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.