Go Food. Grow Food. Glow Food. Teaching my SOLID Group the Benefits of Permagardening

Above: A timelapse video Dan made of us doing some prep-work in the garden.

During one of my very first SOLID group meetings (SOLID is a group myself and my counterpart teach sustainable community development to in a nearby village) we had a lesson about priority ranking. In this lesson we looked at the problems that are faced in the village of Mlenga (where most of my SOLID trainees are living). The point of this session and exercise was to get my group thinking about and understanding what the biggest issues are in their area, but also to search for solutions to these issues with the resources available to them. Throughout this meeting we talked about issues like lack of education, lack of water resources, poverty, hunger, HIV, Malaria, and more. My group didn’t have a hard time coming up with the problems their village faces, as I suspected they wouldn’t, they face these problems themselves each and everyday. However, when we asked them to think about which of these problems is the most important in finding a solution for, and to prioritize first in doing so, it took them a little bit longer to do, as critical thinking is not something rural Malawians are taught to do a lot of. Thinking into the future, finding solutions to problems, critical thinking; these are all things that a lot of Malawians have been disabled to do because of handouts and negative, harmful aid (it does not always seem like negative aid to the outside world, and to the NGO doing it, but seeing it first hand, while living in the rural parts of Malawi, my views have been changed, as I have seen how “donations” and “handouts” have disempowered these people). Thinking into the future, finding solutions to problems, and critical thinking, are also the areas that in this SOLID program we are hoping to share with the members, to expand and help better their way of life. If we can give them knowledge, and teach them how to teach themselves, this will be the most sustainable practice. And what this means is we are not just giving them a handout to fix these problems they face (i.e. a new school, a new borehole, food, etc), but that we are empowering them to find the resources themselves, to empower themselves, and not to ALWAYS depend on this outside help to fix all the problems of Malawi for them. Because that aid (sometimes really harmful aid) may not always be around, and if people are dependent on it then Malawi will never develop sustainably. After all, the definition of sustainable development is development that is occurring without the help of outside resources.

To continue, at the end of this SOLID meeting the members of my group decided together, using the priority ranking tool I introduced to them, that hunger is the biggest problem people face in Mlenga village, closely followed by lack of money (poverty), then lack of water, then lack of education. So, with this information the next thing we needed to discuss was how we were going to fix these problems. Lucky for both me, and my SOLID group, Peace Corps had just giving us volunteers a training on permagardening and how effective it can be in sub-Saharan African, due to the rainy season being only a short time out of the whole year. First I let my group members think about how they could improve the issue of hunger, what they could do to help, and once they had some really good discussion going, I had my counterpart introduce the idea of permagardening and what it could do to help with the top three problems listed on the priority ranking chart (hunger: growing your own food, lack of funds: you don’t need to buy as much food, and lack of water resources: permagardening stores water in the water management techniques used).

Now, to give those of you who don’t know much about permagardening a brief summary, it is a technique used for families to grow their own food close to home, uses local resources, needs little funding, and has a system of water management that food will grow all year round with little water needed. It’s mind blowing really, and personally made my insides tingle as I was learning about it at training. It’s like this genius idea on how to get families the nutrition they need, everyday, all year round, and you get to play in the dirt, and be empowered by planting, growing, harvesting, and eating your own food. Yayyyy. And then it’s even more exciting when you consider the hunger season in Malawi and how long it is that people really don’t have food, or money to buy food, and how this technique is a step towards changing that in a positive direction.

Before I continue, I think it is also important to give a little more background on the hunger people face in Malawi for your greater understanding. Hunger season in Malawi starts to get bad in January each year (but even before for some families, in late November, early December….i.e. hunger season came early this year because of the lack of rains, and then heavy flooding during last years rainy season). Hunger season is the time of year that the food families grew during last rainy season (from November or December-February or March) has run out, and usually when money has run out as well. It is also a time of inflammation in Malawi, where a bundle of 4 tomatoes that used to be 50 kwacha, is now 100 kwacha for just 1 medium sized tomato. And it’s the same with onions, other greens, and maize. A small bucket of maize, which cost 400 kwacha in March, is now almost 1000 kwacha in December. So, because of these factors, people are hungry. It’s scary, very sad, and unsettling, but it is also the reality of the people in Malawi, and something I’ve had to face during my time here. My neighbors, many of my friends, so many people that I communicate with and pass by daily are hungry. And although it is a reality now, and it’s sad, and it’s something that I see everyday and will continue to see throughout the next months, it certainly is motivation for myself, but even more importantly my SOLID group to learn about the benefits and how to implement permagardens in their area so that people won’t be hungry in future years. During my service it’s been really difficult to see the light in such heavy issues such as hunger, and it hasn’t been easy on me, but with learning about permagardening and implementing this idea into Chipoka, I’ve seen multitudes of light. Shining off of the people I’ve spent time teaching, and playing in the dirt with. Let me explain….

