tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29803815513070356132024-03-05T00:39:14.347-08:00Sam in GhanaFollow my adventures in Ghana this summer as I volunteer with Engineers Without Borders Canada and the Ghanaian Ministry of Food and Agriculture.Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-7789698528748520762008-08-21T03:08:00.001-07:002009-02-25T19:10:44.208-08:00ImpactIn Engineers Without Borders we have this obsession with the word impact. Within our own little microculture, it’s become synonymous with positive change for the world’s poor. As an organization we try to make sure everything we do – be it the overseas projects we’re involved with or the in-Canada advocacy campaigns that we run – has impact. We spend time and energy planning to have it, being critical of those who aren’t having it, trying to decide if we’re having it and, hopefully, actually having it.<br /><br />Yet for all this obsessing, I approached this summer in Ghana with relatively little optimism about having impact, at least direct impact through my work overseas. I didn’t think four months was long enough to affect lasting and meaningful change within any organization or group that would directly benefit the poorest Ghanaians. I saw the main return on the time and money invested in me as a Junior Fellow to be what I shared with people in Canada and how the experience affected me on an individual level (and how I used that experience in the future).<br /><br />At the same time, I recognized the need to try to have impact. Not only is it important to me on a philosophical level, but I think trying to have impact is the only way to really understand why it’s so difficult.<br /><br />With the NILRIFACU rice farmer and processor cooperative I had planned to use the computer as a tool for teaching better record keeping and analysis, which I in turned hope would increase the profitability of the group and the ten thousand dollar marketing fund they’re supposed to be managing. Increasing their profitability would (I hypothesized) allow them to provide better services to their members, thereby reducing poverty on the ground. I ended up working with two or three of the group’s members and got as far as MS Word and Excel, letter writing and entering their previous accounts into the computer. There are a couple of major reasons that events didn’t go exactly as planned, mostly that I overestimated their existing record keeping skills and that farmers are very busy people during the rainy season.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimj_JNAR4mITk0h61q_uxnSHOxaSiMn1kYRIaw_u662l_9B4DmauaAdYfGm65-aBa8nQKEL0jT0qOS-a8iUx1hnSEk8Q8Cm_hab829CTX9GxQlDHJw3wo20X4q8ph0rfEfIV5-or1yqHUn/s1600-h/IMGP6836.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimj_JNAR4mITk0h61q_uxnSHOxaSiMn1kYRIaw_u662l_9B4DmauaAdYfGm65-aBa8nQKEL0jT0qOS-a8iUx1hnSEk8Q8Cm_hab829CTX9GxQlDHJw3wo20X4q8ph0rfEfIV5-or1yqHUn/s400/IMGP6836.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237673565070865666" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Zakeria learned MS office and excel.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfJV-Kpbl5XpL2s9AEgJ-K_UYj81jyQNTmePL47t7QCMpoiTjAJeysBuH9RtQtMebhHfv6NyVkcJElWimKYNpK8Puo5876Q8x-gyGwPT8Ip8ghnXkLwRK3Gn6Q3F8FvVxy-CkStEO0gPJ/s1600-h/IMGP7023.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfJV-Kpbl5XpL2s9AEgJ-K_UYj81jyQNTmePL47t7QCMpoiTjAJeysBuH9RtQtMebhHfv6NyVkcJElWimKYNpK8Puo5876Q8x-gyGwPT8Ip8ghnXkLwRK3Gn6Q3F8FvVxy-CkStEO0gPJ/s400/IMGP7023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237673568020353426" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Zakeria, Ayesha and 'Assembly Man' would often teach each other computer skills.</span><br /><br />I also conducted a profitability study of a new variety of rice called the New Rice for Africa (NERICA). I initially got interested in the rice because of its dependence on chemical fertilizer and the recent growth in world fertilizer prices. My study included a theoretical section in which I attempted to illustrate the relative profitability of NERICA with changes in fertilizer prices, as well as a case study where a presented the applied profitability of NERICA for farmers in a village where I stayed for a week.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZE6x5oSsZECt-RWkby3bHvBVVEmJuY_gjOXU5tD_QCmqc-gVOUr4PF8nPJ1a9UdctiVKj8Rj6nD6Y5sP39SN3EO6LsotWoEzOZWA_6keqVWSly0uCIV8Yyc6_2nn0D4QeocgfRfgiCLp/s1600-h/IMGP6894.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZE6x5oSsZECt-RWkby3bHvBVVEmJuY_gjOXU5tD_QCmqc-gVOUr4PF8nPJ1a9UdctiVKj8Rj6nD6Y5sP39SN3EO6LsotWoEzOZWA_6keqVWSly0uCIV8Yyc6_2nn0D4QeocgfRfgiCLp/s400/IMGP6894.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237673570776540866" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I did a profitability study of NERICA rice.</span><br /><br />During the last week of my placement I made a PowerPoint presentation of my report to my office of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and had a group discussion about it with the management and agricultural extension agents. As the background data was pretty limited, it was tough to make a lot of solid recommendations based on the results. It did generate some good critical discussion however. As EWB and MoFA are looking to pursue an Agriculture As A Business strategy, I hope my report will be able to serve as loose template for future market and profitability analysis, and that it will ultimately have an indirect impact on farmers.<br /><br />So did I have the ever elusive impact? Probably not. At least not on the scale I wanted. I made some incredible friends; when I left my family gave me such nice gifts that I felt terrible for having questioned how much was too much to give them. My two friends from the rice coop, Ayesha and Zakeria, gave me gifts as well and came to the bus station at six in the morning to see me off. Each volunteer has had a different experience in Ghana, but everyone that I’ve met and worked with in this country has been incredible to me. And so perhaps I’ve made small impact on their individual lives? It’s not measurable and it won’t change the world, but it means something to me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6EVBFSIEqnL7tmEj7w37XL8WOa3VlPN-qsTIR2EhNlS8-86PRZhbxUQlqrW5zcWfkw6YG-i4JnJ75K09LLhgKAh_Z7n7DpBLpnBKs2DKOi44Hk2Ov5O4_9uZfIUrbXfqSvuXRhtP4aYkb/s1600-h/IMGP7069.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6EVBFSIEqnL7tmEj7w37XL8WOa3VlPN-qsTIR2EhNlS8-86PRZhbxUQlqrW5zcWfkw6YG-i4JnJ75K09LLhgKAh_Z7n7DpBLpnBKs2DKOi44Hk2Ov5O4_9uZfIUrbXfqSvuXRhtP4aYkb/s400/IMGP7069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237673575753478386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">My host family was incredible to me during my stay in Ghana.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMX1xxBdNU5AoHQMa1pj_twzOoTJ7Mq6dGVt2ewBOjkdFpR5tfi_zxoZ7_r67v1elDRcVjQBF7K1cvvuidpRtZ75D5VTpxBNogxjBgDroVexW87_qWj4QcD6Jzqea_shPl3zoSrUF-qQj/s1600-h/IMGP7074.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMX1xxBdNU5AoHQMa1pj_twzOoTJ7Mq6dGVt2ewBOjkdFpR5tfi_zxoZ7_r67v1elDRcVjQBF7K1cvvuidpRtZ75D5VTpxBNogxjBgDroVexW87_qWj4QcD6Jzqea_shPl3zoSrUF-qQj/s400/IMGP7074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237674314350263234" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I was so excited with some of my friend Mohammed's wardrobe that he took me to get my own suit made up.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2do9XdRzoBY53-PiOtxWnUQ2CZUq9ppCI9pJGykHjFoRUxxUg51C0uHCsNbudrRi9uR7MBG_olHOozcWXyS2oOKGzRdbfIiJGgiBl57hPcIPLjZA_EyKOSHFx4raXFKFiI1mmMGQMIOQ/s1600-h/IMGP6823.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2do9XdRzoBY53-PiOtxWnUQ2CZUq9ppCI9pJGykHjFoRUxxUg51C0uHCsNbudrRi9uR7MBG_olHOozcWXyS2oOKGzRdbfIiJGgiBl57hPcIPLjZA_EyKOSHFx4raXFKFiI1mmMGQMIOQ/s400/IMGP6823.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237673562629088482" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Once tried cooking pasta and salad for my family. They couldn't handle the lack of salt, oil and pepper.</span><br /><br />As for impact on people in Canada, it is largely to be determined once I return and try to share my experience. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my blog and that you’ve got something out of it. It’s a little late for feedback, but I’m still curious as to what people learned from reading it and what it made them think about or do. Please post a comment at the end of this post if you have anything to contribute.<br /><br />I’ve thought immensely about how this experience has impacted me personally. Perhaps part of it I won’t understand until I’m home and can see myself in that environment. That being said, I want to shy away from any grand proclamations about a new outlook on life. It’s not that I don’t think I’ve changed, but something about over sensationalizing the experience doesn’t feel right. Ghana was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. At the same time, there were days when the sunshiny craziness of life here made me swear I’d have to come back.<br /><br />Most of all I’ve been touched by the simple sincerity in the people and relationships I’ve made. Something about that honesty makes me want to be a little more honest with myself. Life is so structured; it’s easy to get lost in the details. What I've seen and learned this summer makes me want to lose some of that structure and open myself to the more of the huge range of opportunities that the world has to offer.<br /><br />The twelve other volunteers and I board the plane to Amsterdam tonight. It’s tough to describe the group’s mood. Other than general excitement about seeing friends, eating cheese and not being heckled at, most of us are pretty relaxed. It all feels a little anti-climactic, but perhaps that’s how it should be. Goodbyes have taken on a new meaning for me. I’ve decided there’s a certain sincerity in simplicity: sometimes the most important things don’t need to be said.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHNafbLGVot-_Dfobu7GkVi9pnIgOVdqQzyReE621GDvJdm4Wj-tO3AuHfwV-pkHQTt8i6PHfNmxvkbheZfx3bTKdYtlireBoLABEs0Rgq9FTy_MkuANxckKzqzRGwTCmpAAPj3S8BJIa/s1600-h/P1040533.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHNafbLGVot-_Dfobu7GkVi9pnIgOVdqQzyReE621GDvJdm4Wj-tO3AuHfwV-pkHQTt8i6PHfNmxvkbheZfx3bTKdYtlireBoLABEs0Rgq9FTy_MkuANxckKzqzRGwTCmpAAPj3S8BJIa/s400/P1040533.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237674311695366386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">All the Junior Fellow volunteers in Ghana got together for a final workshop in Tamale before departing for Canada.</span>Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-39655545824864783472008-07-31T07:07:00.000-07:002008-11-12T22:49:54.664-08:00The Village of KukuoThere is absolutely no coco grown in the village of Kukuo, nor is there in most of Northern Ghana. There are however, some of the nicest people anyone anywhere could hope to meet and I had the privilege of doing just that this past week.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3sL8X3CqbqvQgodfyG0xDLl9xdw15x2I5M5KhCHKkuRHM7nt1H_QmK0bswtJMzk0Y0SDJ8Kg4ae2J9-DKijdwx2t71NPJcYJ4n5NnRRcjNIO0W61PUYV2ZOyJsCU-R1VwILPr8T6XaZB/s1600-h/IMGP6844.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3sL8X3CqbqvQgodfyG0xDLl9xdw15x2I5M5KhCHKkuRHM7nt1H_QmK0bswtJMzk0Y0SDJ8Kg4ae2J9-DKijdwx2t71NPJcYJ4n5NnRRcjNIO0W61PUYV2ZOyJsCU-R1VwILPr8T6XaZB/s400/IMGP6844.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229181030439810050" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The village of Kukuo at sunset.</span><br /><br />Most Junior Fellow volunteers with EWB spend at least one week living in a village. The idea is to gain a better understanding of rural livelihoods and some of the challenges facing the poorest people in developing countries. I chose to visit the community of my friend Tuferu, the NILRIFACU rice cooperative’s store keeper. The goals of my stay were threefold:<br /><br />1. Gain a better understanding of rural livelihoods and poverty in Ghana.<br />2. Learn more about the farmer members of the NILRIFACU rice cooperative and the services NILRIFACU provides.<br />3. Talk to farmers growing the new NERICA rice variety and collect data on the relative profitability of the crop. Also investigate alternatives for enhancing soil fertility, as NERICA typically requires large inputs of chemical fertilizer.<br /><br />As Parker Mitchel (EWB co-CEO) recently pointed out, the good thing about trying to hit three birds with one stone is that you’re bound to take down at least one. I’d like to think I’ve done more than that, but you can judge for yourself.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Kukuo and My Hosts</span><br /><br />The village of Kukuo is two miles outside Kumbungu, the largest centre in the Tolon/Kumbungu District. Kukuo has roughly twenty compound houses and four to five hundred residents. Although the village does not have electricity, it has the good fortune of being located on the pipeline carrying water to the regional capital of Tamale. As a result, residents have access to standpipes distributed throughout the community. Although the water looks a bit murky some days, it’s actually fairly clean and I drank it throughout my stay.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIum6n8IbVP16FG3dLhce49iUhPLf7rt5-7lHmAvv8mbW5mtysNb0oU7qps4pmj11j5mcR0UenjRklcXzik68SepJJ9jTD_YgTe2ZfVNjVrvPcIxKYzqiKH7hNtRYf2GYbfXCEKxjG-U-/s1600-h/IMGP6953.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIum6n8IbVP16FG3dLhce49iUhPLf7rt5-7lHmAvv8mbW5mtysNb0oU7qps4pmj11j5mcR0UenjRklcXzik68SepJJ9jTD_YgTe2ZfVNjVrvPcIxKYzqiKH7hNtRYf2GYbfXCEKxjG-U-/s400/IMGP6953.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229197313189616722" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A water pipeline passes by Kukuo on its way to Tamale.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2tgGQcYZ09gLy8_eHRFcujSfR3DyLpkSIkrkFGxa0VcH9cOH2X3o05xrJ5OLMcNyo8KebO7h7j4YuqyVrM2VUq532R5keMYuCzd9wIo4g9YkpIE4hHh7m7hMAjhE3F4BMzTsb_lJUJ8F/s1600-h/IMGP6966.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2tgGQcYZ09gLy8_eHRFcujSfR3DyLpkSIkrkFGxa0VcH9cOH2X3o05xrJ5OLMcNyo8KebO7h7j4YuqyVrM2VUq532R5keMYuCzd9wIo4g9YkpIE4hHh7m7hMAjhE3F4BMzTsb_lJUJ8F/s400/IMGP6966.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229197318368891218" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Kukuo residents have access to standpipes for water.</span><br /><br />Tuferu has one wife and three boys aged six, nine and fourteen. His house is made up of his direct family, his parents, several of his brothers and their families and a couple of his unmarried sisters. There are twenty-four people in total. The household’s main source of income is farming. Maize and rice are the two largest crops; maize being grown primarily for consumption and rice being grown for sale. The household also grows beans, cassava, yam, bambara beans, cowpea, sorghum, millet, soybean, peppers and tomatoes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ALIYIJv0HKEmD0XlC_eMnXTqJEtfLwkk82LmQ_f_HPgxkxFVD3v6B9II76MaakaEZgR2W0Byzos2tEscHBSNM4ve5BqOG4zhdgN2umzH6Y68U7RkswOP6Gg3ICo__XIfVxvkwjWrWMeN/s1600-h/IMGP6974.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ALIYIJv0HKEmD0XlC_eMnXTqJEtfLwkk82LmQ_f_HPgxkxFVD3v6B9II76MaakaEZgR2W0Byzos2tEscHBSNM4ve5BqOG4zhdgN2umzH6Y68U7RkswOP6Gg3ICo__XIfVxvkwjWrWMeN/s400/IMGP6974.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229198641883958194" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The family plants maize outside their compound.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGxFihwqUWJkQ2cfVIFn9Ae1OwEe3Ox9hHT0UzyDgiSpYtaO3bWNz8aZPzMdcphTBLKaWWiD6oKoyq8esZ3rBJsZGEfxmT9R2ZbI6Ds_4Us6GVT0BU4ihNCm-3tsnJMpG371oiUKKSlch/s1600-h/IMGP6882.