In
light of my last post where I mentioned having the humility to be able to learn
from other cultures, I thought it would be fun to write a few posts about
things I’m learning in Uganda….
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| Our garden from last season |
First,
I’m learning that fresh, organic, local foods are best and it’s not hard to
grow your own. I know Muigai is going to
laugh when he reads this title because he recently pointed out that I have yet
to eat anything that I have personally planted (in my defense, I did help with
the weeding and harvesting of our sukumas, beans, tomatoes, and maize last
year. And I did have cilantro and
basil plants in the US that I harvested once or twice before they died).
I love
the idea of growing as much of my own food as I can, and some days I have
grandiose visions of turning our 1/3 acre compound into something like this:
But I’m
still working on the basics for now. My
first attempt ever at gardening was an abysmal failure. When I was a student at Nairobi Evangelical
Graduate School in Nairobi, Kenya, the school had small garden plots for the
students. A colleague convinced me that
in Kenya, land = wealth and there was no way I could turn down an offer of free
land, regardless how small.
Then the
semester started, work piled up, and my small plot lay fallow for several
months (there is some Biblical value in letting land lay fallow, right?). Finally, I grabbed a friend from church who
had gardening knowledge and we spent several hours tilling the plot (it had
been overrun with grass and weeds) and planting some sukuma, spinach, and onion
seedlings. Unfortunately, that night
there was torrential rain and almost all my seedlings were washed away. My final harvest was one sukuma leaf. Not one meal or one bunch of sukuma, but a
single leaf! Sad.
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| Some of our chickens with the chicken house in the background |
Then,
while in Kenya in December, I found broccoli seeds. I love broccoli and it is hard to find and
expensive here, so I was thrilled. Even
though Jan/Feb is the hottest time of the year, I was too excited to wait for
planting season and decided to plant a few of the seeds in a pot. I figured I could keep them watered and out
of constant direct sunlight and they would be ok. Well I put the pot in the back of the house
where I forgot about it several days (out of sight, out of mind!) and then we
had a huge rainstorm that flooded the pot and now my broccoli is just a mess of
water, dirt, and some green algae growing on top…at least something is growing
there!
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| An integrated organic farm we visited in Masaka |
But
gardening is one skill that I am determined to learn while I am in Uganda, and
there couldn’t be a better place for me to learn. Kampala is an incredibly green city and the
land is some of the most fertile land in the world. The fruits are vegetables here are unbelievable. Ugandan pineapples are amazingly sweet, and
papayas grow as big as watermelons. Most
produce is sold in markets and eaten within a week of being harvested. Because the land is so fertile, many farmers
rely on traditional methods of farming which means many fruits and vegetables
are organic. Genetically modified foods
are currently banned in Uganda (and hopefully will stay that way!)
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| A sack garden for people who don't have much land |
I read in a recent article that 40% of the food eaten in
Kampala is grown within in the city.
Many Ugandans who have even a small compound are growing something, and
those without land even grow vegetables in sacks or tires. Most children here grow up knowing the basics
of growing food and keeping animals, something that I think is lacking in our
American educational system.
So the rainy season is about to start which means it’s time
to plant again. This season I am determined
to keep learning and improve my gardening skills, and hopefully in a few months
I’ll have some pictures of my successful attempts at growing my own
food.
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