VERY EDIBLE GARDEN UGAND.

VERY EDIBLE GARDENS UGANDA-V.E.G.U.

      

         Down in Uganda and Africa in large, it won’t be Bill Mollison to Inspire Permaculture but will be Mr.Nyero, Mr.Mugarura and Mr.Agaba through their Permaculture Project’s Forum called V.E.G.U

Motto: GO GREEN GO EDIBLE!!

Aims:

@ Introducing food growing techniques to local people.

@ Promoting environmental conservation and its Ecosystem.

@ Promoting the use of non-chemical products.

@ Solving poverty in the community.

Vision: Inspiring Permaculture.

V.E.G.U PROPOSAL.

             Permaculture is the art and science of producing edible landscapes which mirrors the natural ecosystems in their diversity and production.

To embrace Permaculture, Sharon(who is up with some Canadian Permaculture expect),  Charles and I had to change because it required us to look at our future lives and lifestyle from a different perspective. We acquired interest in Permaculture ever since we began helping at Sabina Permaculture project right from 2008 up to 2011. Link at http://childrenofuganda-permaculture.blogspot.com/ And we discovered new ways on how Humans can create a sustainable environment to live in which reduces the use of Fuel, Chemicals and instead Enhances natural eco-system which to us was like strategies to enable us to adapt the challenging future; global warming, climate change and peak oil. So to us as Permaculture seemed to be a life-long journey of change and growth and here we want to demonstrate it.

We believe that with our demonstration through using Permaculture ethics; care for people, care for earth and share the surplus, we will be caring for more than 1000 people in Uganda and worldwide.

Things we will do first.  

Ø Next week, Mr.Nyero will be meeting his family Heads in Gulu so as to inform them about this new project and what will be taking place on the ground.

Ø He will check on the site analysis later and after it, he will come on table to discuss some issues about the site with the local people and keep in mails with his V.E.G.U team. This is so to acquire ideas and to get more information guiding the site from these local people living around so as to help us build a firm Permaculture foundation.

Ø Then we shall get time as a team and mark off Zones from 0-5 so as to enable balanced use of land that can mirror the natural eco-system of that very area.

Once done, we shall then design and then start implementing.

        We are hopefully to start with zone 0 then skip to Zone four. This is because our zone four will contain harvest forest i.e. growing trees for timber, poles and will act as wind breakers on the land in times to come.

As work on zone four will be proceeding, zone five will be under maintenance as well. In our zone five; there will be only indigenous spices of vegetation plus wild animals, birds, insects etc.

The rest of the zones will be designed as time goes on, hoping to complete the rest of the work and maintain the project smoothly.

 Activities Includes;

-Crop Growing (cereals crops, food crops and Herbs)

-Food Forest-(Orchard, Fruit Drying)

-Animal Keeping

-Poultry keeping

-Vermiculture

-Bee keeping

-Aquaponics

-Short Permaculture course teaching……….etc

Mr.Nyero Christopher-Permaculture Field Engineer. Mr.Nyero who is pursuing his study in Building Construction-Engineering sector and also the Director is so glad to publish his V.E.G.U team of three members to the World. 

You can contact him at: nyerochristopher@gmail.com

Tel:+256-783-942-206

Mr.Mugarura Charles-Permaculture Field Designer. Mr.Mugarura will be completing his High school this year and do computing engineering. We have found out that he will be the best guy to handle V.E.G.U's field Design. 

You can contact him at : mugaruracharles918@gmail.com

Tel: +256-703-392-766

Mr.Agaba Julius-Permaculture Herbal Specialist. Am really glad to introduce to the World my new member Agaba Julius who is doing his Bachelor in Pharmacy  and has lots of love to join Permaculture World with his great professional to become soon. We have given him the post of being our Permaculture Herbal Specialist at V.E.G.U. Get him at: smartjulius646@gmail.com

Tel: +256-775-212-216

       +256-701-212-216

TWO WEEKS IN AN ORGANIC FARM!!