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGxFihwqUWJkQ2cfVIFn9Ae1OwEe3Ox9hHT0UzyDgiSpYtaO3bWNz8aZPzMdcphTBLKaWWiD6oKoyq8esZ3rBJsZGEfxmT9R2ZbI6Ds_4Us6GVT0BU4ihNCm-3tsnJMpG371oiUKKSlch/s400/IMGP6882.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229181040422546066" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">NERICA rice is planted in the lowland areas, further from the house.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBreABeToGtCD76jy43qAXizvBxNW0HQ88rK2mPEGYkyEVwRMgL_8UfrueG7Qq6puw_0Z6y0JQvUNy1IyOECtssAOyGODElm_j7i0kOv03rOVt9rSsffSMgorWxW2aiROtx8Rv33SFpbcF/s1600-h/IMGP6993.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBreABeToGtCD76jy43qAXizvBxNW0HQ88rK2mPEGYkyEVwRMgL_8UfrueG7Qq6puw_0Z6y0JQvUNy1IyOECtssAOyGODElm_j7i0kOv03rOVt9rSsffSMgorWxW2aiROtx8Rv33SFpbcF/s400/IMGP6993.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229201622901248258" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I got to help Tuferu and his son Fatowu transplant tomatoes.</span><br /><br />Tuferu’s family keeps livestock including goats, sheep, cattle, chickens and guinea fowl. Livestock often serve as a ‘bank account’; animals can be bought or sold as money accumulates or runs out. In addition, bull ox are used to plough fields, reducing the community’s dependence on tractors. Other households without bull ox can pay Tuferu the equivalent of fifteen Canadian dollars to plough one acre. Theft of cattle and sheep has become a serious issue in the area. Tuferu’s oldest brother sits up at night to guard the cattle with a rifle. Last year during a storm he made the mistake of going inside to sleep briefly and two of the largest bull ox were stolen. Armed thieves come in vans at night and take the stolen animals to the city to be sold.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8B-QUIqyXkTjtKX5u5LuXMDMs-lE7grp3o2oT728JoouqhIzC9hY0mdzfnFtvAXB1tQyy9iFND_mqB27Ah62aWiwfbG9SDIrpbR4NE7bow-fYELtOsfPlcjJYxG9diWNcAsDqK9ZWeC9/s1600-h/IMGP6898.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8B-QUIqyXkTjtKX5u5LuXMDMs-lE7grp3o2oT728JoouqhIzC9hY0mdzfnFtvAXB1tQyy9iFND_mqB27Ah62aWiwfbG9SDIrpbR4NE7bow-fYELtOsfPlcjJYxG9diWNcAsDqK9ZWeC9/s400/IMGP6898.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229182683302152194" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Theft of cattle and sheep has become a serious issue in the area.</span><br /><br />Women also play an important income generating role in the household. In addition to washing most of the clothing and preparing all the food, the women process rice and shea butter. Processing rice roughly doubles its value, but the cost of milling and transport consumes a portion of the profit. One bowl of shea butter sells for the equivalent of six Canadian dollars at the market in Kumbungu. Shea butter is used both in Ghana and internationally for the production of soap, cosmetics and chocolate. Although I didn’t ask, I estimate the household produces three to five bowls a week. They work on a weekly cycle, the whole process taking seven days, at which point they begin again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQyseEnN6ZE5piwpiOIxUCWLTgbFN3sLCqWYFPNk2pvzDCsy28NPK722Q12xZv6Fpn62nqvoOLNsirui7fszKDk53xb9w62zG5mGbWi0iUbwR1q4zq4q44RLwqsIlrVIbNZmZsUAnxHVg/s1600-h/IMGP6939.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQyseEnN6ZE5piwpiOIxUCWLTgbFN3sLCqWYFPNk2pvzDCsy28NPK722Q12xZv6Fpn62nqvoOLNsirui7fszKDk53xb9w62zG5mGbWi0iUbwR1q4zq4q44RLwqsIlrVIbNZmZsUAnxHVg/s400/IMGP6939.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229195947462842962" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Preparing TZ (made from maize flower) for the entire household.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rice processing:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXNewyf9zg45NU-0JQXvmp4OltDJ1NnLrhhlZCQ4eLX0R5UKGT-sOpwHpuBw6bcTERMU1PfEzNQhmdqbzYNc3WCa2L60E2aWOS-9sTDintETBj5uYCCQVnDXeKDOKaBlRpbjGpjBOS5JR/s1600-h/IMGP6959.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXNewyf9zg45NU-0JQXvmp4OltDJ1NnLrhhlZCQ4eLX0R5UKGT-sOpwHpuBw6bcTERMU1PfEzNQhmdqbzYNc3WCa2L60E2aWOS-9sTDintETBj5uYCCQVnDXeKDOKaBlRpbjGpjBOS5JR/s400/IMGP6959.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229197317422691858" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Rice is parboiled to soften the husk and make it easier to mill.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTUEFPifYMO-GBbEpMKpLTL62Kkd4twFOCc8tKcs4VHlhjWeP-WVzT3yRjzWxbsxljDfdm2SRtAT7sXLYK-VRmUJx48ZFc4YzPd1qRqGsF69grQ6t26Uq719YCvcOO1ZWNe1-_UpltuSo/s1600-h/IMGP6984.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTUEFPifYMO-GBbEpMKpLTL62Kkd4twFOCc8tKcs4VHlhjWeP-WVzT3yRjzWxbsxljDfdm2SRtAT7sXLYK-VRmUJx48ZFc4YzPd1qRqGsF69grQ6t26Uq719YCvcOO1ZWNe1-_UpltuSo/s400/IMGP6984.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229198645928799730" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Once rice is parboiled, it is spread out to dry in the sun.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo44ZWQyL0ThIJD0fs90DJYLvdteIQyk561E1J5CWSRqvE3ZgURgLFoywKF-8uNXLyUnUxuMk1O0z9OYLfISeRFrzQqqHLdPjy50jO2xM8i6TzWIFcPGWNX9Xpr231aZMbqV5j2AIpqHWh/s1600-h/IMGP6951.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo44ZWQyL0ThIJD0fs90DJYLvdteIQyk561E1J5CWSRqvE3ZgURgLFoywKF-8uNXLyUnUxuMk1O0z9OYLfISeRFrzQqqHLdPjy50jO2xM8i6TzWIFcPGWNX9Xpr231aZMbqV5j2AIpqHWh/s400/IMGP6951.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229197308922428930" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">After milling the rice is winnowed by dropping it through the air and allowing the wind to blow the chaff (husk) away.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shea Nut Processing:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4V9aaFhvOcsoXtOLN4miy9bSqfYHVT9wE_FJFo7xRWqCnxXF2pH_cP3Z2xIVir3zG0edpmdwiwL0EQlHb_TP8yals9vE2EJDkMAcvcaoyTTxFx4L8SMdaU2LZwqxqg7Gf1vQm7AfqMtE/s1600-h/IMGP6957.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4V9aaFhvOcsoXtOLN4miy9bSqfYHVT9wE_FJFo7xRWqCnxXF2pH_cP3Z2xIVir3zG0edpmdwiwL0EQlHb_TP8yals9vE2EJDkMAcvcaoyTTxFx4L8SMdaU2LZwqxqg7Gf1vQm7AfqMtE/s400/IMGP6957.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229197313780738898" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Shea nuts are collected from wild shea trees and carried back to the house by women on their heads.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6NriT4AU8V3gFshmgClRN9NVQib3_0lxE0-VGC0BkwExmWz9vrKI7PzkCswqrfttQisXsHiL3d3zLujGDinOOKDIJ9S3L8ooEbIzyzyryC7QVLv-yH8dmuXUm6H2ErE3Gcyt3RlZGd_f/s1600-h/IMGP6931.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6NriT4AU8V3gFshmgClRN9NVQib3_0lxE0-VGC0BkwExmWz9vrKI7PzkCswqrfttQisXsHiL3d3zLujGDinOOKDIJ9S3L8ooEbIzyzyryC7QVLv-yH8dmuXUm6H2ErE3Gcyt3RlZGd_f/s400/IMGP6931.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229195944772261954" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The outer green fruit of the shea nut can also be eaten and is quite sweet.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAbNqSQF8kPPqesj3Hh4mNps7O60sfORN4yZGJ5Wdxyl992DKvpdaKcuUDtv6i8y6TfDtIroAoLR9A6hpEEbKMjDNHpeu9No151ZSFF-kxZie5k7y6AtBbyRJlpGsn2q3jVjI3mKjVMWm/s1600-h/IMGP6979.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAbNqSQF8kPPqesj3Hh4mNps7O60sfORN4yZGJ5Wdxyl992DKvpdaKcuUDtv6i8y6TfDtIroAoLR9A6hpEEbKMjDNHpeu9No151ZSFF-kxZie5k7y6AtBbyRJlpGsn2q3jVjI3mKjVMWm/s400/IMGP6979.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229198646343169298" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The shea nut must be boiled to soften the shell.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7i6gLT879IBU-WUXTIV-5m8HZJ5peJ8P4KRqS7nr3acwTz4vFl66CDUFRfzLzzRPPr2pplOZRofE_EWNQhlC8N_EUbhvvbBI09atsuVUua3dsWQ-FSckNhdY7Kfj7tx8acRv08KbK2ixj/s1600-h/IMGP6948.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7i6gLT879IBU-WUXTIV-5m8HZJ5peJ8P4KRqS7nr3acwTz4vFl66CDUFRfzLzzRPPr2pplOZRofE_EWNQhlC8N_EUbhvvbBI09atsuVUua3dsWQ-FSckNhdY7Kfj7tx8acRv08KbK2ixj/s400/IMGP6948.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229195953806988610" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">After boiling the shea nuts are dried.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjMhwRxHBsjrvnH9RVIt32_dKjGHEhNCb15E70hTQ8-hwAshkKiMGx_vZLm5U-avTD0LS_4U-1A49eRnYwoUK2_Wg-ONesrXrL2DxWXFDwoqs-zGeI2rI5yFudikWV3iDf4bgsKUCETuo/s1600-h/IMGP6936.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjMhwRxHBsjrvnH9RVIt32_dKjGHEhNCb15E70hTQ8-hwAshkKiMGx_vZLm5U-avTD0LS_4U-1A49eRnYwoUK2_Wg-ONesrXrL2DxWXFDwoqs-zGeI2rI5yFudikWV3iDf4bgsKUCETuo/s400/IMGP6936.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229195950205921794" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The shells are cracked with a wooden paddle.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhZlA4AH2KeteyOjwcL_LFjGlYJ43iMoV0BE5bLNmgb02DsHPwy3TB99ZrRVhga0i5Fpe8aKjZtTdhxUCMMo4FihSeBQamu4c4wi41q2jfhGQLG8onXDPVGqIKh7yID6wSlwDPEUGPo2Y/s1600-h/IMGP6987.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhZlA4AH2KeteyOjwcL_LFjGlYJ43iMoV0BE5bLNmgb02DsHPwy3TB99ZrRVhga0i5Fpe8aKjZtTdhxUCMMo4FihSeBQamu4c4wi41q2jfhGQLG8onXDPVGqIKh7yID6wSlwDPEUGPo2Y/s400/IMGP6987.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229198648370482642" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The shells are removed and the inner core is taken to the mill. It comes out looking like melted chocolate.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtZWLTPgPD4Yo3hjclFJibwRYIO-gHks9Dsz_el6oUPItpQ1BZZNLUBBsSfZXBqrC9RbzK__sERJgVglhbyS_lcITXGpuc-sBXgkKl2k-WdhpjazatwYnw91DljuhT24sVCLW36Vpni4k/s1600-h/IMGP6999.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtZWLTPgPD4Yo3hjclFJibwRYIO-gHks9Dsz_el6oUPItpQ1BZZNLUBBsSfZXBqrC9RbzK__sERJgVglhbyS_lcITXGpuc-sBXgkKl2k-WdhpjazatwYnw91DljuhT24sVCLW36Vpni4k/s400/IMGP6999.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229201619276774626" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">It is left and hardens into a paste.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtK-X13TUlCZ57tTsCdvw9LUfrmviFHj5jmhMn_0CMz-G1rbbE36u-Fo95gqT4wWuiOuM0jthEjlz2Dzxt2Z7A0cCczd978fyuy-EBSynp1tkKFiv_dEQHuMEmlpc6ACd-Jb8GfWv26JAu/s1600-h/IMGP6995.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtK-X13TUlCZ57tTsCdvw9LUfrmviFHj5jmhMn_0CMz-G1rbbE36u-Fo95gqT4wWuiOuM0jthEjlz2Dzxt2Z7A0cCczd978fyuy-EBSynp1tkKFiv_dEQHuMEmlpc6ACd-Jb8GfWv26JAu/s400/IMGP6995.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229201616707011346" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The paste is whipped by hand.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAqrlbgPTr0rG42WU7_6v0TbHs58nOw8yf3KLYmZrONDo77uJdxLDbfNabvVjNUcrUhDk0wvFJrm79nG9g3k8CotUrL5seEL7oizR4vsNhRfPt6q-ZRflRzyoIg-zbLXDpHtOrKhanXjv/s1600-h/IMGP7015.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAqrlbgPTr0rG42WU7_6v0TbHs58nOw8yf3KLYmZrONDo77uJdxLDbfNabvVjNUcrUhDk0wvFJrm79nG9g3k8CotUrL5seEL7oizR4vsNhRfPt6q-ZRflRzyoIg-zbLXDpHtOrKhanXjv/s400/IMGP7015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229201614323938370" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">After whipping the 'fluffy part' is removed and later melts back into a liquid (ok, I'm not exactly clear on this part).</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGbtLQ7GL9l2Gnh9HaommCC0wYpTw7w8yu4lHnGzvcLkU2z_mzPf2vidMRjXncNHQ0XWl6G6bm0qdzTptB4A72v7unFLqfJXFrw59fqLYSDHU8lVHlIR6nUYy240MztxM6_jYDSPewRyi/s1600-h/IMGP7016.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGbtLQ7GL9l2Gnh9HaommCC0wYpTw7w8yu4lHnGzvcLkU2z_mzPf2vidMRjXncNHQ0XWl6G6bm0qdzTptB4A72v7unFLqfJXFrw59fqLYSDHU8lVHlIR6nUYy240MztxM6_jYDSPewRyi/s400/IMGP7016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229202063394043650" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The shea is boiled again to make shea butter.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6B_z5Fkdf0RXJpNxm5v17lNx4WOa00CYnrPOugEcp3u-ScmLMioB-RiIR1qllc-WzZXPLNv-dTy5S7Sq31vPuPEzS77ufjMcBP1ogX71x1X6nSyHdO_gWwdxRovzJOD83TgDjUs9LlM-A/s1600-h/IMGP6842.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6B_z5Fkdf0RXJpNxm5v17lNx4WOa00CYnrPOugEcp3u-ScmLMioB-RiIR1qllc-WzZXPLNv-dTy5S7Sq31vPuPEzS77ufjMcBP1ogX71x1X6nSyHdO_gWwdxRovzJOD83TgDjUs9LlM-A/s400/IMGP6842.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229181029828463586" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Finally it is collected in bowls to take to the market. The yellow colour is from adding some sort of tree leaf.</span><br /><br />Although very few of the household’s members spoke English, I was impressed by how much value they placed on education. Tuferu’s oldest son, Fatowu, is at the junior secondary school level. Despite having to ride his bicycle an hour each way to school, Fatowu says that he never misses class. Even during the rainy season, when most farming takes places, he only goes to the field in the afternoon once he has returned from school.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOJOVGW7EhU_JnCfmIhqoc_0KgSj-UNZJIARtj7JA4I7YXXE2ECs0jUT0eauJJr72e5GLJm_2-1iHWU3YWSwH4gckP6NoNdp4YrT2Lhcq4gxA78NFpAG8GFTxGk2OYvzucmIL-gJTCnXb/s1600-h/IMGP6858.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOJOVGW7EhU_JnCfmIhqoc_0KgSj-UNZJIARtj7JA4I7YXXE2ECs0jUT0eauJJr72e5GLJm_2-1iHWU3YWSwH4gckP6NoNdp4YrT2Lhcq4gxA78NFpAG8GFTxGk2OYvzucmIL-gJTCnXb/s400/IMGP6858.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229181037006374370" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Fatowu never misses school, even during the peak farming season.</span><br /><br />Fatowu’s older family members did not have the same opportunities he has and few have completed primary school. Fatowu says that often the primary school teachers will just sit around and talk, rather than teaching. I get a sense that this is common in most primary schools in Ghana, children seem to spend more time ‘playing’ than anything else and it shows. Although Fatowu has only completed his first year of secondary school, he is already learning to use a computer and has a basic understanding of world geography. “Last year”, he tells me, “I would not have been able to speak English to you like this”. Most of the large number of Ghanaians who do not go further than primary school will never learning how to read, speak fluent English (Ghana’s only national language) or be able to point to Ghana on a map. Tuferu’s sixty-year-old mother, Sanatu, proves it’s never too late to learn though, as she holds up the workbook in which she has been practicing her letters.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52piGbeuDEyM4lGefJWIk2tUzsp6N6ZmU0exFOYDbApz_x9jw-yDj3IHa3JZOKvmovL_aI5G1WeHpS_UoxCQl2z2zMPzPCTG4OTEZRTulRDSa5n44HSGY0D9BDi_eNQEo91SRcUppso_0/s1600-h/IMGP6921.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52piGbeuDEyM4lGefJWIk2tUzsp6N6ZmU0exFOYDbApz_x9jw-yDj3IHa3JZOKvmovL_aI5G1WeHpS_UoxCQl2z2zMPzPCTG4OTEZRTulRDSa5n44HSGY0D9BDi_eNQEo91SRcUppso_0/s400/IMGP6921.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229182691085386834" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sanatu, sixty, proves it's never too late to learn.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The NILRIFACU Rice Cooperative</span><br /><br />In an effort to learn more about how NILRIFACU’s members see the cooperative, I tried asking Tuferu what he thinks of the group. He said that the cooperative is good because it allows him to purchase seed and fertilizer and coordinate loans with the bank for his entire community. It would be very difficult for farmers to obtain seed and fertilizer individually and banks only give loans to farmer groups. This perception of NILRIFACU is somewhat different than the one I went in with. Because the cooperative has a marketing fund to buy and sell rice, it could in theory be run as a profitable business. As I near the end of my placement, I’m starting to question whether this is really what the executives want to be doing and if it will ever be a viable reality. Regardless, I sense there’s a disconnect between the NGO that established the group and those who are now responsible for running it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRI7BtEAqYGj_tnHttcSlUj_CrcqV4N8fMOO9s14CVLoOPwgXqb-uAB-kY69Kon9qDga2Y_2W8tQMuZv_VLzA3hYb1SzCCYVF6h5F2lJ8rnLyIm5oPMVOlxHvGJb2JiO0zyY4VFKI-t9iE/s1600-h/IMGP7003.