Not much to look at

I've been up to Friends Peace House this afternoon to talk with Matt, the agronomist volunteer with MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) who arrived just as I was leaving 2 years ago. You probably don't want the details of the 5 organisations loosely linked for his work. But you might like to know that 2 years into a 3 year placement he is focussing on cover cropping. He took me out to a patch of ground adjacent to where we were planting seeds last week. Here is one of the legumes being used to fix nitrogen and also to cover the ground during the dry season.

And here are the vigorous plants spreading over an area which was otherwise bare through out the dry season until grass sprouted after the rain. In the background some newly developed - not genetically modified - beans with extra iron are climbing.

In an adjacent plot is the ongoing field trial for 3 kinds of legume planted under maize. The growth is too small to photograph at this stage.

As Matt gave me a lift 'home' ahead of more rain he realised he'd forgotten my invitation to his wedding, to a Rwandese met through running, for the day before I leave for home. He and Claire are intending to stay in Rwanda, though he will need a proper paid job, so he will be able to keep a friendly eye on Rwandese he hopes to find to take over from him in the various locations throughout the country.

Demonstration fields are encouraging the spread of best practice and providing sites for trials, like Matt's own described above. Some assumptions are being challenged. For example he tells me that ground cover on sloping land has been shown to be more effective than terracing for retaining topsoil. Rwanda's 'thousand hills' have uncounted thousands of terraces: it will be a great saving of labour if they don't need to be frequently repaired.

Meanwhile Matt has been experimenting with planting leguminous trees round the leading edges to stabilise the structure - traditionally done with elephant grass for feeding cows. Another saving of labour may be on the way, for the ministry of agriculture has this year for the first time added no-till to the list of possible developments. Enormous labour is expended on turning the soil with heavy hoes. Life could be getting a little bit easier.