Tagging Sh*t...

Tagging New Goats Completes Our Visit…

A few hours drive takes us to the other side of the park and overnights at the rangers’ barracks and teaching centre…and views most hotel owners would kill to be able to offer.

the view from the rangers' barracks...really! Extensive tea growing operations in this part of the country. Plantations and small farmers' fields side by side.

Over 120 goats were tagged in 3 different communities over 2 days for groups belonging to 2 different cooperatives, all located along the SE border of, and VERY close to, Nyungwe National Park.
DUFATANYE (Help Each Other)Cooperative

a great opportunity to re-visit a new cooperative and a last sensitization before tagging begins...

sign here, take this tag and your goat (tethered outside) and proceed to the vet waiting on the hill...

singing marked the end of the sensitization/tagging process. And these guys can sing

DUHUZE (Together) Cooperative

Once again, sign next to your name, take the tag and your goat to the vet by the tree...

Once again, many of these farmers are ex-poachers, having moved away from illegal hunting in increasing numbers over the last 7 years.
It took some time for these men to come forward and be honest about their activities inside the park.
Now they see a different future for themselves and are sharing their ‘skills’ by assisting park rangers to locate snares, and poacher’s lairs.

another cooperative, and another tagging session. MOST of these guys were poachers so we are very impressed with their commitment to a different way of living.

Recognizing that incidences do still occur, the cooperatives agree among themselves to keep an eye on each other and each others animals for the long-term stability of the project.
If anyone is caught poaching, all his goats will be taken.
Their rules.

Zabulon, our most wonderful vet, explains how/when to give the goats their meds...

They also agree that while their children will look after the goats, they belong to the entire family and no one member. That way, if the father leaves the family, the animal(s) stay with the family.
Good.

skinnamma-rinky-dinky-dink...

One of our bucks, pumped and ready to do his duty!

These young bucks are trying to figure out who gets first dibs on nearby nannies...

 

On The Road Again...

Wow!

We took another breath-taking drive, south this time, to Nyungwe National Park, to visit the Nyungwe Nyiza Cooperative, just outside the park boundary, on the northwest side. They received goats September 2013.

Jeff, Paul, and the Nyungwe Niza Cooperative leaders heading out for a few farm visits.

and, as always, our  happy little shitters

Constance enjoys all the attention paid to her wonderful farm and 'upscale' goat pen that maximizes urine/manure collection.

Marie is proud to show Paul her accumulated compost and fertilizer. She expects to double her corn harvest in the first year.

compost, fertilizer and clippings to conserve moisture, all wait to be spread in this garden.

They are also experiencing issues with baboons and even chimps that are leaving the forest to snack.
A government compensation program exists here as well.

Wow, have they also been hard at work.
241 members are, once again, working joint plots of land to maximize fertilizer benefits.
In one field they’ve planted 3700 pineapple trees, hoping for a yield of 3-4 pineapples per plant within 18 months.
Did you know that a pineapple tree will regenerate for up to 10 years, constantly sending out off-shoot saplings for further planting!

3700 pineapple trees have been planted.
with an average yield of 3 pineapples per tree over 18 months, the yield will generate up to $3,000. at market for the cooperative.

 

...and they're also growing corn and yams. Yams for eating, corn for selling, with each member keeping a small percentage for eating and seed for their own farm plots.
They expect to generate roughly $1,200. in one 5 month growth cycle before planting beans.

...looking down onto their corn field.
Farming together keeps them united and sharing.

The members are also growing corn and yams together on another plot, which they will rotate with beans next season.

And once again, we are hearing an incredible plan, another long-term vision for life improvement....
The closest market is a 4hr walk- ONE WAY!
The cooperative plans to pool profits from their joint farming and purchase vegetables, fruits and seeds to bring back to their community and start their own market.
3,000+ people in the community will be ecstatic not to have to make the long walk anymore.
As profits increase, so will their market offerings.

Brilliant!

And we had a surprise waiting for us at the end of our farm tour...

A big surprise awaited u s as we returned from farm visits. Many of the cooperative members were waiting for us with songs, dancing (of course)...

and even gifts of delicious bananas, passion fruit and tree tomatoes inside beautiful, handmade typically Rwandan baskets!

 

and, as always, those ho-hum, INCREDIBLE views on the way back to our guesthouse.