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRI7BtEAqYGj_tnHttcSlUj_CrcqV4N8fMOO9s14CVLoOPwgXqb-uAB-kY69Kon9qDga2Y_2W8tQMuZv_VLzA3hYb1SzCCYVF6h5F2lJ8rnLyIm5oPMVOlxHvGJb2JiO0zyY4VFKI-t9iE/s400/IMGP7003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229201611888725954" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">NILRIFACU has a store house in Kukuo where rice is kept from harvest time until when it is sold later in the year.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">NERICA Rice and Soil Fertility</span><br /><br />Tuferu is a good farmer. In 2003 he was awarded Best Farmer in the District by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and says he hopes to win it again this year. When officials began the NERICA rice program he was a natural choice to be one of the pioneer farmers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9iS0PrUu9he9ZCbcPeDBDzu-SeCk7K3dT7l3ekO842HVDd6sTQAPL3gdlCmdsjE4xPf0ihuXaotjsfZ8IJ2r0WD7VhH3ydh_ktL-3sd2Ikapv9WNL0pDqrquvcjo5Y3Uin4fzENKOozS/s1600-h/IMGP6925.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9iS0PrUu9he9ZCbcPeDBDzu-SeCk7K3dT7l3ekO842HVDd6sTQAPL3gdlCmdsjE4xPf0ihuXaotjsfZ8IJ2r0WD7VhH3ydh_ktL-3sd2Ikapv9WNL0pDqrquvcjo5Y3Uin4fzENKOozS/s400/IMGP6925.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229195944037464530" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tuferu was awarded Best Farmer of the Year in 2003.</span><br /><br />I asked Tuferu why he and other farmers in his community grow NERICA rice. From what I gathered, part of the reason stems from the incentives put in place by those promoting the rice including free seed, fertilizer on credit and guaranteed market access. This is somewhat troubling, as these incentive programs are scheduled to end in the next couple years. Tuferu says that while NERICA rice gets lower yields than other rice varieties, he likes that it matures earlier (90 days instead of 120 days) and requires less water. Because NERICA can be harvested a month before other rice varieties, it is less susceptible to late season droughts. He also said that people enjoy the taste of NERICA more than other varieties. I had the opportunity to try some on my last night in the village but despite having eaten more rice this summer than the rest of my life combined, I still hadn’t developed a sophisticated enough pallet to detect the difference.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakiwKgzX-tJxJIdCSwnROUCVHtYaiCgfj-hC3n-aEJDGgs0-kGDBwTADNUCDEt2rp8waAclXFq3gOJBNQz3ysPsNRRAXzW1fLRCKIJTEXK3_cspVdaTTlt-IbjWBpnmlNia8u-a9Kebwc/s1600-h/IMGP6893.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakiwKgzX-tJxJIdCSwnROUCVHtYaiCgfj-hC3n-aEJDGgs0-kGDBwTADNUCDEt2rp8waAclXFq3gOJBNQz3ysPsNRRAXzW1fLRCKIJTEXK3_cspVdaTTlt-IbjWBpnmlNia8u-a9Kebwc/s400/IMGP6893.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229182671573664818" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">NERICA rice.</span><br /><br />Perhaps the most interesting thing I discovered in Kukuo was the use of compost and animal dung to enhance soil fertility. Each house digs holes about two meters in diameter in which they deposit the leaves and wastes from rice and shea nut processing. The compost is covered with grass and sticks and allowed to incubate for two to four months. They also tie up all the animals during the rainy (and farming) season which has the benefit of keeping the animals from eating the crops, but also allows for the collection of manure. Other communities I’ve observed allow animals to roam free all year round, which not only requires the construction of fences around crops to protect them, but also makes it impossible to collect manure. Farmers in Kukuo transport compost and manure to their fields with bicycles (if they have) or on their heads.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2rcwtmDyfMfr8Pc0HerKL9hDH8Cuyqy22vaH1NF6c_VFYQ60N2-p74Urj6q7visCAeJBSGGOIAlASbi_HWvViVjZOIivOQOCB4IzeHX3aqXVszOlj4jyksPBSRL7L6HAdHO0POWpUCIf/s1600-h/IMGP6969.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2rcwtmDyfMfr8Pc0HerKL9hDH8Cuyqy22vaH1NF6c_VFYQ60N2-p74Urj6q7visCAeJBSGGOIAlASbi_HWvViVjZOIivOQOCB4IzeHX3aqXVszOlj4jyksPBSRL7L6HAdHO0POWpUCIf/s400/IMGP6969.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229198636057981650" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Waste from rice and shea nut processing is deposited in compost holes. The compost is later transported to fields by bicycle or on farmers' heads.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYmbf67zBKZuPnE2zxRazcAtHFa8UF9619SkTi4qCYmwaSAIW0L5KWgFhOeUzqbN5Iyoyz30hzn8N984ueaz2jz3_z3ez4F1gp6txZ67uzVyDiGyGqJmyDT5Pd-BonRr97LRAI8EG8XDc/s1600-h/IMGP6904.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYmbf67zBKZuPnE2zxRazcAtHFa8UF9619SkTi4qCYmwaSAIW0L5KWgFhOeUzqbN5Iyoyz30hzn8N984ueaz2jz3_z3ez4F1gp6txZ67uzVyDiGyGqJmyDT5Pd-BonRr97LRAI8EG8XDc/s400/IMGP6904.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229182683604141058" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Goats, sheep and cattle are tied up during the farming season allowing for the collection of manure and eliminating the need to construct fences around the crops.</span><br /><br />Tuferu’s household used compost and animal dung on their maize. I had a chance to measure and compare the productivity of two maize plots during my stay. Based on my rough measurements and what Tuferu's told me the yields of each have been, the plot on which the compost is applied with less than half the chemical fertilizer yields almost twice as much grain per acre as the plot in which the full recommended quantity of chemical fertilizer is applied.<br /><br />The results are an approximation at best and there are doubtlessly other factors at play, but I think they indicate an important fact: there are viable alternatives to the use of chemical fertilizers. I asked Tuferu what the greatest obstacles are to increasing the use of compost and manure. He indicated that labour is a major constraint; transporting compost is time consuming. With a 4x4 truck it wouldn’t be so hard he explained, but most farmers cannot afford vehicles. Given the government’s subsidy of chemical fertilizers this year, I’m questioning whether there aren’t other options for boosting agricultural production in the country. Perhaps helping farmers with transport of compost and manure would be more productive? Talking to farmers from other communities, I get the sense that knowledge about composting is lacking as well. Should agricultural extension agents make this a stronger focus?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Final Thoughts</span><br /><br />While my stay in Kukuo was extremely educational and I enjoyed aspects of it, it was also very challenging. When I first arrived Tuferu told me that he was “preparing to come to my country”. To put things in perspective, Tuferu doesn’t know where “my country” is, nor does he have the financial means to travel there or the characteristics that would make it possible for him to obtain a visa. When I tried to explain these obstacles, he refuted that he would go to his politicians or an NGO and get them to help him. He explained that he only wants to come for a short time to collect some money and then return.<br /><br />These types of conversations continued throughout the week and my frustration mounted. One night we almost ended up shouting at each other. Several things bothered me and still bother me. Firstly, he’s under the impression that everyone in the western world is rich. He thinks that if he can only get there, he’ll be able to pick up money off the street and live like a king. He has no idea how hard it is for new immigrants. Coming to Ghana I’ve got a taste of what it’s like to enter a new culture where everything from the food to the toilets is different. If somehow he were to come to Canada he’d likely work at McDonalds, have drunk teenagers yell at him, miss his family and not be able to find TZ anywhere. He’d go from being a knowledgeable and respected member of his community to another struggling immigrant.<br /><br />So in part I’m frustrated by his stubbornness and what he doesn’t know he doesn’t know. I’m frustrated by how common his attitude is; how so many Ghanaians live for a dream that so few will ever realize, a dream that doesn’t even exist as they imagine it. Not only does it make me sad for them, but it makes me angry because I feel like it removes the incentive and the responsibility people have to improve their own condition. At the same time, Tuferu makes some undeniable points: life in Canada is easier for most people, there are more opportunities. How can I say he shouldn’t dream of having the same things I have? And so I continue to be frustrated by the situation; by the hypocrisy of my own frustration. Maybe it’s not my place to comment. I’ve met numerous Ghanaians who are committed to creating change in their own country and have no desire to leave; perhaps they’re the ones who have to do the real convincing.<br /><br />Frustrations aside, there’s nothing quite like lying under the stars on a warm African night listening to Dagbani music crackle through the radio. I asked Fatowu what he believed the stars were. He said only god knows, but that each person has a star and that when they die their star is gone as well. There’s something comforting in that; that you can look up and see the whole world in the sky. It wasn’t an easy week, but it was one that I’ll remember for a long time - especially when I look up at the stars.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgBGK6NplYcnhUmTdD_3Bl34BIG5K8VrZkNZKPXWZQ09EGhyphenhyphenzmj-qOijwLQtmkd0vvMSWRFJItZkn3-O2KDkZ9v5pwm6RyhnJNLtrRGrN6SUoVJS3guCh1kMJ_7DjcMj4f8YUBYHS6zYp/s1600-h/IMGP6911.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgBGK6NplYcnhUmTdD_3Bl34BIG5K8VrZkNZKPXWZQ09EGhyphenhyphenzmj-qOijwLQtmkd0vvMSWRFJItZkn3-O2KDkZ9v5pwm6RyhnJNLtrRGrN6SUoVJS3guCh1kMJ_7DjcMj4f8YUBYHS6zYp/s400/IMGP6911.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229182688422916978" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">It was a memorable week.</span>Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-38143914333089106332008-07-12T07:05:00.000-07:002008-11-12T22:49:55.086-08:00Ben's Bus<span>“I forgot to tell you the name,” he says to me, “it’s going to be called Time.” In a country where punctuality is rare and most forms of transportation simply leave when they’re full, Ben has a vision for something different. Time is the name of his bus and it does just that; leave on time.<br /><br />I first met Ben when he wandered into my office on business for the local government where he works as a development planner. Ben landed his job by starting as a volunteer completing the year of National Service all post secondary graduates in Ghana are required to undergo. When the former planner left for another job, Ben’s motivation and willingness to work hard made him a clear choice to fill the position.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAp0lE457g6xvmovIOsH5orWcGcZRgpGrpChCLhinm25bmBPixUAA4U5uL1BZu3eY34TNGbVtjTNQu6rXkZ7Ti_1pIncZ7REnE4rRxHs6z3Hcq8tSWbXfFiR4-078gu1DRJW-Wjwwkl7o/s1600-h/ben2.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAp0lE457g6xvmovIOsH5orWcGcZRgpGrpChCLhinm25bmBPixUAA4U5uL1BZu3eY34TNGbVtjTNQu6rXkZ7Ti_1pIncZ7REnE4rRxHs6z3Hcq8tSWbXfFiR4-078gu1DRJW-Wjwwkl7o/s400/ben2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222135361846843474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Ben dreams of starting his own bus company called Time.<br /><br /></span><span>Since our first meeting Ben and I have got together several times, mostly to talk about his dream: Time. To start, Time is a single coach style bus that holds roughly fifty people. It makes a single one-way trip between the Ghanaian cities of Tamale and Wa (a distance of about 200 km) each day. “There are always people lined up to go,” he tells me, “it’ll be easy to fill the bus.” Currently the route is served by government buses, but service is often limited and passengers can only speculate on when the bus will depart and arrive.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLFHugyisp9ye9jGP753HtTN8NMBGzVWuLKCWv6VJoxy7KBnvARE1YQF8OR4Xtxm5GXysPNn-BsZldUV_dEXQy3B6UCC2O2TIdSmb-MmyuelC6l_ySpAVZXscULDQrWZCRAxlzelGRixV/s1600-h/busmetromass.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLFHugyisp9ye9jGP753HtTN8NMBGzVWuLKCWv6VJoxy7KBnvARE1YQF8OR4Xtxm5GXysPNn-BsZldUV_dEXQy3B6UCC2O2TIdSmb-MmyuelC6l_ySpAVZXscULDQrWZCRAxlzelGRixV/s400/busmetromass.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222135365610620690" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Government transit (and most transit for that matter) is often erratic and unreliable.<br /></span><span><br />The cost of the bus Ben wants to buy is about 40,000 Canadian dollars. Based on what existing travelers pay, he expects to be able to charge seven dollars for a one-way trip. Even after paying for fuel, maintenance and the driver’s salary, Ben estimates he would be able to recover the initial capital cost within a year.<br /><br />So what’s stopping him? “Banks in Ghana won’t even consider start up businesses,” he explains, “if I could get the [startup] money I would start the business tomorrow.” Ben, like the vast majority of Ghanaians, has no way of obtaining credit. Although his business requires a relatively large capital input, even the country’s smaller scale would-be-entrepreneurs are handicapped because they cannot obtain loans. Those who can obtain loans frequently pay annual interest rates of twenty-five percent or more.<br /><br />Although the government and NGOs provide a limited number of agricultural loans to organized farmer groups, I’ve met countless farmers who explained that they did not use chemical fertilizers on their crops because they could not afford the initial cost. Although they knew they would be able to recover the investment at harvest time, the farmers had no way of obtaining the initial capital. Similarly, the women’s rice processing group that I work with would be able to produce high quality rice and sell it at more than double the price they currently receive if only they could afford the right equipment. It’s a story that gets repeated over and over again.<br /><br />I asked Ben why he wants to start his business. He admits it partially has to do with his own financial security, but explained that it’s about more than just money. “My business will create employment,” he tells me. “I’m going to be helping to employ drivers, ticket sellers, mechanics and accountants.” Perhaps even more importantly, he’s going to be providing a much needed service: reliable transportation. This service has spin off benefits for the rest of the economy. Instead of waiting around for a bus that might never show, people will have extra time to devote to work. At the same time, others will find it easier to do business in Wa knowing that they will be able to obtain timely transportation to and from Tamale (a major business centre).<br /><br />Before coming to Ghana, the idea of starting or investing in a business had never crossed my mind. Business, I thought, was for those who only care about making money. But more and more I’m realizing how much business is linked to development. For now, aid is still critical. It provides the engine for much of the country’s social development, including health and education. But business means employment and government tax revenue, both of which are essential if Ghana ever hopes to escape it’s reliance on foreign aid (and all that it entails).