What is Dave gonna do?

After 2 weeks of training, I'm finally done and my head is full of ideas. The question remains: What do I do next? Well, to begin I am going to travel back north relatively slowly. Tonight, I am going into Bamako in search of a hot shower ("Insh Allah!"), American food and a beer. I'll spend two nights at a hotel and then take a 10-12 hour bus ride to Sevare on Monday morning. When I get to Sevare, my first project will begin. My buddy Phil and I have decided to go hunting for supplies to build solar food driers. We have two different plans, and aren't sure which one is better. The plan is to build both of them and try them out... a little experiment with fruits. Solar drying will be a small income generating activity (IGA) that I hope to introduce to the village. Already, my village grows mangoes, papayas, bananas, guavas, onions, garlic, etc. The problem is that they eat them right away. When they're gone, they're gone. By introducing a solar drying technique, the villagers will be able to conserve fruit for later consumption (benefit = intake of vitamins at a later point) and/or be able to sell them in the various surrounding markets. Now, I am unsure how well they will sell, but it is worth the try. I figure that I will fund the first solar drier, as it will only cost a few dollars to build. Once I make it, I will bring it to village, teach the people how to use it and tell them what the benefits are. If they are interested, I will then offer instructions on how to build one for themselves. There is a village 10km away that sells bamboo at an extremely low cost; just a short donkey cart ride away! I will speak with the man that sells bamboo and builds bamboo furniture about the feasibility of providing wood and/or building the driers himself. Either way, he makes money... added business.



Next comes the BIG project! Well, one of the big projects. I have spoken with ICRISAT, an experimental agricultural organization. They have been developing millet varieties that are drought resistant, have higher yields, seed faster, grow bigger, etc.... basically they are attempting to create super-millet without the use of chemicals. They want to work with Peace Corps volunteers and their communities in order to test out the millet varieties in the different regions throughout Mali. As of yet, I don't think any one has tested the millet varieties up north yet. My plan is to speak with the main families in village and convince 4 of them to share a plot of land with me (roughly 1/2 a hectare each). These plots will all have to be pretty homogeneous in terms of soil condition, shade trees (preferably none), compost composition, water availability, etc. Once I determine where the 4 plots will be, I will divide the 4 plots into 5 subsections. I hope to acquire 4 super-millet varieties for each plot, plus use the local variety as a constant (I get to play scientist! Who would have thought?). In terms of organization, this is going to be a huge project to get running. Everyone is going to have to be convinced to donate land for the experiment and be dedicated to working equally as hard. The variables really shouldn't be changed between plots in order to get consistent results. The project comes with a few guidelines, but it gives a good deal of leeway. The benefits of this project are that, if successful, the village will have new and improved millet varieties that they can eat and/or sell to generate a small income. As they will be receiving the initial seeds for free, I hope that they will also pass some results on to other farmers if their is a high success rate. I will begin organizing this project as soon as I get back to village, writing up a proposal in about a month, receiving seeds around April, tilling the soil and composting through May, planting in June/July, weeding the fields until September/October, and harvesting sometime in November (so Allah jabbi). Phew... it's gonna be a lot of work!



In terms of other projects, there is also the cereal bank that I want to build, but I don't have enough information on that yet. When I get back to village, I will organize meetings to determine who will be responsible for forming the association needed for the bank. Once the association is formed I can then work on drafting a funding proposal. If anyone wants to donate, I will be putting the draft up on the Peace Corps Partnership Program website. This won't be for a while, but keep your eyes open! I will have a lot more info on this subject and how it will benefit the village within the coming months.



There is also the seed bank that needs to be updated. Since I've been in Bamako, I picked up some baobab, jatropha, moringa, and Senegalese acacia tree seeds. It will be nice to go back to village with something tangible. Also, I have learned valuable gardening techniques that have to do with composting, raising soil fertility, erosion control, channel irrigation, aeration, etc... that I hope to implement when I return. I really just want to grow some carrots, actually. I also have ideas in my head about building a library and additional school building in Beguma, getting 4-6 India/Mali pumps for the well in my village, and a trash collecting campaign in Douentza. I probably have too much on my plate as it is now, but it is good to have available options in case of failure or if the villagers aren't motivated towards a certain idea. I will learn to practice patience, flexibility, and motivation over the coming months.