          It was Nyerology to intern at St.Jude Family Project an Organic Farm which is found in Busense-Masaka District! I was to get on the ground with Mrs.Namubiru Sharon. I take you back a bit, in 2011; with the fact that I had met lots of challenges I had never in my life in this year, in 2012 there wasn’t anything to give me a new hope and a happy life like me interning at St.Jude! When I first heard of this intenership program, actually I was at school and I really felt so happy and amazed. And to me I felt like putting back fish into the pond or challenging the challenges I faced later year, here I was getting back up. And this made me prepare really early that I would never be late to get on the ground in case I was told to get there just any time right from the time I was I heard of it! But my dearest Michelle and Hellen kept on updating me on how far they had so far gone with organizing up everything about the Intenership such as negotiating how much to be pay to the Judes. So each day, I would believe that one day and time I would be at St.Jude that with my patience, it actually reached and the here down I bring out life at Jude which to me was actually different and unique from that while doing my Permaculture Design Certificate Course in 2010.

         On 17^th January, both Sharon and I had to put on shoes and head to St.Jude Family Project “a Rural Training Centre for Intensive Interacted Organic Farming”. We boarded off the Taxi from Mukono-Kiwanga Home to meet Auntie Winnie who was just on a wait to guide us up to the Project. It seemed that lots of people were heading Kampala that early morning and it was at around 9:10am that we got into the Taxi for Kampala after a several minutes of waiting on the highway. We got to Taxi Park where we had to look for Auntie Winnie who had already boarded a Mini-Bus that was to fly with us up to Masaka. With all blessings received from Michelle in my small Chiness mobile phone as text messages, made the journey really safe and I enjoyed myself watching the beauty scenery of green pasture, landscape features and many others that were along the Kampala-Masaka highway.

After such a long drive, we reached a point of drop out of the Mini-Bus to St.Jude; we had to board another mean of transport that would drop us to the Project. So each one sat behind a Boda-Boda (motorcycle) and we were rode all through the uneven patch on the road-bumpy road and humpy road up to Jude. We got there at around 1:56pm and were directed to reception room, waited a bit for Dativa who was to welcome us but was not around by then. Later on Dativa published herself before us and Auntie Winnie had to hand us over to the Judes who were now concerned of our being on the ground. As they were organizing rooms as well as preparing lunch for us, Dativa briefly informed us with the History of St.Jude which I won’t talk about in this story. Very soon, as my clock was reading 2:00pm, we were given Lunch which was really great. I got myself with my luggage to my arranged room which if I compare with that of Sabina Bandas I knew some years back, Bandas were far better but that didn’t give me stress because all the desire I had was of learning new ideas in Sustainable Agriculture or call it Organic Farming.

We both realized that each one of us was missing a note book and each had to be at least with one that he/she could use when noting down some important points. So we had to get a shop where to buy note books from and this took us back through the bumpy road up to the highway where there is a small trading Center. I came back so tired that I was forced to take nap before the late evening. Getting up from the nap, I heard someone knocking on my door and that was a call for evening tea. And that was my first evening at St.Jude.

         To know the lifestyle of any community, one has to join that community first. So I personally was at Jude and I know them well.

It was dry season or call it summer; so it was daily waking up early in the morning to water vegetables as morning tea would be on preparation before having the morning lectual or call it lessons that were taken by Mr.Ntambazi Richard.

During the day, the huge trees all over the compound could provide the loveliest shade that could refresh the weather and temperature condition hence making life at Jude enjoyable and interesting. But only nights could give me worries because the room temperature could raise high at night. This always made my nights un-enjoyable because I always felt like am in a Sauna being heated. The unbearable conditions of warm nights could always force me to throw away the blanket so as to get fresh air but again Mosquitoes that I preferred to as Jet Fighters could also be alert hunting for blood. So I always had to choose either to be in the Sauna or be stung be the Mosquitoes which could later cause Malaria. And I always choose to take cover under the blanket which is sauna because I knew very well that Malaria prevention is better than cure.

The Judes, shown us the highest respect in all aspects that I had never experienced in my life, and I was too obedient to their instructions and rules. I loved living around the kids and the workers at the project who were so respectful though I felt it was too much for someone to greet me while kneeling down as female did and boys could really show total respect which on my side I felt it was beyond and I thought they were just fearing me. So almost every morning I always had to tell them that we are just a like and instead am not special.

              “Good luck, have fun and learn heaps”, as Michelle had wish. Sure I had fun alongside learning heaps during my two weeks in an Organic Farm.

