Report - Visit to DiHoko during Dec 2013

Report on the DiHokoHoko visit during December 2013

by Emmanuel Muyumba

Also, please see the photos at the bottom!

Contents of this Report

I. Ladies Open Garden

* Introduction

* Drip Irrigation Installation

* Planting

* Compost Production

* Water tank and stand

II. Veggie-tunnel

* Introduction

* Renovation and planting

III. Budget Spent

Recommendations/Further Plans

I. Ladies Open Garden

Introduction

I arrived at DiHokoHoko on Friday the 13th 2013, to install the pipes for the irrigation system for the 'ladies garden', located next to Anton’s house. This garden is 14m by 25m in size.

The local community women have been helping Anton as volunteers, for a period of 6months. The work involved cleaning in and around and keeping the 7 veggie-tunnels that are standing in the 'middle garden'. They watered the tunnels with a hydroponic mix and helped Anton to plant and oversee to the growth of the plants in the bags. It was agreed with them that they will receive training as volunteers and receive a portion of ground to work, called the 'ladies garden', as compensation for their work in the veggie-tunnels. Here they can plant, harvest, sell and consume as they wish. The Divundu Horticulture Project (DHP) will provide seed, the fence and the sprayer system.

During the process of setting up the irrigation system and getting the soil ready, we had to remove the planting bags that were standing in the previous tunnel. Myself and the ladies worked tirelessly to clean, level and weed the ground, getting it ready for planting. It was after this that we could only begin to install the pipes for the irrigation.

Anton and myself supervised the people that were putting the new fence around the ladies open garden.

Drip Irrigation Installation

The newly established 'ladies garden' was fitted with micro jet sprinklers. The sprinklers are 3m apart and they can spray with a 1.5m radius. We have installed them to a 5mm pipe, supported by a steel pole that is 1m long, 300cm into the ground. The 5mm pipe is class 3 and is tied around the steel poles with garnished wires. The poles are 800mm long. The sprinklers we are using spray 360°. The 5mm pipes are plugged into a 12mm pipes that run above the ground measuring 12m across the garden. Each of the lines have 3 sprinklers. The 12mm pipes receive water from a main pipe which is 50mm in diameter.

The design of the irrigation is efficient and an performing to standard. This helps in the preparation and training of the local women for the bigger, anticipated projects to come in future.

Planting

After the installation of the drip irrigation system, the garden was planted by the ladies under my supervision. There were about 8 cultivars that were planted into this open garden. The seeds that were introduced to the new garden are:

* Spinach

* Eggplant

* Cabbage

* Carrots

* Beets

* Pumpkin

* Butternut

* Leek

Furthermore, I spent time explaining to the ladies how they should keep the garden under full production, always green. Anton will supervise their work daily in future and see that the new plants germinate as expected. They will replant where the seed failed to germinate.

Compost Production

We have started a compost heap that we will be used for the garden in future, since this will be an organic garden. I showed the ladies how to start compost production on flat ground, without digging any holes.

The ladies collected materials from the surrounding vegetation such as, long grass, weeds, dead leaves, pieces of sticks and manure. The compost heap is 1m by 2m and is situated where the water tank used to stand. It is about 1m above the ground. We have piled the different layers of materials as mentioned above. The first layer consisted of pieces of dead dry sticks, the second layer was of dead leaves, the third layer was of manure (this was collected from Anton’s goats which has been lying in the goats shelter for a period of 3monts), the fourth layer was green leaves and weeds, the fifth layer was of manure again and then finally green grass and weeds to cover the whole lot. During the whole process we made 5 holes in the side of the heap to allow air to circulate in the heap.

The ladies will carry on producing more compost in future, under the supervision of Anton. They will be overturning the compost heaps after 1 week. This will be carried on for 1 and a half months and when the compost is done, it will be used for the ladies garden.

Water tank and stand

The new stand for the water tank was completed, which is five meters high. However, it was a huge challenge to lift the tank onto the stand. We were not able to place the tank on the stand by the time I left.

Anton will carry on supervising this task and connect the pipes from the river to the tank, from the tank to the pump and from the pump to the main line, distributing water to the gardens and his residence.

