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25 September 1995
The Aurora Borealis could be seen as far East in front and as far West behind the plane as the
window would allow. We were at 32,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean between the US and Europe.
Only God could speak into existence such a beautiful thing.
The public health officer at the Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) airport asked me for my yellow
card as proof of a yellow fever vaccination. Since I did not have one he said I must receive one for
$11.00. I did not as there was no vaccine in the fridge. I went to collect my two suitcases. No
suitcases, either. The computer said that one was in Dallas and the other one was in Brussels.
Welcome to West Africa. Lubbock, Dallas, Chicago, Brussels, Abidjan, Bouake takes appproximately
35 hours of travel with 20 on an airplane and 5 on a bus. The bus ride was through beautiful
country: pineapple, rubber plantations, forest, and crops.
By this time, Barry Baggott had found me and we went to the hotel for the night. The next morning
we took the five hour bus ride to Bouake. I had arrived for a three weeks stay at the Ecole d'Etudes
Bibiques et Agricoles to teach the students organic, biointensive, raised-bed gardening and farming.
This can double or triple the production on a farm. The students have to farm the land that has been
loaned to the school to produce vegetables and meat for themselves and to sell to help support the
school. They want to start meat production with guinea pigs and rabbits. The school has the use of
four plots: land where the school will construct facilities which has springs for irrigation; a very
small area beside the rented church building; a small plot owned by a non-member with springs for
irrigation; and approximately ten acres about six miles from the school owned by a member of the
Church of Christ. Each student has been loaned a bicycle to use personally and to ride to class and to
the farms to work. We had a welding shop build a bicycle trailer to use behind any of the bicycles
for transporting cargo, vegetables or whatever.
All of the students grew up on a farm and over half of the students are presently farming in their
villages. One came in early to be my translator (Francis). He grows cacao (chocolate), corn and
small amounts of other crops. He has chickens. Several students grow upland rice. The school
property already has swamp rice growing which they will use. My first day with the students we had
a session in the classroom. Then the last day with them we went back to the classroom to give
more information, clear up any misunderstandings and let them ask questions. One had previously
done one or two of the things I taught so that was a help.
The big farm is totally covered
with brush. That is - grass,
weeds, trees and vines up to
eight feet tall. I bought a
machete and went to cut brush
with them.
It is the hardest farm work I have ever done.
Normally, all this vegetation is burned and I convinced
them that it is their fertilizer. No burning, ever. They
must compost the materials or use it in the beds for
mulch. We piled the brush into rows and built a
raised bed between the rows. After it
composts, they will go back and build a
raised-bed where the row of brush is
now.
The other times we were on the school
property or the big farm hard at work
building raised-beds. I took with me 20
packets of seed from home. Most of them
the students had never heard of. They
were very eager to make use of the
unfamiliar varieties of seeds. We planted
the seeds as soon as a bed was ready.
A young man who works for Barry asked me to visit
his farm, a city lot, and tell him how to improve it.
Walking to and from it, six blocks, I pointed out all
the organic matter (grass, leaves, limbs) people had
left out for the trach trucks to pick up, but which
could be composted to fertilize his soil. He later told
Barry that he never dreamed all that was free
fertilizer and it was everywhere.
I wanted some velvet bean seeds to use for cover
crops and/or intercropping. We went to an agriculture research farm just outside Bouake. It took
three trips over four days to get them but we got 2 kilos of seed. Normally they do not give out
seed. Through a member of the church who works at the rice research farm, we were able to get
two other varieties of velvet beans. Francis and I went to the oil mill to buy cottonseed meal to use
as a nitrogen fertilizer on their crops. The security guards said come back on Monday. Monday, we
went back and after passing through three security guard gates we were allowed to see the man
who could sell to us. He wanted to know how many tons we wanted to buy. I told him we just
wanted a sack full. He gave us the name of a dealer. We went by the dealer and they said they had
cottonseed meal. Since we were traveling by taxi, we told them we would be back in Barry's car.
When we went to buy it, it seems that they do not have meal, they have only cake/cubes. We took
it.
I ordered a number of free periodicals in English and in French and samples of several others to be
sent to the school. I left three copies in French and one copy in English of the textbook I use. I have
an extensive library and Barry is translating three of the best articles into French for them and for
me. I am sending them a yoyo (weed cutter) which they had never heard of which will make their
weed cutting so much easier. The welding shop make a garden fork and can make any tool they
need. I will be sending a tool catalog to them so they can make other tools to reduce the work
involved. Africans farm with the daba which is a short handle (18 inch) hoe/shovel and a machete.
Both are back killers. Most of the land in Africa must never have had a tractor used on it. Farming in
Africa is very different from our temperate climate farming.
I plan on more trips like this so I am preparing a case in which I will take samples of various hand
tools with me. I will have two handles (a short T-handle and one long handle) which I can
interchange among all the forks, rakes, hoes, shovels, yo-yo, etc. We will just show the welder
what we want made. Also, I will take with me certain seed (non-hybrid) such as spaghetti squash
and any others I know they don't have. I telephoned a peanut grower in Portales, NM and he sent
them some Valencia Peanut seed.
Barry ordered a soil-cement brick machine ($100.00) to use to make brick for the construction of
the school class building and housing. Brick are made of the soil from the ground at the building site
and with 6 to 10% cement added. It is equal to a fired brick. They make a durable, inexpensive
building.
Barry was interested in introducing solar cookers to the people but I had brought only a little info on
them and no plans for making one. I had made one at home and in the Dominican Republic. We tried
making the new design from a photo and it did not work but we used it to show people the
principle. They were really interested and I have sent plans for the box cooker and the new panel
cooker. It saves buying charcoal.
I introduced to them the idea of pitcher irrigation to produce a crop during the dry season. An
unglazed clay pot is buried up to it's neck in the garden. Plants are planted around it and it is kept
filled with water from a hose or stream. The water seeps out directly to the roots. Metal or plastic
can be used by punching holes in each side.
My three weeks working with the students were the three most rewarding weeks that I have had
since returning to the USA after ten years abroad. What I have taught them will enable them to be
more productive and I told them that their income will be much greater. They agreed. Their
neighbors, seeing their crops, will be coming around wanting to know more about the way they
manage their farms. These men can change the way farming is done in the Cote d'Ivoire over the
next several years for miles in every direction from their villages. The big farm is on the main
highway from Bouake to Abidjan which will be viewed by thousands of people each day.
Copyright © 2000 Ken Hargesheimer
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