So these are what I learnt; under Master Ntambazi Richard, I added on my learning about soil and soil fertilization, soil and water conservation and it practical was so interesting as quoted in Kiswahili “Fanya Chini and Fanya Jju”. Also piled one of the biggest compost manure heaps and turned the already piled. I went on making liquid manure and made manure tea.  I went through vegetable growing lectures and did it practically setting up different vegetable gardens, I did Integrated Pest Management. I learnt banana establishment and went through it practically, cassava and maize growing with did it practically. I learnt different designs of nursery bed establishment and seed security even practically. I went on with Tree planting and grafting and did practical on grafting which excited me too. Here comes Post harvest, handling harvest and Additional value where I learnt juice and Wine making practically. Sure these were my special weeks at St.Jude adding pumping my mind with Organic Farming!! And I feel confident enough to share it with anyone out there who would love to learn and solve up anything related to Organic Farming.

           

BREAKING THROUGH PERMACULTURE!

                  Luwek like other Northern Villages were devastated by the years of Civil Wars, dictatorship leaders, diseases and corrupt ones up to now are letting us behind; the Soul of the Northern was lost, the Country side had lost direction and most Villagers had resigned to that terrible fate to uncertainty. Many right thinking Villagers knew that something had to be done but they never had the Idea and concept of how they could rescue this Village from multrinutrition, poverty etc. But on the other hand, life has also became a mess with the environment-I mean Nature mostly and with generation that passes by, situation seems not changing.

Above all, every serious human endeavor will always have a beginning. And many people have got very good projects in mind but they never get guts to take the first step to kick start the implementation of those good Ideas and translate them into Action. Given sorrow that Luwek is going through, hopefully Nyerology is to give birth to PERMACULTURE NORTH so as to break through Permaculture to make a change as well as beauty.  With nothing more than my head, hand and the background that accompany me, am hopefully undertaking the duty to lay the foundation for the struggle that I hope will lead to increased better Food Variety and economic emancipation which cannot be congratulated individually but I hope will leave me with no option but to recognize the day when it all started. Hence herein, PERMACULTURE NORTH is hopefully to lay the foundation for the struggle that will rescue Luwek and make her the Pearl of North.

            With my little knowledge of observation of acquaintance with facts, Permaculture is the Art and Science of designing human beings’ place in the environment. Permaculture design is a system of assembling conceptual, material, and strategic components in a pattern that functions to benefit life in all its forms. 

Permaculture taught me to understand and flash on the pattern that is found in healthy natural environments. In Permaculture, we work with, rather than against, nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their functions, rather than asking only one yield of them; and allowing systems to demonstrate their own evolutions.

Permaculture Principles;

1.    Responsibility for our actions and the outcomes, for what we leave behind. We should know that it’s our responsibility for our own existence and that of our children.

2.    Cooperation, not competition, is the basis of future survival.

3.    The rules of use of natural resources: Reduce waste, hence pollution; thoroughly replace lost minerals; do careful energy accounting.

4.    Law of return: whatever we take we must return.

5.    Care of the earth, care of the people: Provisions for all life systems to continue and increase provision for people to access those resources necessary to their existence.

6.    Setting limits to population and consumption.

7.    Hey, Permaculture doesn’t shun technology at all. If technology can help to achieve the desired outcome, go for it.

Fish Ponds in rectangular+ circular Tanks, Veggie gardens & Orchard!

8.      One of Birch’s six principles of natural systems: Our ability to change the face of the earth increases at a faster rate than our ability to foresee the consequence of change.

With Permaculture, everyone can build productive, profitable, sustainable, cultivated ecosystems, which as well include people, and have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. To me, without Permaculture, we shall mess up with the environment and there won’t be possibility of a stable social order. So go PERMACULTURE NORTH!

HOSPITABLE NEW YEAR EVER.