<br /><br />My perception of how Canadians can help the developing world has shifted. Giving money to reputable NGOs and lobbying the Canadian government to end unfair agricultural subsidies and trade barriers is important, but I think doing business in Ghana is equally as important. Those of a more philanthropic inclination can lend their money to micro-enterprise projects through <a href="http://kiva.org/">Kiva.org</a> or other organizations, which is a positive start as the growth of small business is most likely to benefit the poor. At the same time, I think there are opportunities for real profit as well. Many are quick to point fingers at those who make money in the developing world, but making money almost always means employing people and to me that's positive. Everyone is familiar with stories of one multinational corporation or another committing unspeakable acts in the developing world, but I think these are the exceptions, not the rules. <a href="http://www.itfcorganic.com/">The Integrated Tamale Fruit Company</a> is an excellent example of how business can mean both profit and development.<br /><br />The developed world is full of accessible capital, the developing world is full of opportunities and ambitious entrepreneurs like Ben; somehow we need to bridge the gap.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style=""></span>Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-68042442675030901482008-07-11T07:44:00.000-07:002008-11-12T22:49:56.379-08:00How to Grow Rice1. Obtain some rice seed. Rice seed is rice that hasn't had the husk removed. To a farmer this may seem like an obvious fact, but it wasn't to me so I thought I'd mention it here.<br /><br />2. Plow your field. Enlisting the services of a tractor will cost about 25 Canadian dollars per acre, while a bull ox is slightly less.<br /><br />3. Use sticks and rope to delineate rows about 15cm apart.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrMgz-Mu82-oy2PMtUtVvsm5gjumSHeNzuI4IM0bPdeSpMv3yJDsgtSJBh9z_JJwi3Of7BFULeWThFrd1ZrisurqSN3shyphenhyphenSqL_SFzDUCsEIcVEEvOpu-1X_OTKqRMWdt7SYGxDOPpQOSn/s1600-h/IMGP6648.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrMgz-Mu82-oy2PMtUtVvsm5gjumSHeNzuI4IM0bPdeSpMv3yJDsgtSJBh9z_JJwi3Of7BFULeWThFrd1ZrisurqSN3shyphenhyphenSqL_SFzDUCsEIcVEEvOpu-1X_OTKqRMWdt7SYGxDOPpQOSn/s400/IMGP6648.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222142851006402722" border="0" /></a><br /><br />4. Take a larger stick and 'dibble' by making small holes at 15cm intervals. Although you have the option of 'broadcasting' your seed by throwing it and using a tractor to mix it into the soil, this approach is less effective. Seeds are not always covered uniformly, are more susceptible to attack by birds. Dibbling and planting in rows also allows for more efficient use of chemical fertilizer as it can be placed in holes directly adjacent to the rice, ensuring maximum absorption.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rJmeCkThXmj4klCjAlpQBJh7LG4Jf88cmLXe6lpn_VKxva3tqCxcPyGc8YZl1atqDYfe0V3Sl5KcioJfy3yYNPATV6GJys412d8h9vJAWNn8D3IHfDslMa0kUgksIvdIDVMxzUJ8ipH3/s1600-h/IMGP6647.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rJmeCkThXmj4klCjAlpQBJh7LG4Jf88cmLXe6lpn_VKxva3tqCxcPyGc8YZl1atqDYfe0V3Sl5KcioJfy3yYNPATV6GJys412d8h9vJAWNn8D3IHfDslMa0kUgksIvdIDVMxzUJ8ipH3/s400/IMGP6647.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222142844477475506" border="0" /></a><br /><br />5. Place roughly 5 grains of rice in each hole. This is a good time to enlist the assistance of some extra labour.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvy2kehyphenhyphenGbA5qT0S_vqiMvVotkaLdvrvNjv_u10Kfq24LTIabY2vwhRBjUgoeyYC_YSM9iicK8qSDD4A9KP4rLgV_OyHXaC8p6_VaiWKebYxtqA9bGXrLJj4l_XioTMQc1w7SOIFZ6G5k/s1600-h/IMGP6652.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvy2kehyphenhyphenGbA5qT0S_vqiMvVotkaLdvrvNjv_u10Kfq24LTIabY2vwhRBjUgoeyYC_YSM9iicK8qSDD4A9KP4rLgV_OyHXaC8p6_VaiWKebYxtqA9bGXrLJj4l_XioTMQc1w7SOIFZ6G5k/s400/IMGP6652.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222150556596527490" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXUUOiNtCq_Wj4DzkuCWqkSxG824DleCFZS6qVirGeYJHK49c6UK2np_SD74YfFt4myPWEU2TljOQKQ-U7h-IYTu8tOwzMmIaGqx78_SSeXrjGbWKKTyAeXiSOYMHSCbA2Dx4xzNQ_1I4/s1600-h/IMGP6671.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXUUOiNtCq_Wj4DzkuCWqkSxG824DleCFZS6qVirGeYJHK49c6UK2np_SD74YfFt4myPWEU2TljOQKQ-U7h-IYTu8tOwzMmIaGqx78_SSeXrjGbWKKTyAeXiSOYMHSCbA2Dx4xzNQ_1I4/s400/IMGP6671.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222150566990810194" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4TSwgoXnxuxQA4xoTFgEi3Ew-qJTCkEX1uk8dm57Yx1VlX-sYUtpmZPlUhvTN4wYBb3mToM0VPWC2te4zTY1L1aqMHH7qOD0XH3Ai4Uk2SOcx5sY0CrbdsVPqYIMgClZH4oYKJSoi4Ho/s1600-h/IMGP6649.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4TSwgoXnxuxQA4xoTFgEi3Ew-qJTCkEX1uk8dm57Yx1VlX-sYUtpmZPlUhvTN4wYBb3mToM0VPWC2te4zTY1L1aqMHH7qOD0XH3Ai4Uk2SOcx5sY0CrbdsVPqYIMgClZH4oYKJSoi4Ho/s400/IMGP6649.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222142858402746994" border="0" /></a><br /><br />6. Cover the holes by stomping on them with your feet. It helps to have a good large group of people.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWZe476pq_LUMb77weyAvkf8L5To2QdaHBt7nt9Zyw4rnjBzFLzUfH6suSckvg4O1h-nCBZnoRGgvIHWcx7gxVkYZEUREaEnqMj8aseuLJqmzkoPVdTVpwCmKS8OdiSMKb6MYHQLCf2of/s1600-h/IMGP6657.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWZe476pq_LUMb77weyAvkf8L5To2QdaHBt7nt9Zyw4rnjBzFLzUfH6suSckvg4O1h-nCBZnoRGgvIHWcx7gxVkYZEUREaEnqMj8aseuLJqmzkoPVdTVpwCmKS8OdiSMKb6MYHQLCf2of/s400/IMGP6657.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222150562441655346" border="0" /></a><br /><br />7. Planting is complete. Take a rest before returning to the village.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpsXw4_N5e-3_hJTaoyH7xCIOivRSeaWd4Q3JicPkm8yimsrAd1VnZh-JCPtl1VFTTmcRiTTTkSC2MvRUCuuVzSA7qttjA5D47BN9hdcLQB3BGsMtqK_9stTyzBvXEO5yDvysgBf7i_Ak/s1600-h/IMGP6673.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpsXw4_N5e-3_hJTaoyH7xCIOivRSeaWd4Q3JicPkm8yimsrAd1VnZh-JCPtl1VFTTmcRiTTTkSC2MvRUCuuVzSA7qttjA5D47BN9hdcLQB3BGsMtqK_9stTyzBvXEO5yDvysgBf7i_Ak/s400/IMGP6673.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222150571791557058" border="0" /></a><br /><br />8. After 2 or 3 weeks, apply two bags of NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium) 15-15-15 fertilizer by dibbling holes next to the rice stocks. One bag of Sulphate of Ammonia fertilizer should be applied as a top dressing (broadcast) after about a month.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzvkThccUzceZahx80AWG45S8jc5E5n3MPxjMk_2fvAD7U_Ck4OgHDfSSALMf-nN4ywF5vPKnxgQ3CwQt0JVDlYuEW6rszLKMmi0_Q1cEWsL95fvyZkawr36gK7q9QRkJNrxcdlzjOecGL/s1600-h/IMGP6808.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzvkThccUzceZahx80AWG45S8jc5E5n3MPxjMk_2fvAD7U_Ck4OgHDfSSALMf-nN4ywF5vPKnxgQ3CwQt0JVDlYuEW6rszLKMmi0_Q1cEWsL95fvyZkawr36gK7q9QRkJNrxcdlzjOecGL/s400/IMGP6808.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222150571029328114" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwZpuYCBXf-VQP9p7KyC7xCIpA1HLdWQMzeY9wxlZkhz6tzkdxbXUoVnTKnoUgErdSHpKPdBHNgI4pwyxme-v7ic_dIfSOqbHRiJxUrk-ALr1WiXCFSoDGsA0QEPXOrAXOck9k4dKmQHl/s1600-h/IMGP6613.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwZpuYCBXf-VQP9p7KyC7xCIpA1HLdWQMzeY9wxlZkhz6tzkdxbXUoVnTKnoUgErdSHpKPdBHNgI4pwyxme-v7ic_dIfSOqbHRiJxUrk-ALr1WiXCFSoDGsA0QEPXOrAXOck9k4dKmQHl/s400/IMGP6613.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222142838762380418" border="0" /></a><br /><br />9. Watch your rice grow!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTT3DmABAWLrlC6iA5F7mT2mO07LF34v4bJREKOvgihPXtqAzBX672RAqh_u9LZezeHiWyaXARVUyc3C8OFAOFP7Hrk0DE1261ygLsPa29iEslTorLVqu5G3fgYyiQbpYJSFTSdzYP7q8z/s1600-h/htgn1.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTT3DmABAWLrlC6iA5F7mT2mO07LF34v4bJREKOvgihPXtqAzBX672RAqh_u9LZezeHiWyaXARVUyc3C8OFAOFP7Hrk0DE1261ygLsPa29iEslTorLVqu5G3fgYyiQbpYJSFTSdzYP7q8z/s400/htgn1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222142840884327842" border="0" /></a>Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-40270097083138387872008-07-02T02:13:00.000-07:002008-11-12T22:49:56.498-08:00My CompoundOops, I almost forgot to post this.<br /><br />I thought it might be interesting for people to see what my compound in Tolon looks like. Graphics courtesy of Rick Kim.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbsMzel3PTIfOrHs99h1g5oYoklpjT2iZp19uLCtbBDFz_kOkxjZ8Hl7AAgQW4DdAJrciss-dbniuPsAUEF_c3szi_1BOhQ3Ep8bunyTUae1UppyEnIy0V60CzfcjXZIhfc4XPETSBqK0/s1600-h/compound.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbsMzel3PTIfOrHs99h1g5oYoklpjT2iZp19uLCtbBDFz_kOkxjZ8Hl7AAgQW4DdAJrciss-dbniuPsAUEF_c3szi_1BOhQ3Ep8bunyTUae1UppyEnIy0V60CzfcjXZIhfc4XPETSBqK0/s400/compound.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218344208973305266" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">My compound in Tolon. Click to enlarge.</span>Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-36502836328304506622008-06-26T09:23:00.000-07:002008-11-12T22:49:57.754-08:00Tolon, RevisitedAs I near the middle of my placement and have surpassed my sixth week in Tolon, I feel like the town deserves another visit.<br /><br />Life here is good. My health was somewhat sub-optimal earlier in my placement, but I’ve been feeling surprisingly healthy for the last week or two. Last night I finished an entire bowl of rice, a feat I had accomplished only once previously. I also consumed a smaller bowl of rice in the morning, four bags of groundnuts (peanuts), five bananas, half a mini-loaf of bread and what was probably too much choco delight (made-in-Ghana chocolate spread). The ten kilometer bike ride helped.<br /><br />I’m still eating a lot of rice and maize, but they’re starting to grow on me. My favourite local food is probably waakey (“wa-chay”), which is made from rice and beans. Adisa (my host mother) sells waakey to school children every morning and I almost always go and buy it from her.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6LveerMLb_8s5NSQgD9wV_7x2zc45AI8p5e7OUq-MTKhKuEFBvXBChhULkFEfqj2JsxxL7IAkWeFT8SWHp4RV7i0tTMvFB19Yjv5XB9tmKGDMNy2ZQ4xx4kbvyMmyZNL7ms6P4Z6ZL7W/s1600-h/IMGP6734.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6LveerMLb_8s5NSQgD9wV_7x2zc45AI8p5e7OUq-MTKhKuEFBvXBChhULkFEfqj2JsxxL7IAkWeFT8SWHp4RV7i0tTMvFB19Yjv5XB9tmKGDMNy2ZQ4xx4kbvyMmyZNL7ms6P4Z6ZL7W/s400/IMGP6734.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216227476053959634" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I eat waakey (rice and beans) every morning. The noodles are a bit of an extra touch.</span><br /><br />Teazed (maize flower) is typically what we eat for dinner, although the type of soup varies. Almost all feature peppers and dehydrated fish, but my favourite is okra mostly because it includes the ever elusive green vegetables. Dinner can also take the form of rice balls (basically teazed but with giant balls of rice instead of maize) or jollof rice, which is rice cooked in a pepper sauce. The other night we had jollof watchay, which was a spectacular surprise.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmOaHCUAVeVVYbhyautG0Hr6Yl90oArTUWpLITMffYVxNvgNjTw7kNzq-7f8hlueyQvVTBTN7jUL_9iHGo-tXXIby5MCQF3cYZsW6yS7aQW9ejUL3KmfAYkxihojpiFE_M8L1Csq46_HHD/s1600-h/IMGP6599.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmOaHCUAVeVVYbhyautG0Hr6Yl90oArTUWpLITMffYVxNvgNjTw7kNzq-7f8hlueyQvVTBTN7jUL_9iHGo-tXXIby5MCQF3cYZsW6yS7aQW9ejUL3KmfAYkxihojpiFE_M8L1Csq46_HHD/s400/IMGP6599.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216228876635217506" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Teazed is made from maize flower. The type of soup can vary; some have a tomato base while others are made from groundnuts.</span><br /><br />On the weekends I tend to succumb to my love of eggs and fry up four or five for lunch. The concept of fried eggs isn’t foreign in Tolon, but from what I’ve seen it’s only the men who really eat them and don’t seem to do so often.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBLi3Kq4Zz6HhT1Fa_onjp4st0N1oQpmuLHGwNjEFyJzOxX1pmwN5jIRIBSlW97-iWyP1Zkjc72bcx3T7O24LNHRJJXIsUf6SKSM3r56NYcywEvr8QI3Ub83_faZWBGM2Q4F1trwWZx5r/s1600-h/IMGP6704.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBLi3Kq4Zz6HhT1Fa_onjp4st0N1oQpmuLHGwNjEFyJzOxX1pmwN5jIRIBSlW97-iWyP1Zkjc72bcx3T7O24LNHRJJXIsUf6SKSM3r56NYcywEvr8QI3Ub83_faZWBGM2Q4F1trwWZx5r/s400/IMGP6704.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216227511114179506" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Frying eggs on a charcoal cook stove.</span><br /><br />A couple weeks ago Tolon had a surprise visit from the American military. Naturally I was a little surprised to find marines parked outside the front of our compound, so I decided (along with half of Tolon) to go and investigate. The Americans went to greet the town elders (the chief was in Accra) and most people followed to watch. Unfortunately spectation isn’t really an option for a tall white man in Tolon and I ended up sitting in the front with all the soldiers as they talked with the elders and explained their mission. At first I thought they were part of the training operation the Americans are doing in Ghana, but they said they were actually veterinarians doing a routine service operation. Apparently they fly all over the world and go around de-worming goats and cows. They also have a human health unit. I’m still a little skeptical that their presence doesn’t have anything to do with the training operation, but they did go around treating animals the following day. I also can’t imagine how flying American military vets to various regions of the world is a cost effective development strategy. Perhaps it has less to do with poverty reduction and more to do with improving the global image of American forces abroad.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJNR86_pnny7HNtcvi_mw23lqx3qB79OVilRJUc4WbCvZF2U9aQsdNnuFTCxYkhkI4q0vWKECMyVeoCmrykt3zpB1mmXp3SzwWMidSprLol3HyikY7oeixv5Tl-fgp9NdWMwMIAKibBmG/s1600-h/IMGP6630.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJNR86_pnny7HNtcvi_mw23lqx3qB79OVilRJUc4WbCvZF2U9aQsdNnuFTCxYkhkI4q0vWKECMyVeoCmrykt3zpB1mmXp3SzwWMidSprLol3HyikY7oeixv5Tl-fgp9NdWMwMIAKibBmG/s400/IMGP6630.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216228418957754338" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">American forces outside my home in Tolon.</span><br /><br />As there aren’t always American soldiers in town, I have to find other ways to occupy my time. Since on of my goals of being in Ghana is to learn as much about Ghanaian life as possible, I devised a list of things I want to do before I leave. When I have some extra time I browse the list and pick an adventure to tackle. One Sunday I decided I was going to go pray at the nearby mosque.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdAUe4kcVWikNMlPjLNhvZ1dlTS7u380VFXaw84VOT6LSIUUY3BM9A0jKazS0KmwT6wqVkW0NgvXXg30IrZaS6Y6N2UvOeQeu5igsrS9lnuwPUfYW9beI0e_rAPFJQtipjwOSkm1Wv4TZ_/s1600-h/IMGP6634.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdAUe4kcVWikNMlPjLNhvZ1dlTS7u380VFXaw84VOT6LSIUUY3BM9A0jKazS0KmwT6wqVkW0NgvXXg30IrZaS6Y6N2UvOeQeu5igsrS9lnuwPUfYW9beI0e_rAPFJQtipjwOSkm1Wv4TZ_/s400/IMGP6634.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216228330473194514" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The nearby mosque. One of five or six in Tolon.</span><br /><br />Muslims (at least the ones in Tolon) pray five times a day. The first prayer is at 5:30am, then again at 1pm, 3pm, 6:30pm and 7:10pm. Each time one of the old men will go inside the mosque about fifteen minutes beforehand and start broadcasting his prayers through the megaphone on the roof of the mosque. While some volunteers have expressed irritation at waking up to this, I don’t mind it so much. Participating in the morning prayer was actually my favourite; the air was still and the sun had not yet risen. The actions of bowing on the knees and chanting give it an almost meditative feel. I also learned how to do abolishment, which involves using water to wash the hands, head and feet before entering the mosque.