Feed 250 African Families: Sow, Grow, Eat, Repeat
Summary
Our demonstration gardens reduce reliance on chemical pesticides and fertilizers while increasing agricultural productivity and providing better nutrition. This project will help children in six Cameroon schools design, plant and maintain a demonstration garden. Their new knowledge, tools and skills will help the whole community eat more nutritiously with less work for years to come. Surplus produce can be sold to generate extra income.
What is the issue, problem, or challenge?
More than half of Cameroon school children are deficient in multiple nutrients, including those necessary for effective learning. Most help on the family farm, where the long hours and hard work diminish the quality of life for parents and children alike and keep some of the children from receiving a full education. Overuse or misuse of pesticides degrades both human health and the environment. Many youth abandon agriculture for a life of unemployment in crime-ridden city slums.
How will this project solve this problem?
Indigenous crops with high nutritional value will be selected and modern, organic farming techniques taught. The children will be able to harvest and eat the vegetables at school, and take some home to their families. Surplus will be sold to help support the school. Because the garden project will be integrated with the school curriculum, it also provide skills such as accounting that will help in future enterprises.
Potential long term impact
Because the children, working in cooperation with the community, will learn how to bank seeds, and maintain the gardens, this project will provide more nutritious, environmentally friendly crops for each of the six communities for years to come. Because the crops will be less labor-intensive, and more productive, the children will be less likely to be required to work on the family farm instead of going to school, and more likely to choose to stay and farm after graduation.
Additional documentation (PDF)
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