Fieldwork

On Tuesday I spent a lot of time in the fields setting up an experiment that we’re running to test fertilizer configurations. This is pretty important because fertilizer prices have spiked in recent years, to the point where many farmers can no longer afford to use it. This, of course, means their yields are significantly hampered. For us (One Acre Fund), it means our cost to serve farmers has increased. If we can find a cheaper and still effective (or possibly more effective!) configuration of fertilizer/top dress, we will be able to serve more farmers and/or improve their yields even more. This is very representative of the care that OAF takes in providing services to poor farmers; the organization is very systematic and works hard to do the best job possible for clients.
Being in the fields was really interesting, as it really brought to light many of the challenges that rural farmers face. Even though all the fields I visited were in the same area, the differences among them were pretty obvious. Even within one farmer’s field, the differences in terrain, soil composition, prevalence of weeds that destroy crops, moisture of the soil, etc. were striking. I also gained further appreciation for how insanely difficult subsistence farming is (though I already had a huge level of respect for the farmers here). Many of the farmers toil in their fields all day, without shoes, with minimal (and unclean) water, and little to eat. I spent 6 hours trekking around in my comfy sneakers, and my legs were quaking by the end of it (not to mention I developed either some kind of rash or got a bunch of bites all over my forearms – it’s going away but was a bit painful yesterday). It was heartbreaking to see some of the farmers’ fields (particularly fields of farmers who are not part of OAF). I’m beginning to be able to tell what healthy maize plants look like, and it was obvious that many farmers are going to be struggling to feed their families. But despite all this, they are some of the most generous and hospitable people I have ever met. Several invited me to come in and have some food or something to drink; we were so busy that we had to decline (not to mention I didn’t want to eat their limited food).

Yesterday I went to the OAF nursery to take a look at the maize that we are growing there (this is sort of a control for the experiment we’re doing with farmers in the field; we can better control the conditions in the nursery and make sure that all the steps we’ve told farmers to take are actually being followed, so we’ll be able to compare this data with what we’re collecting in the field). The difference between our carefully cultivated maize and what I had seen the day before in the fields was amazing. Apparently the nursery soil is a bit more fertile (the land was idle before, so it hadn’t been stripped of its nutrients the way the farmers’ shambas (farms) have. I’m actually in charge of the nursery experiment, so please cross your fingers that I manage it successfully and that we get good data to help determine what fertilizers we should be using with our clients! So many things can go wrong here, as I’ve already started to see.

Tomorrow I’ll be in the fields again – I’m working on a project to see if we can come up with a good way for farmers to recycle their harvest waste (the stalks from the maize plants, for example) into organic material that can be used to replace the nutrients that are depleted from the soil. This is really important; an unfortunate consequence of our success in improving our clients’ crop yields is that their fields are being depleted of nutrients more quickly than before, meaning future yields may be negatively impacted if the nutrients aren’t put back. Therefore I’m going to be looking into ways to help the farmers compost the waste from their harvests. I’m a bit nervous – I’ll be heading to the fields by myself, which means taking a matatu (the dreaded crowded vans) to get to a marketplace where I am meeting the field officer, then hiring a crew of casual laborers (and hopefully an interpreter), then taking a boda (bike taxi) to the farms to experiment with ways to set up compost piles such that farmers will actually comply. It sounds a lot easier than it is, believe me! I’ve tried to think through it though so hopefully all will go somewhat smoothly (very smoothly is way too much to ask for).
I may be going to Kisumu this weekend with Paul, another OAF employee and a classmate of mine from Kellogg. Apparently there’s a big agricultural fair there (and possibly some interesting nightlife). And on Sunday, I’m in for a real treat (read: shock). Paul and I are going to attend a traditional circumcision ceremony, where a 10-12 year old boy is painted white, runs around naked while we chase him waving tree branches and singing, is then covered in mud and sliced while a bunch of people watch. I can’t quite decide if I’m going to be horrified, fascinated, or squeamish (probably all three). Stay tuned for that update!