           As lots of people do, they mark up their end of years and start up New Years while visited different places, I also had mind in a different way compared to other years. I had mine from Ridah Hotel which is found in Seeta-Mukono district. It was late in the evening that I started off the journey to the place and by 6:30pm. Just in no time, I arrived at the gate point then I was well checked like other people. After passing through the first check point, I went to the second check point and later got in. Just the beauty of the place was enough for me to feel welcomed! I got a seat and waited for the next programme on agenda which was “Cultural Dance Show” or call it entertainment that was to start at exactly 8:00pm and it was to push all of us-the attendants to the New Year 2012. As the show was on the way, I toured around and got back to my seat. As I was waiting for the entertainment, it was exactly dinner time and most of the audiences were busy digging into their plates. On my right there was a lady who had ordered already and only food smell could affect my nose as the wind could blow it toward my side. For me, I instead also enjoyed taking chips with chicken plus a drink of Fanta later as the Show was taking place.

 The Entertainers of that night 2011-2012 were Music Dance and Drummer troupe called “Kika Troupe”. I was so excited to see my Old Girl Dinah inclusive in the Dance troupe and she was someone I studied with and completed Primary level together some good Years ago. Later after the Show I meant her and said Hi to her. I had a lot of fun because the troupe had lots of comedy apart from the cultural dance and that could create laughter in our faces.

When it was exactly 6:00AM-mid-Night and New Year 2012, electricity lights were turned off and I heard a boom like sounds being exploited that first frightened me up but just in a blink of an eye, I saw lights flying and sparkling high within the Sky and this was nothing but Fire Wax. Then only I could see was fire wax sparkling high in the atmosphere making a circular sharps.  I was so excited, amazed and happy seeing the fire wax being displayed in the Air and this made me realized that I was missing something great really to see ever in my life. Being the fact that fire wax opened off my New Year, the year 2012 seemed to be more blessed and prosperous than the recent one 2011. That is how I chilled out and entered a New Year 2012.

“THANK YOU!”

Day by day I work harder to achieve a bright future but also I don’t forget my guardians who are hand in hand with me in my campaign for bright life. On my journey to the peak, my background governs me much and I always take a look back in time and where I come from, and I compare with how far I have changed as it was through Shifting Cultivations and Animal rearing which is peasantry farming that my parents could get food and depend on.  On the other side Rebels made our life get off frying pan into fire! Those were the years of living in a war territory and rebels could not leave the environment happy or breathing but only God protected. My education too was beyond poor and never had I known I would learn anything in my life. And there wasn’t any hope of accessing a better education apart from that where class rooms were Under the Trees! But I can say those were the years of Nyero and now Nyerology, what a change! There are lots to come yet and only sky will limit.

              Above all, I have a heartfelt over my lovely guardians. And it’s difficult to put a figure exactly on what kindness is being offered to me through Children of Uganda! It’s close to compassion, generosity, caring and yet it is not quite the same as any of these but instead, it is beyond all these. I don’t see you as counselor or psychologists ready to analyze or criticize or suggest. But are instead supportively with me in all my moods. If I have needs or problems, are very eager to help, and the helping is never patronizing, never of a kindness that makes me feel indebted or obliged. Give me where am wrong and make me get back up! And frees me from pre-occupation, and makes the world of me part of their central focus of life. You are kind of Persons that radiates a rare and its admirable sense of availability such persons to be there for me, offering a space in their Hearts where I can really feel at Home. And now I feel am beyond Nyero and am Nyerology, what a change!

My Beloved ones

Your love is a silent gift of nature

More old more strong

More clear although it is deep

Less words more understanding

If you were flowers,

I would not pick you

Could let you grow in the garden

And cultivate you with much love and care

So that I can keep you forever

The way you are doing to me.

         Kindness and Care are not just the outward gestures of giving; are especially an act of Self-givingness. I remember the days of PDC at Sabina, the moments and fun we had, thank you for having chosen to have your holidays with me down here. I feel love and respect in all you doing for me and bringing something precious into my life. Really your love, care and kindness brings ability to disregard fear; bravery in my education and life as large. You are bringing comfort into my Heart that once had low self-esteem. Am greatly gladden, impressed, amazed and happy to have you and I feel “Thank You”, two small words to convey the infinite feeling in my Heart , so please accept my sincerest Thanks. Thanks for everything. You have my heartfelt thanks and my undying gratitude. Thanks so much Michelle and Trivillian, your Kindness is Love! I love you too my dearests’!

         

MY SMALL VILLAGE.

“Luwek” is my birthplace and “Loibo” is my nearby Village in the country side. This is a so small Village where everyone knows each other by name. We know each other’s parents and homes, so it is a small community that a Visitor may even be spotted from a far.