In the past weeks my counterpart and I have given a few lessons to my SOLID group on permagardening, the benefits, water management, and then we jumped right in and we started digging….because doing is sometimes the best way to learn. We first started a community garden at the health center with the aim to feed the people who need the nutrition the most (people living with HIV, malnourished mothers and children, etc.). We used digging this garden as a way to teach members of the group what they would be doing with their gardens at home, but also a way to sensitize the community to this new practice. The garden has brought a lot of attention to the area where it has been started. People are asking questions, and those questions are being answered. This garden at the health center is what hopes to be an example to the community of what they can do themselves for their own families, but also a place that a group of community members can have a sense of ownership with the volunteerism that they contribute. Growing, harvesting and then eating your own food is empowering, and that’s exactly what we want for Malawi…for people to be and feel empowered.

Above: My counterpart and SOLID group members double digging in the Health Center Permagarden.

Below: Posing after we finished digging the last bed :)

Next with the knowledge my SOLID group gained from digging the health center permagarden, they took this practice back to their homes, where they started a permagarden in their own village; a place where even more people can learn about the technique and how to feed themselves and their families. Dougras specifically, one of the members in my group, is eager to share what he’s learned with others. He’s not scared that people will judge him, but trusts that when they see exactly what he’s doing they will understand why he “trusted the azungu” and experimented with permagardening. Dougras also helped me with my permagarden at my home. He came over for a week straight and we played in the dirt together, preparing a place where delicious food can be grown. During this time my landlord came over to see how we were doing at multiple occasions, wanting to see and learn. With this Dougras took the lead to tell Kathryn exactly what we were doing, why we were doing it, the benefits of permagardening, and how it can help empower villages in the fight against hunger. Listening to him encourage her and seeing the smile on her face with the new information she just received might be the highlight of my service thus far in Malawi. Knowing the information that was taught to Dougras is now being taught to other Malawians is the purpose of all that I am doing here. Knowledge is sustainable in this way, and it’s quite a beautiful thing to be a part of. I’m so thankful for these people and how they have impacted my life. I am truly blessed.

Above: A picture of my SOLID group in their permagarden. They already have eggplant growing well!

Below: Samual and Dougras holding a bag of maize seeds.

As we plant, weed, harvest, and eat the food from the garden I will keep you updated, but as for now that’s where we are at with this project. I know there is more to come, and more light at the end of this tunnel, but as for now, let’s just pray for the rains.

Above: Dougras helping me double dig my permagarden in my yard.

Finally I’d like to thank a few people for making this happen. Firstly, Dekorra Lutheran Church Vacation Bible Study 2015, my church at home, and a program that I’ve been involved in for as many years as I can remember, thank you for your donation of seeds. This little help in the beginning from you guys will allow for an example for the community on what they can do themselves with very little money involved next year. There are ways my community and I have talked about how to make purchasing seeds a sustainable thing that happens yearly for the garden, and I am confident that this will happen when they see all that permagardening can do to empower themselves. Secondly, the non-profit Mobeffect, the donors of this organization, and specifically the people involved who took their time and came to Malawi, Conner, Tony, and Dan, for your contribution of the brick fence. This will keep animals out in the future, and has made a physical place for the garden to be every year, even after I have left Malawi. My health center is so grateful for you and the sustainability that this project can have. This wouldn’t have happened without you.

Above: Two of my SOLID group members, Samual and Dougras, and our visitors from the United States. Co-Founders of MobEffect, Dan, Conner, and Tony.

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