Nyanzwa - 1st Visit

March 4, 2009
Village: Nyanzwa
Pastor: Luhwano Mwafute
Companion: Easter, Eagan
Elevation: 582 meters
Attendees: 21

Nyanzwa is located east of Iringa below the escarpment on the road to Dar. Once below the escarpment Nyanzwa is 42 km, or an hour’s drive, north. This area is experiencing severe drought. There was no water in any potholes and the streams were dry. This village is one of the most primitive that I’ve seen. None of the windows had glass; just wire mesh, the kind with 3/8” or so diagonals. Few of the homes or buildings were made of brick; most were made of packed mud. Ibrahim explained the social barrier to economic development, where people are afraid that if they are successful, and build a nice home or business, someone will either steal or destroy what they have built. Bishop Mdegella describes this phenomenon as crabology where in a box full of crabs when one climbs to the top, all the others attack it and try to pull that one down.
I asked Ibrahim why he pointed out this social barrier at Nyanzwa, and he said that this was one of the most striking examples that he has seen. This was his second visit to Nyanzwa. Because of the irrigation there is a real opportunity in this area to produce crops during any season. But, they are not taking advantage of this opportunity. Production during the off season results in the highest price. I asked why people were afraid to take advantage of this opportunity, and he said it was fear. Fear of someone stealing you assets whether that was a farm or crops. If you have a nice house or other things of value, they are afraid of violence. Few people own much land, most own a little and rent additional land to grow crops. If one rents land to grow crops, and the crops are nice you probably won’t be able to rent that same land the next year because the owner will want to farm that land. Ibrahim gave me an example that happened to him.
He (Ibrahim) rented one acre to grow rice. It was upland, higher elevation, and not expected to produce much rice. However, that year it rained a lot washing out the fields in the lower elevations and providing enough moisture for Ibrahim’s field to produce well. At the end of the year the land owner told Ibrahim that he would not be able to rent that field again the next year. Ibrahim’s hope is that people who own a little land and rent more will produce good crops and in the future be able to purchase more land.
This area is known for its onion production, which they irrigate. They have diversion ditches from a nearby stream. They told us that the CVP plots would be irrigated. Since with irrigation they can grow crops at any time of the year, they will plant the corn and beans when there is the greatest availability of water. The plot is near a primary school and while we were taking soil samples a large group of kids came to watch.
After a brief introduction Ibrahim went through the handouts:
1. DIRA – Institute of Agriculture Village Plot Agreement
2. Plot Management
3. Chronological Plot Management of Crops Planted in December of 2009
4. Frequently Asked Questions
5. Record of Events
The current yields of corn in the area are around 4 to 5 bags per acre, with a maximum of 7 bags per acre. When asked, almost everyone said that they thought that fertilizer was detrimental to the soil and the seeds that were planted. Ibrahim responded that just like medicine, if one took all the pills they received from a doctor at once they would likely get sick and could kill themselves. But if you took the medicine as prescribed one would get well. Fertilizer if wrongly applied can give bad results, but if properly applied will increase yields.
There were some interesting comments from the attendees:
· Pastor Luhwano said he was happy with the CVP program, and that he was thankful that their companion congregation Easter Lutheran was supporting this project. He felt that this project would be very helpful to his community.
· An older gentleman said that minimum tillage had been used successfully in the old ways of farming. This was before the 1970s when the population was low and farmers moved from field to field leaving some fields fallow for a period of time. However in the 1970s the “Agricultural Revolution” where the government moved people into villages in order to facilitate the delivery of social services such as schools.
· Another man was thankful for the program and said that by helping them produce more they may be able to negotiate longer leases on their land, maybe up to 5 years or to purchase more land.
· Another appreciated the discussion of the importance of timely agricultural practices. He thinks they have been getting diseases in their crops by not planting at the right time.
· There were questions about the Institute’s ability to help with crops other than corn and beans. We said we were starting with two crops so that we did not overwhelm them, but that if they had questions about other crops we would try to provide answers.
o One man asked a question about disease in his tomato crop. After some clarification, Ibrahim suggested that by using his own seed he may be subject to seed borne diseases, and that he should try planting with new seed.
· One person expressed appreciation for the CVP program, and said that they had learned a lot in a short time, and hopes to learn even more from subsequent visits.

Photo link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21557421@N08/sets/72157615035456151/detail/