittle technical feedback. With a laugh and a smile, I add that usually I'll bring tea and sugar- because I like to chat.

 

At the moment I have extended seed to 5 different villages- usually just within one house compound the chiefs. Next year I plan to expand my work in each of these villages- distribute more seed to other farmers. Also particularly to do demonstration plots of agricultural techniques in each village. This year particularly I ham establishing relationships. After that I will be moving full swing.