<br /><br />I was a little concerned about my presence being disrespectful, but my friend Mohammed reassured me that it was okay for me to participate. After the first prayer was over the old men smiled at me and were eager to shake my hand, making me feel welcome. It wasn’t until the evening that I realized people had assumed I was planning to come every day to pray. Even now people will still jokingly ask me to come to pray with them. In retrospect I probably should have been a lot clearer on my intentions. I’m not entirely sure if I’ve offended anyone and don’t know if I would go back and do it again, but I’m still very grateful for the experience. I would probably never have even seen the inside of the mosque otherwise.<br /><br />Life with my family has also evolved. Ayisha and I will joke around a lot and I feel like a strong friendship is developing. Sometimes she’ll help and/or laugh at me wash clothes, other times I’ll help her read or carry water. Mostly I think she finds me amusing and I enjoy the way her face lights up when she first sees me. Sala, who is called Ma Sala or “Mother Sala” because there are too many Salas, is as happy as ever. It’s pretty hard not to find her chubby waddling little walk cute. Sometimes I try to get her to talk to me by asking her simple questions in Dagbani like “where are you going?”, “what are you doing?” or “where are you eating?”, but she usually only talks to her direct family. Baba doesn’t speak much English, but I’ve noticed our relationship change. We still don’t have a lot of interaction, but he’s started to find me less intimidating and more amusing. He and some of the other children have started calling me “Brother Sam” which I think is a further indication that they consider me more approachable. My host mother, Adisa, loves to talk loudly in a big stern voice, but is really quite loving and often jokes around with her children. When I walk through town people usually greet me in my Dagbani name, “Wumpini” and ask how I am or where I’m going. In many ways I feel like the town mascot. People find me amusing, but I also feel like there’s a growing level of respect. I feel welcome.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqeAoy9aH_rdCda6Vo35mCNgdDZmhmg7Zk3egbjGUwQ-qe72ctcBVYVKHnxLXXu4xdv9KE7IUgFRTPCE3Wa1EBAU_wy78zoexWdHNUjfAIBT5_eidUl_iD4wx8q6mmbtL38-DL9A7nS_vf/s1600-h/IMGP6610.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqeAoy9aH_rdCda6Vo35mCNgdDZmhmg7Zk3egbjGUwQ-qe72ctcBVYVKHnxLXXu4xdv9KE7IUgFRTPCE3Wa1EBAU_wy78zoexWdHNUjfAIBT5_eidUl_iD4wx8q6mmbtL38-DL9A7nS_vf/s400/IMGP6610.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216228425376097090" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ayisha, 13 years old.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOrQvyypmVAzXXKJZsr2m01EiLR4_hEezKu1d8uq-a-RNGgPaCy1NIXHIhahHGvNkpN3F_wMV0uJWCJrSZGVFAQb-eMmz12deXMpSjx7yhbAuh2IXxHze4JMvelBXVaPaTcGus4zktY8r/s1600-h/IMGP6603.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOrQvyypmVAzXXKJZsr2m01EiLR4_hEezKu1d8uq-a-RNGgPaCy1NIXHIhahHGvNkpN3F_wMV0uJWCJrSZGVFAQb-eMmz12deXMpSjx7yhbAuh2IXxHze4JMvelBXVaPaTcGus4zktY8r/s400/IMGP6603.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216228429024212594" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ma Sala ("Mother Sala"), 3 years old.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg733aU8GPZsNW_hhrNe8nfwV8gTpXIlN9d6E5WfN9mBikGL2KhWffLwv5a1VLrfWYRoZhtHiEUAK4ZuSd7kVeL5AFjiIjsm9w3z5neacdqqffu60I8QDgxDTJ8Ru-ulDew3TNGNGhanTcz/s1600-h/IMGP6730.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg733aU8GPZsNW_hhrNe8nfwV8gTpXIlN9d6E5WfN9mBikGL2KhWffLwv5a1VLrfWYRoZhtHiEUAK4ZuSd7kVeL5AFjiIjsm9w3z5neacdqqffu60I8QDgxDTJ8Ru-ulDew3TNGNGhanTcz/s400/IMGP6730.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216227486239306002" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Baba, 9 years old.</span><br /><br />In coming to Ghana, one of my greatest fears was that I wouldn’t be able to connect with people. I’ve always been a bit of an introvert and had seen this as a weakness in terms of integrating into a new culture and building relationships. My experience has been quite the opposite. Whatever insecurities I have about my placement from a work point of view, I feel good about the successes I’ve had at making friends and becoming a part of life in Tolon. Last night Adisa told Ayisha to ask me how long it’s been since I came to Tolon and how long I’m going to stay. When I told them two more months they were a little bit upset. They asked who will make them laugh in the evenings once I’ve gone. Before I leave, they said, I have to be sure I take a picture with them and Baba and Ma Sala and get it printed.<br /><br />I was telling Sarah about this experience and she asked me what I think I’ve done to be so successful at building these relationships. Honestly, I think a lot of it is just having the good fortune of finding an awesome family in an awesome town. When I came to Tolon I had hoped to get to know people, make a few friends and be able to say I didn't screw it up too badly. I never expected to have people miss me; I never expected to leave feeling loved.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUgUXrkuio-5URlY2y_z017MNHO2-yxvSLq2kDWF2l49UNRP7iaorlntVSipueZKBRoLgayIkce89QihWT4Nop_Z3ZMLw7Kj_EkYesLX5_2zA4owiGurAjo6iHJvkd5A5zRv1LkAOhChA/s1600-h/IMGP6721.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUgUXrkuio-5URlY2y_z017MNHO2-yxvSLq2kDWF2l49UNRP7iaorlntVSipueZKBRoLgayIkce89QihWT4Nop_Z3ZMLw7Kj_EkYesLX5_2zA4owiGurAjo6iHJvkd5A5zRv1LkAOhChA/s400/IMGP6721.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216227492288917954" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Playing owaray (African stones game).</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHV56Ql__E-42M51oEXXFbSYEanY9u-BHO4P2kBsnV5qZ_hxl2dfZ-pg2u9KpUE9Z1qgZSwNsIc_4WJxLfeKRuQZI_A6nMdTpQzedQxR4fxuGJoSI15j8ulGicJsJ65ZW5rnj_UqJc8N6s/s1600-h/IMGP6733.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHV56Ql__E-42M51oEXXFbSYEanY9u-BHO4P2kBsnV5qZ_hxl2dfZ-pg2u9KpUE9Z1qgZSwNsIc_4WJxLfeKRuQZI_A6nMdTpQzedQxR4fxuGJoSI15j8ulGicJsJ65ZW5rnj_UqJc8N6s/s400/IMGP6733.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216227485502091538" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ayisha (front, in black) and some of the other kids who live near my home.</span>Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-2083749638455112542008-06-25T09:11:00.000-07:002008-11-12T22:49:58.183-08:00TimeI remember Sarah Lewis (a returned long term volunteer with EWB) once said that the biggest difference between her first four months in Ghana and her first year was that she learned who her real friends were. I wouldn’t say I’ve had exactly the same experience during my first six weeks here, but I am beginning to appreciate how understanding grows and changes with time. Looking back at my previous perceptions of life in Ghana, I find them riddled with flaws and misconceptions. I’ve also come to recognize that I felt this same way after two weeks and will almost certainly feel the same way after three and a half months.<br /><br />In a way it’s a bit like calculus. If we let variable U represent understanding and variable t represent time spent in Ghana and consider that understanding is a function of time we obtain:<br /><br /><img style="border: none" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAIFBAMXOZY-dUGVqOJgIN90Q0iPiPkFld0ClIfp7F6iBCtyTaVsdV4n5gh1Rvcvr8WqSSy98gZcoTdn48-0p3dS8gXI_MTEXqEGzM3w6Lh1J-YT4MTtBfOxVYfmPORO5xMAHJswE0A0M4/s400/equation1.GIF" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216225745238371426" border="0" /><br /><br />If we then realize that the more time someone spends in Ghana the closer they come to obtaining perfect understanding, but also that it is never possible to actually achieve perfect understanding, we obtain the function:<br /><br /><img style="border: none" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAQTJcuPDBU1idytEl_QTpf4PTEGia4W_cyF4qIahOFw_cpDKNm94jPAAOkGzpomqGbCVn9wkZ01lPXzIg_1b8mk7053wS9g-mHMt8qN-9BVW81CDp6SBrzbZO9fgn8QBva7S5VNoEFWT/s400/equation2.GIF" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216225745638991826" border="0" /><br /><br />In short, I’m starting to realize how very very important it is to spend time. I suppose this idea applies to any field, but I think it’s particularly relevant to international development. Of course there’s never enough time and there’s always an opportunity cost to spending more time. Individuals and organizations hoping to create positive change have to find a balance; what portion of their limited resources do they spend trying to understand their intended beneficiaries and what portion do they spend trying to help them. Anthropologists obviously focus on trying to understand and occupy one end of the extreme, whereas the well intentioned eighth grader organizing a Christmas cheer box full of toothbrushes, plastic dolls and crayons occupies the other end of the extreme. I don’t think either approach is particularly ideal, but feel that generally there isn’t enough emphasis on spending time to understand.<br /><br />So what’s the right amount of time? I’ve been grappling with this question ever since arriving. On the one hand I want to know that what I’m doing is actually going to have a positive influence on the poor in Ghana, but at the same time recognize that this concern can be paralyzing. While I don’t want to leave having spent all my time working on a project that isn’t addressing the real causes of poverty, I also don’t want to leave having spent all my time questioning and not doing. Eric Dudley in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Critical Villager</span> says something along the lines of “you have to dream for success while looking back and being critical”. For me the toughest part is truly believing in that success and not getting hung up on the obstacles. Of the many lessons I take away from Ghana, I think one of the greatest will be that of accepting imperfection and learning to embrace small achievements.Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-60214107978378760112008-06-18T18:00:00.000-07:002008-06-19T00:52:57.698-07:00More Than Just An Egg SandwichAfter a rain drenched bus ride to Tamale this morning, I decided to pull up for an egg sandwich and tea at one of the street vendors. The egg sandwiches are pretty uneventful (sometimes you get some onion, if you’re really lucky a little green pepper) and the tea is always loaded with way too much milk powder and sugar, but these days I consider them both about as close to godliness as food items can reasonably become. This might have something to do with the other ninety percent of my diet: maize and rice. I may be exaggerating a little here, but not much. Lots of maize and rice.<br /><br />Regardless of how close egg sandwiches are to godliness, I got a little more than I bargained for at this particular meal (actually I didn’t bargain at all, street food seems to work on a fixed price basis). I sat down with a couple taxi drivers, also enjoying their own little slices of godliness, and before long the conversation turned to “my place” (Canada).<br /><br />The men were surprised to learn that there are socio-economic levels in Canada. They asked me how I would know if someone was a rich man. I said he would drive a nice car and live in a big house. I think this answer was most shocking because of how familiar it was. To many in Ghana, becoming wealthy is equated with becoming more like people in the west. Those who can afford it (and probably more frequently those who can’t) purchase TVs, DVD players and mobile phones in an attempt to assume the ever coveted modern lifestyle that they believe everyone in the west enjoys. Just as many Canadians lump Africans into the category of helpless and poor, Ghanaians lump North Americans into the category of endlessly rich. Clearly the picture is hardly so black and white.<br /><br />I continued by explaining that we even have homeless or street people, to which they nodded their understanding. “But”, they said, “you surely don’t have these mad people do you? You must keep them separate from society.” I said we do have mad people (those with mental illness), but that they usually receive some sort of government assistance. This must have hit a trigger, because one of the men got excited and exclaimed knowingly, “aww yes, government assistance.” Based on this and previous conversations, I get the impression Ghanaians feel that their government doesn’t help them enough, but that western governments provide all sorts of help to their citizens. In part this is true, Canada has a social safety net that just doesn’t exist in Ghana, but this is only possible because of our government’s taxation power. It’s pretty hard to collect income tax from a subsistence farmer.<br /><br />Eventually we got to the specific prices of goods and services in both countries. We compared university tuition, which is about $2,500 a year in Ghana. I told them I pay $10,000 a year, but they were most wowed by the fact that tuition in the US can be up to $30,000 (this was my best estimate). They were surprised that we still have to pay our own electricity and water bills. I tried to explain the gas bill, but I think the concept of having to heat ones home was largely incomprehensible. The Canadian minimum wage really got them going; one man kept calculating how much he would make in a day, how much in ten days and so on. Most taxi drivers don’t own their vehicles and are lucky to take home $2-3 a day, so $8 an hour is pretty mind boggling.<br /><br />The one commodity for which the price was consistent was fuel. The ramifications of this are huge. When most everything else is a fraction of the cost, including wages, the relative cost of fuel is GINORMOUS. Goods become more expensive the further you get away from urban centres and transportation costs rise. Recent increases in fuel prices are spurring previously manageable inflation in the country. Just about everything is getting more expensive, but wages are not increasing. The impact is felt particularly hard by taxi drivers. Passengers refuse to pay more, owners refuse to accept less profit and fuel prices are continuing to rise, leaving only the driver to absorb the cost.<br /><br />Before I left I asked the men if they felt that development was happening in their country and if their situation was improving. They said, “you know if you’re doing well and have a good job it’s easy to see development happening, but when you’re just a poor man trying to make a life it’s often hard to see how anything is improving.”Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-22754521595913785152008-06-13T10:35:00.001-07:002008-11-12T22:49:58.753-08:00Is He Worth It?My work with the lowland rice cooperative (NILRIFACU) continues. The cooperative’s executive is made up of roughly ten members, three of which are women processors. Each member of the executive also belongs to their own local farmer or processor group (usually as an executive) and NILRIFACU represents two or three thousand people.<br /><br />Earlier this week I went to Tamale to accompany some of the executives as they registered for classes at a local computer centre (apparently run and funded by the Dutch). I ended up taking a bit of a tour to where one of the women’s groups processes their rice and the mill where they pay to have it de-husked.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRO_eEfKA559qgQSIrrRU0zsTNAwr784wHG1HICpjpCAKvaCEOWrhTBw6t9nN4aLCFykRzyenfBG-483Rzj3lNv-Da3duTFUk6ybygtosk-dcK4cyut7uoHCON8b2AXqExkAeHWZ0up4Ak/s1600-h/IMGP6593.