II. Veggie-Tunnels

Introduction

The veggie tunnels that are currently standing at DiHokoHoko were in a bad condition when I got there. This had partly to do with problems such as goats coming into the area and jumping onto the tunnels trying to get food, leaving it almost flat onto the ground. The cattle that were brought into the DiHokoHoko grounds also contributed to the problem as they walked around the unfenced plot trying to enter by tearing the net with their horns.
Some of the tunnels were unplanted for quite a while. The reasons given were: “that the seeds were planted to deep to germinate”, “seeds had expired", "students were not taught well on how to plant and look after the tunnels".

The commitment of the people as a whole, was very low, because of commitments to their own millet fields. They were plowing and planting the land from early morning till afternoon. This planting period will continue till middle February.
I sat down with them and agreed that a skeleton staff will tend to the tunnels in the afternoons, to ensure that the tunnels produce optimal.

Renovation and planting

I had a meeting with the 8 women who are currently volunteering, Anton who supervises them, Paulus who was sent over to Windhoek to be trained by me and Laurence, the young man who Anton recruited from the community to be a TOG. During this meeting I explained to them that the tunnels need to run from January to December at full capacity with relevant monitoring statistics. That they need to re-examine their commitment to the veggie-tunnels. That the mistakes that had been made were addressed and rectified. I showed the team how to put up the tunnels properly, to stand strong. The students joined me in putting up the 7 tunnels anew, erecting them properly, while experiencing how to do so.

The 'middle garden' where the tunnels are standing at present, will be fenced off as soon as the fencing path has been cleared. This fence should keep the animals away from the new 'middle garden'. The big hole next to the tunnels will then be filled with the tree stumps and covered with sand.

III. Budget Expenditure - 2013

ITEM	DESCRIPTION	UNIT	QTY	RATE (N$)	AMOUNT (N$)

1	Pipes - LDPE Cl3
1.0	Veggie-tunnels	7		42,000.00	42,000.00
1.1	5mm HDPE tube	No	30	1.11	33.30
1.2	13mm 3x5 tubing	M	126	2.62	330.12
1.3	25mm LDPE Cl3	M	10	4.34	43.40
1.4	50mm LDPE PVC Pipe	M	30	6.80	204.00
1.5	32mm LDPE CL3	M	20	5.67	113.5

2	Control Point and Fitting
2.1	13mm End Stops	No	10	2.10	21.00
2.2	25mm Full flow equal tee	No	10	6.70	67.00
2.3	25mm Full flow T piece	No	10	5.40	54.00
2.4	25mm Full flow elbow	No	10	7.40	74.00
2.5	25mm Full flow end cap	No	3	4.30	12.90
2.6	32mm elbows	No	4	7.50	30.00
2.7	32mm T-piece	No	2	7.00	14.00
2.8	40mm T-reducer to 32	No	1	8.00	8.00
2.9	50mm end stops	No	4	4.80	19.20
2.10	50mm PVC valve/taps	No	1	112.00	112.00
2.11	50mm-15mm adaptor	No	10	9.60	96.00
2.12	50mm-25mm adaptor	No	2	10.40	20.80
2.13	Control Point Electrical Switch	No	1	113.00	113.00

3	Drip Equipment
3.1	8mm Galvanized Rod	No	30	11.50	345.00
3.2	25mm - 5mm adaptor	No	30	0.70	21.00
3.3	Micro Jet Sprayers	No	30	4.20	126.00

4	Other
4.0	220V Switch	No	1	175.00	175.00
4.1	Power Cable	M	15	5.40	81.00
4.2	Steel Pegs	No	30	12.00	360.00
4.3	Wire	Roll	1	112.00	112.00
4.4	Seed (Selection)	No	1	450.00	450.00
4.5	Fencing of the Ladies Garden	M	34	3 000.00	3 000.00
4.6	Material Transport Rundu to DiHoko	No	3		400.00
4.7	Material, Transport and Labor	No	1	4,300.00	4,300.00
4.8	Dor’s Visit/Permaculture	No	1	1,800.00	1,800.00

5	VAT Inclusive
5.0	Transport Windhoek	No	1	195.00	195.00
5.1	Transport DiHoko	No	1	995.00	995.00
5.2	Travel DiHoko	No	2	205.00	410.00
5.3	S&T DiHoko (3days)	No	16	56.25	900.00
5.4	Labor DiHoko (2 Weeks 2days)	No	16	175.00	2 800.00

			Total (N$)		58,216.22