The hot, dry season is here and you know what that means? Gardening!Down by the farrow (the bog where we harvest rice after the rains) has become dry enough to set up gardens for the next few months. They grow all sorts of things; lettuce, cabbage, bitter tomatoes, regular tomatoes, okra, carrots, onions and more!
Every one in my village has a little plot down in this space. Every morning someone, usually a woman, goes out and waters. This involves dunking a bucket into a big hole and walking the bucket where the plants are. Not the greatest, but it works.
In the early evening everyone, including myself, heads down to water and gather treats for dinner. I don't show up there to "work." I don't water, I don't weed. Some people may call that lazy, but I'm here for other reasons. I come to learn. Just by hanging out with my villagers in their gardens, taking pictures, asking questions and usually getting a few snacks out of it is work enough.
The next step is how to make this space more useful year round. My friend, Demba (in the picture, on the right) Wants to set up permanent wells just outside of the gardens and big cement basins in the gardens to hold water so it would be easier, and in turn, a more effective and productive practice.
We'll see what we can do about that!
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