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRO_eEfKA559qgQSIrrRU0zsTNAwr784wHG1HICpjpCAKvaCEOWrhTBw6t9nN4aLCFykRzyenfBG-483Rzj3lNv-Da3duTFUk6ybygtosk-dcK4cyut7uoHCON8b2AXqExkAeHWZ0up4Ak/s400/IMGP6593.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211423767206862578" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The women showing me some of their milled rice. Can you spot the stones?</span><br /><br />They also took me to the site of an abandoned rice mill and shea butter processing centre which was donated by the former government but which has since fallen into disrepair. Two of the NILRIFACU executives used to be part of the group running the mill, but described how the group was largely dysfunctional and blamed the male members. They said that they are much better off now that they are not working with men, at which point I joked that perhaps I shouldn’t be getting involved.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvsUurlVG1i_bw-WeOJkM-t6nDiJrQ9uXbY8QJziT1yhxvXBatFaEfeULQ08IpccdVYsb-ZNURdmxJFZ9y2aAzBQC59puADcSQNoN8x151WhnncHNF8LzbpQIE7ntO_7TCSrB-bdWOAKp/s1600-h/IMGP6592.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvsUurlVG1i_bw-WeOJkM-t6nDiJrQ9uXbY8QJziT1yhxvXBatFaEfeULQ08IpccdVYsb-ZNURdmxJFZ9y2aAzBQC59puADcSQNoN8x151WhnncHNF8LzbpQIE7ntO_7TCSrB-bdWOAKp/s400/IMGP6592.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211423757283039218" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The abandoned processing centre.</span><br /><br />Ayesha, the group’s treasurer, is pretty impressive. She’s a rice processor, a single mother and a market enumerator (records market prices for the government). In addition, she’s signed up for computer classes and still manages to attend almost all the NILRIFACU meetings as well as her own processing group’s meetings. She told me her group’s dream is to get a mill and use the abandoned centre to process their own rice. Ideally this mill would feature a de-stoner and colour sorter which would allow the women to process high quality rice. Stone-free, quality rice can sell for as much as twice what regular local rice sells for. An American NGO called TechnoServe is offering grants for rice mills ($2500), but will not cover the extra expense of a three-in-one rice mill, de-stoner and colour sorter ($6000). As there are already basic mills in the area, it is unlikely this particular group will receive the grant, although it may be useful for some of the more rural groups.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyy456WLhWFuILRMqiwOw1RzUttXYF4PTZzc1jg5ZG3THaJWBdm9vVpBA85J_9ezCiOhTBuE8l4q1nBO72DpbeNy9THs25oSBaDrr2UyYswBxBjwMkjM_61D-9r_Uf94x4nevDVw9PHRTH/s1600-h/IMGP6595.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyy456WLhWFuILRMqiwOw1RzUttXYF4PTZzc1jg5ZG3THaJWBdm9vVpBA85J_9ezCiOhTBuE8l4q1nBO72DpbeNy9THs25oSBaDrr2UyYswBxBjwMkjM_61D-9r_Uf94x4nevDVw9PHRTH/s400/IMGP6595.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211423774942423842" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Areysha (left) and another of the female NILRIFACU executives.</span><br /><br />I have mixed feelings about the processing equipment. On the one hand, I feel like the cooperatives need to start thinking more like a business and focusing on how they can improve their own operations without external support. At the same time, the benefits of equipment such as a de-stoner are clear and the financial capital required is clearly out of their immediate reach. In the right hands, a grant or low interest loan could have the potential to dramatically increase the group’s income.<br /><br />At the last NILRIFACU meeting Ayesha asked me what I was going to do for her group. I responded by trying to tell her I could help them do some kind of profitability study that might help them when applying for grants in the future. Her reaction was basically, “that’s it?” I’ve continued to reiterate the fact that EWB does not provide funding for projects, but this doesn’t seem to satisfy her. She thinks that because I’m from such a wealthy country that I can simply ask “my people” to support her group.<br /><br />While I was slightly frustrated by her comment, it got me thinking. I couldn’t help but feel a pretty heavy touch of guilt considering the cost of my placement is just about the same as that of the three-in-one processing equipment. I’m pretty sure if you asked the group which one they’d prefer, it wouldn’t be a difficult decision. Now I don’t think that means my being here is a mistake, I expect much of the positive impact I have to be indirect and not as quantifiable as the value of a machine. I also don’t feel like it would be a good idea for EWB to start handing out grants or loans, as we don’t have the financial resources and this certainly is not our area of expertise.<br /><br />That being said, perhaps I can help the group seek out financial support from other areas. Even just my access to the internet is a huge advantage. With all the buzz about micro credit recently, there has to be options out there for a group who’s well organized and can demonstrate a strong financial plan. Hopefully I can help the group find potential funding sources and develop a stronger proposal for securing those funding sources. It won’t be an easy task, but somehow I have to prove, if only to myself, that I’m worth a three-in-one rice mill, de-stoner and colour sorter.Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-23001286665312465972008-06-04T11:21:00.001-07:002008-11-12T22:50:00.138-08:00A "NERICA" MomentAnother big week has gone by. I had a brief bout with malaria earlier, which likely thanks to my malaria prophylactic, wasn’t actually too bad. It beats food poisoning anyway. Main thing is I'm very well now, so no one should worry.<br /><br />I also had my second meeting with the NILRIFACU rice producer and processor cooperative. The cooperative has a marketing fund and the idea is that they buy rice from producers at harvest time and resell it to processors when prices are high. Sarah Grant (my coach and a long-term volunteer with EWB) and I co-facilitated a needs assessment and visioning session with the cooperative. It consisted of plenty of flipchart paper (which it seems is a standard EWB practice both in Canada and overseas) and a number of question aimed at trying to help the cooperative figure out what their priorities are for the future as well as attempt to start scoping out where I may be able to help them over the next few months. I wouldn’t call it a resounding success, but it could have gone worse.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDdPoUVuSUNduFnnXvRkvj-60-1h1BTIJ4RnpqxRJnpq9Mt_hAiwoQvtdmQA5BPwz3GajjBz2tBKauyzk7QMtQD5OdN9dCrtajLsYp2Vn7aAw81Qi0hOInsLWSaBk-l2B2DdvU0h3megR/s1600-h/nilrifacu.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDdPoUVuSUNduFnnXvRkvj-60-1h1BTIJ4RnpqxRJnpq9Mt_hAiwoQvtdmQA5BPwz3GajjBz2tBKauyzk7QMtQD5OdN9dCrtajLsYp2Vn7aAw81Qi0hOInsLWSaBk-l2B2DdvU0h3megR/s400/nilrifacu.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208097783201793058" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Some of the NILRIFACU executive standing with me outside their office in Tamale.</span><br /><br />Some of NILRIFACU’s chief priorities are to obtain financial compensation for the cooperative’s executive (a reasonable request since they are volunteers who also have their own farms to manage), transportation for the executive, their own grinding mill and more reliable tractor services for their members. Unfortunately all of these objectives require a source of funding. The cooperative was essentially established by the French development agency and has had a lot of donor support in the past, so they often become stuck on the idea that they need someone to give them more money. And who can really blame them in the NGO saturated world of Ghana where it is often more profitable to learn how to say the right things to the right people than it is to run a legitimate business. We did however manage to discover a couple profit making ideas that the cooperative has been interested in pursuing. These include purchasing inputs (fertilizer, pesticide, etc.) in bulk and reselling to members, better management of the marketing fund to maximize profits from rice sales and the development of the cooperative’s own brand of “high quality assurance” rice. My role in all this has largely yet to be determined, but I will begin by attending the cooperatives meetings and taking part in their work (going to the bank, etc.) as well as teaching several members how to use their newly acquired computer. I’m meeting with the cooperative again today.<br /><br />The other part of my work with rice has been concerning NERICA (New Rice for Africa). NERICA represents roughly 3000 different varieties of rice created by crossing high-yielding Asian rice with hardy African rice. In addition to being drought resistant, NERICA has a reduced growing season and can produce increased yields of up to 250%. Since its release in the late 1990s, NERICA has attracted a lot of attention. In 2004, its creator, Dr. Monty Jones, became the first African to win the World Food Prize. In an article for Time Magazine, Jeffrey Sachs (economist and author of The End of Poverty) described NERICA as part of an “African Green Revolution”.<br /><br />NERICA has been widely adopted throughout West Africa and is quickly making its way to the rest of the continent. In my area of Ghana, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is heavily promoting the production of NERICA. The nearby Savannah Agricultural Research Institute is also conducting a seed growing program in which producers are essentially contract farmers. They are given seed and fertilizer at the start of the growing season and then sell their crop back to the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute, but with the costs of the inputs deducted. As a bit of a side note, I was reading a little about contract farming. Although this is an example of government sponsored contract farming, it seems to be working well. Is there potential for more private sector contract farming? Maybe someone feels like doing some research for me?<br /><br />Back to NERICA, EWB is asking the question of whether the new rice is everything its cracked up to be. While there are clearly potential benefits, what risks are associated with the new technology? Are there areas the Ministry of Food and Agriculture needs to address as they continue to promote NERICA? This is where I come in.<br /><br />I’ve had the opportunity to accompany two sociology researchers from Pennsylvania State University who were here for two weeks as part of a larger study on the social impacts of the new technology. It was a great opportunity to get out of Tolon, see some of the smaller villages in the area and get to talk to a few rice farmers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3s64sXhk8K0LXYluS-ZTZ9cSBuzNwKtfUhGpKh5iGKoyqzUkhnzb2AV2G9UhwcgZ3VQiQS956y0_HiWJoeAC7Xc6E5YnC9iYrGN_Mk7WSfFlPBJ0vw8URkAArH2OfVOuZlbzVnErOLpl/s1600-h/davidlandrover.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3s64sXhk8K0LXYluS-ZTZ9cSBuzNwKtfUhGpKh5iGKoyqzUkhnzb2AV2G9UhwcgZ3VQiQS956y0_HiWJoeAC7Xc6E5YnC9iYrGN_Mk7WSfFlPBJ0vw8URkAArH2OfVOuZlbzVnErOLpl/s400/davidlandrover.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208097778760155602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">David (top) and Leland (in car) are sociologists researching NERICA.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ec1dop9XzVs5rYH13yele67iASdpguUZxdaEzW70dKJ5peceTP16AclYtHewLxBPRw70Z-LPuRQvv0ujhxYq56LXCKgXOl-pRmWMlKBz0fnyHbMuKzBuPoqgxQBEwxbrohLj2IY9UT7k/s1600-h/lelandester.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ec1dop9XzVs5rYH13yele67iASdpguUZxdaEzW70dKJ5peceTP16AclYtHewLxBPRw70Z-LPuRQvv0ujhxYq56LXCKgXOl-pRmWMlKBz0fnyHbMuKzBuPoqgxQBEwxbrohLj2IY9UT7k/s400/lelandester.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208097784903586962" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Leland, their interpreter Ester and one of the agricultural extension agents.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmv_2dELtN1zHLWHxm2EipGxzwDO_osu_EXDuBQ7HNeO1IWvedbBzgkB7lMWhh1sqeWkQMUnIBOGSfwCg4lTRSBEwauMp5R_zHBSwfvbebOEIFxXlnPFbRJHuJveYg8e-_Gjb6pyfAsmtN/s1600-h/village.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmv_2dELtN1zHLWHxm2EipGxzwDO_osu_EXDuBQ7HNeO1IWvedbBzgkB7lMWhh1sqeWkQMUnIBOGSfwCg4lTRSBEwauMp5R_zHBSwfvbebOEIFxXlnPFbRJHuJveYg8e-_Gjb6pyfAsmtN/s400/village.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208099624603856594" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Some of the farmers we interviewed in their village.</span><br /><br />The Americans had a fairly structured interview to conduct, but I feel like I learned a significant amount about rice cultivation and NERICA. Some of my observations thus far:<br /><br />When Sarah Grant had suggested this project, she had been working under the assumption that NERICA would be replacing other upland crops such as maize. Of the nineteen farmers I’ve talked to, only one has admitted to reducing their maize production. The vast majority seem to be either planting the rice on previously uncultivated lands or else either fully or partially replacing their traditional rice with NERICA.<br /><br />Growing NERICA is extremely labour intensive. Whereas traditional rice is broadcasted (seeds are thrown), farmers are being taught to plant NERICA in carefully measured rows and make holes with a specified number of seeds in each one. Many have indicated that they now spend more time in their fields because of NERICA and that they often hire labour to assist them (although this wasn’t uncommon before). This raises some interesting questions: If people are spending more time in their fields, is this taking away from other activities? Hiring labour has local economic benefits, but it increases risk for the farmer if his/her yields do not reflect the increased investment. As another interesting side note, some farmers are employing some of the NERICA growing techniques on their traditional rice varieties as well.<br /><br />Probably the biggest concern raised by NERICA is its heavy dependence on fertilizer. Not using fertilizer reduces yields from about twenty 50kg bags per acre to roughly five. Almost all farmers said that while both NERICA and traditional rice varieties do poorly without fertilizer, the traditional variety does better and that they would not grow NERICA if they could not obtain fertilizer. While seed growers are being given fertilizer by the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute’s seed program (which is scheduled to end in the next year or so), those growing grain are forced to buy their own fertilizer. Although almost all reported using at least some fertilizer, many said they had to take loans to obtain it and that they were not able to use as much as recommended. Taking loans has obvious risks if external factors (drought, animal destruction) impact yields and the farmer cannot sell his crop to pay back the loan. Also, the increasing price of oil is already impacting the price of chemical fertilizer, which has almost doubled in the last year. The government has recently announced it will increase fertilizer subsidies, but this solution is a limited one at best. What are the long-term implications for NERICA growers if oil (and fertilizer) prices continue to rise?<br /><br />Interestingly, few are actually consuming the NERICA. Most are either selling to the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute or to large buyers coordinated by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Those who said they have tried eating it actually prefer the taste to traditional rice.