Water Harvesting & Gardening Update June 2010
In World Vision’s Kodumela Area Development Programme (ADP) villagers get water from local rivers. Most of these dry up in the winter and even those that do not dry up require digging in the dry riverbeds to form shallow temporary wells. The water is shared with livestock and wild animals and can easily be contaminated.
By supplying water for crops and livestock as well as training in farming methods the Water Harvesting and Gardening project aims to reduce food insecurity in the ADP by 10% and also instill a culture of family food self-sufficiency.
The project so far
The Water Harvesting and Gardening project started in February. One of the first stages was training. Over 500 of the 1,000 households that have been targeted to start using the roof to garden rain water harvesting have now been trained in its benefits and over 80 households are testing the system that will improve their water supply.
Moreover 80 farmers from 10 communities were trained in the new trench gardening method that will produce more food for families. During training the community members were actively participating and sharing their indigenous knowledge of organic farming. Nearly two-thirds of
the farmers that came forward for training were women, seemingly challenging the usual role of men in the community. The ADP will encourage more men to take part and begin to use these new methods that will better equip them to provide food for their families.
These trained, leading farmers will hold monthly meetings with the Development Facilitator to discuss progress and outline the challenges. The Development Facilitator will monitor the gardens through field visits where any problems will be addressed. Seeds were also distributed to the lead farmers to get them started.
The future
To set up the gardens and water harvesting, 100 bags of cement were purchased and will be distributed to the farmers for the construction of waterways that will direct water coming from the roofs to the trench gardens. The process will help to prevent soil erosion and gullies that might damage soil structure within the area. Plastic sheeting has also been procured to facilitate water flow for those farmers who cannot use cement to cover their trenches.
“The garden and rain water project is helping us a lot, as we were not able to harvest water from the rain ourselves.”
The Maake are a family of seven. The parents do not work and have struggled to have enough money to buy farming equipment and invest in new farming skills.
In World Vision’s Kodumela Area Development Programme (ADP) villagers get water from local rivers. Most of these dry up in the winter and even those that do not dry up require digging in the dry riverbeds to form shallow temporary wells. The water is shared with livestock and wild animals and can easily be contaminated.
By supplying water for crops and livestock as well as training in farming methods the Water Harvesting and Gardening project aims to reduce food insecurity in the ADP by 10% and also instill a culture of family food self-sufficiency.
The project so far
The Water Harvesting and Gardening project started in February. One of the first stages was training. Over 500 of the 1,000 households that have been targeted to start using the roof to garden rain water harvesting have now been trained in its benefits and over 80 households are testing the system that will improve their water supply.
Moreover 80 farmers from 10 communities were trained in the new trench gardening method that will produce more food for families. During training the community members were actively participating and sharing their indigenous knowledge of organic farming. Nearly two-thirds of
the farmers that came forward for training were women, seemingly challenging the usual role of men in the community. The ADP will encourage more men to take part and begin to use these new methods that will better equip them to provide food for their families.These trained, leading farmers will hold monthly meetings with the Development Facilitator to discuss progress and outline the challenges. The Development Facilitator will monitor the gardens through field visits where any problems will be addressed. Seeds were also distributed to the lead farmers to get them started.
The future
To set up the gardens and water harvesting, 100 bags of cement were purchased and will be distributed to the farmers for the construction of waterways that will direct water coming from the roofs to the trench gardens. The process will help to prevent soil erosion and gullies that might damage soil structure within the area. Plastic sheeting has also been procured to facilitate water flow for those farmers who cannot use cement to cover their trenches.
“The garden and rain water project is helping us a lot, as we were not able to harvest water from the rain ourselves.”
The Maake are a family of seven. The parents do not work and have struggled to have enough money to buy farming equipment and invest in new farming skills.