The often dusty murram road that is narrow; trucks, trailers and buses that by passes the Village while leading both to and from Kitgum and Sudan loaded with agriculture produce, ornamental trees and manufactured products frequently use this route.

After the peace has been restored, people started getting back to the country side and the Village is breathing again. But still everyone who is over 18years of age here has fresh memories of the Lord’s Resistance Army {L.R.A} war that left many family members dead. It was horrible, terrible, deplorable, and sad and causing sorrow seeing the killing of humans; we really suffered so much at the hands of the L.R.A. By the time I left for Kampala, the situation had worsened and to me, it breaks my heart whenever I flash on how people suffered.

On the other side of business, agriculture is still the main economic activity. Though the Village doesn’t have any Industrious farmers and instead they do the farming in a Subsistence way, but still Villagers produce enough food for the community and supply the few to the town in exchange of money. People mainly grow cereals crops like rice, millet, sorghum, simsim, beans, pigeon peas, cow peas, soya beans, cassava among others and vegetables include cabbage, egg plants, okra etc. Villagers also keep some poultry birds like pigeons, chickens, ducks and turkey, and animals like goats, sheep, pigs and cattle. With the land issue, here people face problems of land wrangles as they have just got back to the country side after the peace restoration in the area.

With modernity, my Village unfortunately is trying to replace rural lifestyle slowly with urban ways of life style. And boys have adopted some for example boys play cards and gamble all day long. Instead of engaging in Income generating activities. I wonder up and down because others drink alcohol for breakfast-they start from morning! And only God knows where they get the money to sustain that kind of lifestyle.

Under modernity still, no storey buildings are replacing our traditional mud and wattle grassed thatched huts.

With Music and Entertainment, the days of Larakaraka, Dingi-Dingi and Bwola among others of the 1960s are long gone and were the days of my father. Here the youth buy Music played by foreigners for as cheap as1500 [Ugandan shilling] on a CD. Others even record songs on their Mobile phones with the help of memory card. If it comes to modern dance, youth here love dancing modern dances and at times they hold each other’s waist and squeeze each other- which are a new way of dancing that has affected youth in the area due to modernity. And for those who may have time and can afford paying dance fee, they either attend to the one within the Village or go dancing in Gulu Town which is about 30-40 minutes ride on a Boda-Boda. With the fact of many and different friends with different minds and characters, they always close up the Dance with fighting among them self.

My Father-Mr.Kolo Bilentino, told me that he miss the moon light dance of their good old days when they were real men. He added, “We used to go hunting wild animals, birds and dig big gardens to prove our manhood and this is why I have a very big piece of Land.

A real woman used to stay home to do house hold chores like fetching water, cleaning utensils, sweeping the compounds and preparing local dishes. Today, they use machines to make Odi {ground nut and simsim paste}. Really gone are the days of the grinding stone”.

As different Tribes with different likes, so here Youth mostly take Xmas, Easter and Independence Days as their Days of showing off. So these are the most days you will see youth dressed in different ways depending on the weight of their Wallets. They try all their level best to be different on such days so that to refresh their minds off the L.R.A periods. Boys put on heavy clothe, Jungle shoes with a baseball cap on top mostly in a 50 Cent way of design. For girls, they look for nice designs of hair and nice looking dresses that can match with their choices.

Yeah, on the side of Early Marriage, both girls and boys are in early Marriage. Children’s Activist and NGOs have tried to stop early Marriage in this Area like it does in other areas but tradition always wins as transactions are carried out secretly. Dowry here is not so expensive and give people chances of Early Marriages. In the past, early Marriage was un-heard of, but has grown with the problem influx of poverty among families, can you imagine?

With the tradition mud and wattle grass thatched hut everywhere, with dusty narrow road that passes through, and you will never see any electricity pole here! On top of all that, it is my favorite place when I need to get away. In my homeland and I’m feeling so alive cause it’s where I was born and it’s where I did my nursery class from-my first class room to be was under a mango tree and i would writie on the soil because I could not have a book and a pencil to use. I love the Village and it’s my first choice area to develop so as to become known worldwide. I always enjoy getting back to Village for my December holidays. Really this is where Nyero Christopher comes from and it is where I belong.