<br /><br />While not everyone we talked to had been all that successful with growing NERICA (either due to late planting, drought, destruction by cattle or lack of fertilizer), almost all indicated that they liked NERICA and that they would continue to grow it. I have a hunch part of this apparent satisfaction is due to the perception that the new fancy technical solution is always the best, but one cannot deny the potential benefits NERICA has for the individual farmer.<br /><br />I feel like the next phase of this project is going to be to get some harder numbers on the relative cost of inputs, yields and market prices between traditional rice and NERICA. Hopefully I'll be able to do some sort of sensitivity analysis to compare the relative profitabilities of the two varieties if fertilizer prices continue to rise. It would also be nice to look at other crops, but a direct comparison might be difficult. The next few weeks are probably going to involve talking to the some more farmers, staff at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture office where I work and NERICA experts at the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute. I also need to keep in my the challenge of making sure this doesn't become just a nice report that a few people read, but that doesn't result in any real action on the ground.<br /><br />How is rice processed??<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJQYgdItyRKU0dqK8X2WochI7N1A4K7duiqa6XmtTm7w8n_QfT6Ephm2y6cDTp-KMUCi3ZCTOk1DG9jeEY2VGwkOZLePwEUxsyFZ9VK04c59D29gfe7w-3P4xfziU7Nm_dCVdobhpZq6I/s1600-h/riceparboiling.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJQYgdItyRKU0dqK8X2WochI7N1A4K7duiqa6XmtTm7w8n_QfT6Ephm2y6cDTp-KMUCi3ZCTOk1DG9jeEY2VGwkOZLePwEUxsyFZ9VK04c59D29gfe7w-3P4xfziU7Nm_dCVdobhpZq6I/s400/riceparboiling.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208099623481230914" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">After rice is harvested it must be parboiled to soften the husk for milling.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5COmGxZfGZPeWi9WxWsNlGtA-6Z_xdVghWn6NtuzLPijhG18DYAyHmEpt79PMmMqZ3jAT4PYVeKqtTpWpUyjj6aY6jEEyJuJIs_e4JgJUMZ5J4NXWCnR1iko5hKHloEXhRIieTznYGuSr/s1600-h/ricedrying2.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5COmGxZfGZPeWi9WxWsNlGtA-6Z_xdVghWn6NtuzLPijhG18DYAyHmEpt79PMmMqZ3jAT4PYVeKqtTpWpUyjj6aY6jEEyJuJIs_e4JgJUMZ5J4NXWCnR1iko5hKHloEXhRIieTznYGuSr/s400/ricedrying2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208097792509411730" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Once parboiling is complete, the rice is dried. This is typically done on the floor of the processor's compound.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkApQ5I9E-7y8Z0_7nvrSgQpIPqKKCeG-NM1lofjFYIg5WcNFwjgrqHpeamTmCn-G_zb12ZPA-vD-CzahRCi3gA9lUrgB1X9hVfsVsXiFCzV_l1OMS-K5v5EYeMlFTPrgmDubgyvEYq4z/s1600-h/ricedrying3.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkApQ5I9E-7y8Z0_7nvrSgQpIPqKKCeG-NM1lofjFYIg5WcNFwjgrqHpeamTmCn-G_zb12ZPA-vD-CzahRCi3gA9lUrgB1X9hVfsVsXiFCzV_l1OMS-K5v5EYeMlFTPrgmDubgyvEYq4z/s400/ricedrying3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208097789101909890" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">More rice drying...</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3pQ1C998KBda2UNs7qU4C5x5UWDRCqRm8eWW5octyQ9KTXU1_Xc0ICl3_YNXY2FsyLhA9XjbQdA8QH_HiAn2sRGpfvL60OMefdQhLE2O0fn4MyGnvUEFKK96vFdHJG4GyZ5BKRhyphenhyphenStcC/s1600-h/ricemilling.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3pQ1C998KBda2UNs7qU4C5x5UWDRCqRm8eWW5octyQ9KTXU1_Xc0ICl3_YNXY2FsyLhA9XjbQdA8QH_HiAn2sRGpfvL60OMefdQhLE2O0fn4MyGnvUEFKK96vFdHJG4GyZ5BKRhyphenhyphenStcC/s400/ricemilling.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208099619477280098" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Finally rice is milled to remove the husk. Ideally this process would be fallowed by a de-stoner (to remove stones, other foreign matter) and a colour sorter (to remove the brown particles). Unfortunately this rarely happens in Ghana and local rice is often of inferior quality. Those who can afford it typically purchase imported rice.</span>Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-5373379843717870172008-05-29T01:47:00.000-07:002008-11-12T22:50:01.255-08:00PerspectivesI’ve now been living with my family in Tolon for two weeks now. Although I am a long way away from being able to identify most of the people in my compound by name, I have started to recognize and know many of them by their faces. My host father’s first wife, Adisa, lives in the compound and she has four children. The youngest is a three year old girl named Sala. Sala is almost as round as she is happy. The next oldest is a nine year old boy named Baba. I don’t know Baba very well; he spends most of his time with other young boys. Arysha is thirteen and she is the second oldest. The oldest is Mineara who's seventeen, but who I don't interact with much.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7xRA7zGoetD2rioOfoA8MxXn6QQgTavC4u5RfdtE0408fwLVf8b0tNkNF9xY_kdGWvuQi5WRA8CzIgdA9IInVeqaQfTZlEZAEAjoq51JCQrdigDtd6owKVKN2_PzWUZlaJxZy41dCQqN/s1600-h/family.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7xRA7zGoetD2rioOfoA8MxXn6QQgTavC4u5RfdtE0408fwLVf8b0tNkNF9xY_kdGWvuQi5WRA8CzIgdA9IInVeqaQfTZlEZAEAjoq51JCQrdigDtd6owKVKN2_PzWUZlaJxZy41dCQqN/s400/family.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205734081141655906" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Just some of my compound's residents. Adisa is in black, behind the pot. Arysha is in yellow, behind her. Sala is in the redish dress in the front row.</span><br /><br />Arysha and I are still good friends. People have started saying I will take her back to Canada with me. While I hope this is purely humour, I have tried hard to stress that it is not an option. Besides, once most Ghanaians hear how cold it gets in Canada they seem to loose interest. I will consider stressing this point further in the future.<br /><br />The other day I was asking Arysha questions and discovered that she’s never been further than the neighbouring town of Nyankpala (about 10 kilometers). This was pretty mind blowing for me. Although I hadn’t really put a lot of thought into it, I had assumed almost everyone in Tolon had been to at least Tamale (a 45 minute bus ride costing fifty cents). In effect, this means that she’s never seen a traffic light, a gas station, a computer (probably not anyway) or a restaurant. If her father didn’t send her to Nyankpala for school she would have never seen a paved road. Interestingly, she’s had plenty of experience with television, coca cola and cell phones. The wildest part is that her family is relatively well off, her town is a district capital and her country is one of the most developed on the continent. I can’t even imagine what the world must look like to a young person living in a remote village in a country not so developed as Ghana.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciA_hBC7F5CG0y_Ege6THwcol9hVIEFWusc6K8f6XEuWDlEtIa_7tFdEpYpKH0421YwllN1dHSIL42hAsWqRkGXNULgu1pG9rNAFvpCMafG9lFDPj2UMcH52D_dsB3308TFSdTNJ8HvvQ/s1600-h/aryshaportrait.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciA_hBC7F5CG0y_Ege6THwcol9hVIEFWusc6K8f6XEuWDlEtIa_7tFdEpYpKH0421YwllN1dHSIL42hAsWqRkGXNULgu1pG9rNAFvpCMafG9lFDPj2UMcH52D_dsB3308TFSdTNJ8HvvQ/s400/aryshaportrait.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205734072551721282" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Arysha has never been more than 10km from her home in Tolon.</span><br /><br />This new understanding has helped explain a number of things. Arysha refers to Canada as “my village”. To her everyone lives in a village because this is all she has ever known. I once tried to explain where Canada is and how I flew to Ghana, but she has absolutely no context. The entire concept of large distances is foreign. I don’t think she even understands the idea of an ocean. When I showed her some of my pictures from home I was confused by her lack of interest. She asked a few questions, at first she thought the Westminster Church in Winnipeg was my house, but other than that she flipped through them quickly without paying much attention. Even snow didn’t spark her interest. My new theory is that she simply can’t understand the content. Perhaps she doesn’t even know where to start asking questions.<br /><br />One of my goals in coming to Ghana was to get to know some of the many people in this world who are working to lift themselves out of poverty but who face overwhelming obstacles. In EWB we use the name Dorothy to symbolize these individuals and they become the ultimate motivation for the work that we do in Canada and overseas. Recently I’ve been thinking about whether I’ve found a Dorothy in Ghana. While Arysha isn’t particularly poor, her future rests heavily with that of her nation. In many ways she is a product of successful development: she’s well fed, she’s happy, she goes to a good school and she even has health insurance. Her ambition is to become a nurse and there’s a pretty real chance she may realize this goal. At the same time it's far from a sure thing and there are many obstacles to overcome. There are also many many young people with futures that are far less bright. In short, I find her story motivating because it's a reminder of what is possible but also a reminder of how far there still is to go.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGk5sZodMtCH2dkITcJO8yYDFtnm8R-BySdXZ7H75OhtXy-K8yv__e8ULY6kU7GlI6erFQtCrIDk8mD_Z1hV6GUy6w5DTHfEaEGCHgFYWXEw4CIcqoOJCWBJqVlHpfBwbIxkzhb6K15JEE/s1600-h/aryshasun.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGk5sZodMtCH2dkITcJO8yYDFtnm8R-BySdXZ7H75OhtXy-K8yv__e8ULY6kU7GlI6erFQtCrIDk8mD_Z1hV6GUy6w5DTHfEaEGCHgFYWXEw4CIcqoOJCWBJqVlHpfBwbIxkzhb6K15JEE/s400/aryshasun.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205734081141655890" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Arysha is a reminder of what is possible.</span><br /><br />On a slightly lighter note, I’ve been working on my Dagbani. Just about everyone I meet is keen to teach me (which is somewhat overwhelming) and I’ve managed to obtain some Dagbani children’s grammar books. Although I’ve never put any serious effort into learning another language before (French clearly doesn’t count), I’ve noticed some interesting things about language in my area of Ghana.<br /><br />People say “sweet” when something tastes good. This caused some confusion at first since people would offer me food and ask “is it sweet?”, to which I would cautiously reply, “not really, is it supposed to be?”.<br /><br />There are two methods of preparing food: “cooking” and “frying”. Cooking essentially means boiling.<br /><br />Dagbani, as do most African languages, has a specific word for white person: “seminga”. Apparently the first piece of English children learn is “hello seminga”, which they enjoy chanting at me as I walk by. Maybe children just aren’t my thing, but I find this particularly annoying. My annoyance sparked some further investigation. Apparently “seminga” can be used to describe basically anyone who isn’t black (Chinese, Middle Eastern, etc.). Although Indian people seem to fall into a bit of a gray zone (or should I say brown haha), I don’t think most would hesitate to use the term. To me this further emphasizes people’s perspective on the world: there are African people and then there are other people.<br /><br />There is no differentiation between genders in Dagbani pronouns (there is no “he” or “she”). As a result, I’ve noticed my host sister Arysha (who is still learning English) will often use the two English terms interchangeably. This doesn’t seem to bother anyone else, but tends to confuse me greatly when she’s talking about a man and using “she”. It didn’t help that at first I couldn’t differentiate between younger male and female children.<br /><br />Time is another interesting subject. As anyone who’s traveled knows, not all parts of the world are quiet as time oriented as Canada. Simply put, people aren’t as concerned about being late. When talking to farmers, questions such as “how much time do you spend doing this?” are fairly ineffective. People simply work while it’s light out and there’s work to be done. Also, the concept of “an hour’s walk” was fairly incompressible to Arysha, although it may have been more of a language barrier than anything.<br /><br />I expected to be learning another language, what I did not expect was to be re-learning the language I already knew. I will continue to work on my Ghanaian English as well as my Dagbani. My goal is to be able to carry on a somewhat complex conversation in Dagbani before I return to Canada in August.<br /><br />I realize I haven't written much about my work. I've actually been pretty busy visiting villages and talking to farmers about rice production. I hope to prepare an entire blog post on this for next week, but thought I'd start by sharing a few interesting pictures from my village adventures:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkC0E8ALlhg8ZA8k-8e81ukwlYB-DjgkRUJejMTIwbXdyg7Jl5kRgV7C1Y2wx3YGFKyNMe63cV5_9s2fPVz9zyaEYSyT5DiXI403puYXp0OWSA-1Vb7837yjDMquRU1Fsff0RECa2OD8O/s1600-h/waterlooshirt.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkC0E8ALlhg8ZA8k-8e81ukwlYB-DjgkRUJejMTIwbXdyg7Jl5kRgV7C1Y2wx3YGFKyNMe63cV5_9s2fPVz9zyaEYSyT5DiXI403puYXp0OWSA-1Vb7837yjDMquRU1Fsff0RECa2OD8O/s400/waterlooshirt.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205736138430990738" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Notice anything unusual about the shirt this woman is wearing? Ever wonder where all the used clothing that no one buys goes? Now you know.</span><br /><br />Used clothing is sold to the developing world by the tonne. While your gut reaction might be positive (surely poor people need clothing), this practice is quite hurtful to the domestic textile industry. At the same time, I'm not sure what the alternative is, should we just pour all of our used clothing into Canadian landfills? Just like the electronics industry, I feel like this is another example of the western world dumping its waste in developing countries.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZuAhgZgYzEpwkfoxfgLVAA2cNsIyQLC2-5rNRLJ4oJfCIvOY8OwxKTVXyUh5mJlyxV8Y8jQsrhCqjjsqvaTZmPMmICFSXfKZRqu1AfmqijCmCmj5AdGQpbXPthaeo6A83As29O42o1mS/s1600-h/bricks.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZuAhgZgYzEpwkfoxfgLVAA2cNsIyQLC2-5rNRLJ4oJfCIvOY8OwxKTVXyUh5mJlyxV8Y8jQsrhCqjjsqvaTZmPMmICFSXfKZRqu1AfmqijCmCmj5AdGQpbXPthaeo6A83As29O42o1mS/s400/bricks.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205736134136023410" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Although more expensive construction utilizes concrete blocks, the majority of buildings are still constructed from mud bricks.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsIla7trEEd7H-9UYLFJS0jn-MGjG8M6mDYoh1KPUbJ57r4_snn4_D8QB3Sde8j79Qsg31omjASxXKPauPrrMlTsgDMLzRJelOy-bf7ruhdbky7z7T96yNg1HNb1IhMQ08YTVnsuycRnV/s1600-h/grass.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsIla7trEEd7H-9UYLFJS0jn-MGjG8M6mDYoh1KPUbJ57r4_snn4_D8QB3Sde8j79Qsg31omjASxXKPauPrrMlTsgDMLzRJelOy-bf7ruhdbky7z7T96yNg1HNb1IhMQ08YTVnsuycRnV/s400/grass.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205736142725958066" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I believe this man is constructing part of a grass roof. Grass roofs are still very common, although there are some who can afford metal roofs.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPGmYAy8qdocRnXnIpwiMwD2T9KKNxTgSsYazyfOCmBPtBQB36LsTCv4knPD0tZXpyryA0nUQOeYBj-29HzQB414mCT9Tx4L0vKo5lgsA_cPDfY1hUPC2x0iCGLcjFuzaGMRewZTQ2om9/s1600-h/basket.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPGmYAy8qdocRnXnIpwiMwD2T9KKNxTgSsYazyfOCmBPtBQB36LsTCv4knPD0tZXpyryA0nUQOeYBj-29HzQB414mCT9Tx4L0vKo5lgsA_cPDfY1hUPC2x0iCGLcjFuzaGMRewZTQ2om9/s400/basket.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205736138430990722" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Gineau Fowl (kind of like chickens) are often transported in baskets weaved from what I believe are sorghum stocks.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jq4SUu03M01aLt-PaG6Yb1gzuFG__1wo3lhCbutL8qF8mmtRnH7eKDDJMnKm3O4ZdKmTWxvKbu3c_Vh3xsKL-O2RPnup6UUqWGZf3sNO-m01a9HdzFPw-vNFn9pFg3K3p0_tyrON0-qB/s1600-h/sheanuts.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jq4SUu03M01aLt-PaG6Yb1gzuFG__1wo3lhCbutL8qF8mmtRnH7eKDDJMnKm3O4ZdKmTWxvKbu3c_Vh3xsKL-O2RPnup6UUqWGZf3sNO-m01a9HdzFPw-vNFn9pFg3K3p0_tyrON0-qB/s400/sheanuts.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205736142725958050" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Shea nuts. Many people have probably heard of the Body Shop and their use of shea butter in skin products. The butter is made by boiling and drying the stone (shown above), cracking it open and grinding the seeds inside. The green part is also quite tasty.<br /></span>Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-78527452663337639542008-05-18T06:51:00.000-07:002008-11-12T22:50:02.300-08:00Tolon<p class="MsoNormal">I am settled in Tolon now. Some of my coworkers at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture call it a village, but it’s really more of a town. The population is around two or three thousand. Tolon is the capital of the Tolon-Kumbungu District in the Northern Region. A district is similar to a municipality, while a region is more like a province. Some facts about the Tolon-Kumbungu District:<br /></p><ul><li>About 135,000 people live in the district (51 people / square km).</li><li>The main crops are maize, rice, millet, yam, cowpea, pigeon pea and soya beans.</li><li>It is responsible for twenty-five percent of the regions total rice production.</li></ul><p class="MsoNormal">Tolon is largely Muslim, although there is a significant Christian population as well. A small number practice traditional African religions. The town has a number of mosques and one Baptist church. The remaining Christians hold their church services in the school house. There seem to be a number of schools around, although I haven’t determined exactly what purpose each serves. Also in Tolon is a medical centre of some kind, a meeting area for the district assembly (government), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s district office (where I work) and a World Vision office (which is in the same building as us).</p><p class="MsoNormal">The community seems to be fairly well off, there are a number of boreholes and latrines and from what I’ve seen so far they’re well maintained. All but the poorest residents have electricity, although it’s often sporadic (the Ministry of Food and Agriculture just installed a backup generator for our office). Most are also taking part in the government’s health insurance program. There are a number of tractors in the community and most people pay to have their fields tilled. Unfortunately rising fuel costs are making tractors less and less profitable. Talking with some of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture field staff this morning, it appears people are finding it harder and harder to pay off their tractor loans given the rising operational costs.</p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4_vybwVfQeQBA9mUUw3JLj2MuVINZjIVN_jq55LMRrNp4SEy-gA95O0oZcF-ZvEjFBDC0lUdOYeAziBB_7dMKejInn179lTRDPrwlV_mJpXG6z1c1lTukJFrMehcUlAR5zgSbjFdAQOY/s1600-h/IMGP6444.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201729254190807106" style="cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4_vybwVfQeQBA9mUUw3JLj2MuVINZjIVN_jq55LMRrNp4SEy-gA95O0oZcF-ZvEjFBDC0lUdOYeAziBB_7dMKejInn179lTRDPrwlV_mJpXG6z1c1lTukJFrMehcUlAR5zgSbjFdAQOY/s400/IMGP6444.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Tractors are becoming increasingly unprofitable as fuel prices rise.</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">Poverty certainly still exists in the area however. During my first day at the office I met a man named Adam who works as a mason for World Vision building latrines and lives in a village about an hour and a half walk away. He said all the animals in his village have started to die and no one has been able to figure out why. Often villagers invest their income in animals and then sell them later when they need money. For those whose animals have died, it will be very difficult to raise money to pay someone with a tractor to till their field. Adam says they will be forced to till their fields by hand, which can take a month and will reduce yields, sending the farmers and their families further into poverty. The story of Adam’s village exemplifies the vulnerability of the poor. To me, development means reducing this vulnerability.</p><p class="MsoNormal">My host family is Muslim and one of the better off families in the town. My host father, Imuro, is the town’s spokesperson at the district assembly and is in charge of addressing issues brought forward by the community. He has two wives and six children (5 girls and 1 boy), although only his first wife lives in our compound. Several of his brothers and their wives also live in the compound. It might be a while before I figure out exactly who everyone is and how they’re related.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kdgAabMtuiNmK1fnmlgSIXdqngf6zmbHj7qUpyTO5iqq1tWpL3zEFMqFHgknSIMnQdfzB6PqJvdtTP5Yo4-ouPWYjdiy9sdeWAHLBKGAxXoNZ5XABe5AosTXTtZxbHus5cxqdylD-qSP/s1600-h/IMGP6426.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201727519024019506" style="cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kdgAabMtuiNmK1fnmlgSIXdqngf6zmbHj7qUpyTO5iqq1tWpL3zEFMqFHgknSIMnQdfzB6PqJvdtTP5Yo4-ouPWYjdiy9sdeWAHLBKGAxXoNZ5XABe5AosTXTtZxbHus5cxqdylD-qSP/s400/IMGP6426.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Imuro is my host father and represents his community in the local government.</em><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3IMgUwOhXjRL_cNVg0QFxC_H_E-lF6dFc4wedSmRtPq21BjYEgmQE_lRrRyNHyjtburGcJgq4myTigoaBba5WHx_4hw0-ETLw11OEbizSzK3pLM3AULnyrJpY05laHQsz8nLdvZcjSRC9/s1600-h/IMGP6421.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201721939861501970" style="cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3IMgUwOhXjRL_cNVg0QFxC_H_E-lF6dFc4wedSmRtPq21BjYEgmQE_lRrRyNHyjtburGcJgq4myTigoaBba5WHx_4hw0-ETLw11OEbizSzK3pLM3AULnyrJpY05laHQsz8nLdvZcjSRC9/s400/IMGP6421.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>My host father's brother's son. Name to be determined.</em><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmP-mhxFahRH5wvUFHLKazIXPjqrBdSranUKRFVtg67yczG0c78Q9nvbCRFEIPWas3W53kEHc_GbzaWsOLoOlnO2wR2r234OFawRfhuKVe32i3np6nhWDyL65VHiL0YbPH7qB7gqCexz9Y/s1600-h/IMGP6439.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201726857599055906" style="cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmP-mhxFahRH5wvUFHLKazIXPjqrBdSranUKRFVtg67yczG0c78Q9nvbCRFEIPWas3W53kEHc_GbzaWsOLoOlnO2wR2r234OFawRfhuKVe32i3np6nhWDyL65VHiL0YbPH7qB7gqCexz9Y/s400/IMGP6439.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Some of the family children. Names and relationships to be determined.</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">The men’s rooms are all made from concrete and have corrugated metal roofs. Mine also has a ceiling fan, florescent light, electrical outlet and small bathing area. Imuro and his brother, Mohamed, have televisions in their rooms. The women and children sleep in buildings made of mud and/or concrete with grass roofs. All buildings have electricity.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKCk3i9Bbjvq8lrua9tJyVxVnFcnx4GRlUps-oA_tCBpqGlRg9Tk9YckvnnQ_kc9kCPciEHP4_XPxgh-OOSUzGnz0KSFdlsKB4gCjrlrN6DkBwSiyXxbyxBpd9imBhOFlrPzxAsVA03X-/s1600-h/IMGP6423.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201734154748491890" style="cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKCk3i9Bbjvq8lrua9tJyVxVnFcnx4GRlUps-oA_tCBpqGlRg9Tk9YckvnnQ_kc9kCPciEHP4_XPxgh-OOSUzGnz0KSFdlsKB4gCjrlrN6DkBwSiyXxbyxBpd9imBhOFlrPzxAsVA03X-/s400/IMGP6423.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Typical women's housing.</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">Not everyone in the family speaks English, so I tend to interact more with some than others. Imuro took me to watch the town’s football team (which he coaches) practice the other day. The next time I came I decided to participate, which was a humbling experience to say the least. I will likely constrict my role to that of a spectator in the future.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Imuro’s thirteen year old daughter, Arysha, and I are quickly becoming good friends. She is the only female in the compound who speaks strong English. During my first couple days she showed me around and translated many of my introductions. The other day I showed her Frisbee and now she continues to ask me to show her more games. She also wastes no time in informing me of my cultural mishaps. These include (but are certainly not limited to) eating alone in my room, sitting on my hands, handing something to someone with my left hand and eating my food from the centre of my dish outwards. Arysha seems particularly bright and her father sends her a half hour drive every day to Nyankpala for school. Apparently this is because there was no nursery school in Tolon when she started and now her father wants her to continue in Nyankpala. Presumably, especially given the relative quality of her English, the school in Nyankpala is better. Interestingly, the school in Nyankpala does not teach its students to read or write in Dagbani.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivizYHvizcbvyfaeximFxcO8vm_j3lpA1I2fbukkLnvWWjxBQcRsejxKgECtz0AaEF27P1dLPMSEjxYSQmGdIZj5xwNqzqaxIo7uYWfhGC59bU5qBp5-7iHhNlEss5lMPsBakbnDlxpXxD/s1600-h/IMGP6428.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201718336383940610" style="cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivizYHvizcbvyfaeximFxcO8vm_j3lpA1I2fbukkLnvWWjxBQcRsejxKgECtz0AaEF27P1dLPMSEjxYSQmGdIZj5xwNqzqaxIo7uYWfhGC59bU5qBp5-7iHhNlEss5lMPsBakbnDlxpXxD/s400/IMGP6428.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>My favourite Ghanaian, Arysha.</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">I still have a long way to go in terms of integrating. I would like to take my Dagbani beyond the simple greetings I somewhat understand now and hope to enlist the services of a teacher. Food has been a slow process but the situation is improving. At first I didn’t have a very strong appetite (perhaps related to the food poisoning) but I am now able to finish most of my food. I’ve watched the women cooking on several occasions but would ultimately like to play a little more active role. My physical health has been good since arriving, although I was mentally and emotionally overwhelmed when I first arrived. Since then I’ve adjusted and I’m feeling quite comfortable now. Tolon is beautiful and my family is extremely nice. I expect I will miss them very much when the time finally comes to leave.</p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaW769G85bWbMyM6RZx8_qJ0EhqMCLXQMeh8pUDTsG3RBzp-Z5iZ_Zjb7KbFcrb5IYfQ1j5BLWhV9w-vUFr_1P-XZiXH64pnzIlM9iGq-q0fMRma26IWWb3IahGv6Ppl-QLAEXN3RuuWA8/s1600-h/IMGP6447.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201730302162827346" style="cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaW769G85bWbMyM6RZx8_qJ0EhqMCLXQMeh8pUDTsG3RBzp-Z5iZ_Zjb7KbFcrb5IYfQ1j5BLWhV9w-vUFr_1P-XZiXH64pnzIlM9iGq-q0fMRma26IWWb3IahGv6Ppl-QLAEXN3RuuWA8/s400/IMGP6447.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Yam mounds on some of the farmland adjacent to Tolon.</em>Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-51096924788203412402008-05-13T08:46:00.000-07:002008-11-12T22:50:02.865-08:00TamaleSorry for the delay in posting here, it's been a rough couple days. I had food poisoning yesterday and have been generally unwell since arriving. Doing better today though.<br /><br />To recap what's been happening:<br /><br />Our plane landed in Accra on Thursday night. I think most of us were a little freaked out, it was dark, we couldn't see much and people were pretty obnoxious. Mary (a long term EWB volunteer) picked us up and took us to a guest house (which is basically a motel) where we stayed the night. The next morning we took the 13 hour bus ride to Tamale (13 hours is really a best case scenario). What struck me most at this point was the contrast between apparent wealth and poverty. Most of the buildings are made from some combination of corrugated metal, brick, mud and concrete and are mostly one or two stories only. At the same time there are occasional western style buildings that could just as easy be found in Canada. I say apparent wealth because I really have no idea how poor people are. For example, many women sell fruit and water in traffic, but some seem fairly well dressed. And the houses may seem poor by western standards, but the climate here is obviously different.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwV6Owl6QlJ8Z8Mu5JGaV0-sdDTn0sg26HJtj9FxeWCbmnsFtBKsAGWJ6axzydjJCDn6q88p9v-1deZOyNZxsDnVW5GjJvsL1p4o8wxQjKca9SJC3IOmro4-lWgLlPCpFG7eO3co5nTTY/s1600-h/IMGP6394.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwV6Owl6QlJ8Z8Mu5JGaV0-sdDTn0sg26HJtj9FxeWCbmnsFtBKsAGWJ6axzydjJCDn6q88p9v-1deZOyNZxsDnVW5GjJvsL1p4o8wxQjKca9SJC3IOmro4-lWgLlPCpFG7eO3co5nTTY/s400/IMGP6394.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199890909403871170" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqeRshp4PboqvKYtHWmKhIcpSjRLuBD-fzUC45SBjYvlUvvnFDetQmWFw06AM9n8lsoOvL2mTjvamfDL-cIcV7NbI6qmFxZ5JUrJXcvKj0T8_HzrhVG0xK4TID-Fg6QcJXP7M-MKSr279/s1600-h/IMGP6393.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqeRshp4PboqvKYtHWmKhIcpSjRLuBD-fzUC45SBjYvlUvvnFDetQmWFw06AM9n8lsoOvL2mTjvamfDL-cIcV7NbI6qmFxZ5JUrJXcvKj0T8_HzrhVG0xK4TID-Fg6QcJXP7M-MKSr279/s400/IMGP6393.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199890123424855986" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Pictures from the bus ride to Tamale.</span><br /><br />Once arriving in Tamale we had two more days of training, one of which involved a scavenger hunt adventure into the market place. I met a little kid (young boys are called "small boys") named Ernest and he took me around for a little while before disappearing. I bought some fabric to have a shirt made later, and even managed to haggle the price down a little bit (I imagine I still got ripped off). Later I met a young man named Sinbad who teaches dance at the cultural centre. I wanted him to show me some dance moves, but he said the centre wasn't open on Saturdays. Instead he took me to his friends art shop and attempted to give me a drumming lesson, although my sense of rhythm doesn't seem to have magically improved since coming to Ghana as I had hoped it would. Some of the art was amazing though, I would like to come back before I leave. Although I know the prices he was quoting me were really really high, I'm sure if I make a Ghanaian friend he/she could probably get stuff for a third of the price.<br /><br />During the second day of training we had lunch with several Ghanaian friends of some of the long term volunteers. Most of them are involved in development work themselves and it was interesting to contrast our interactions in the market the previous day with this more educated conversation. I talked with a man named Peter about education. He says that Ghanaians learn all about America, Canada and Europe, but very little about their own country. I guess it is a product of colonialism, but it's rather ridiculous that Ghanaian children learn about dairy farming in Denmark or corn production in the states and yet know very little about different parts of Ghana or about Ghanaian history. Yet even despite this massive distortion, Ghanaians are incredibly patriotic and are proud to be such a peaceful nation.<br /><br />On Monday morning everyone departed for their respective placements throughout Ghana. I am going to be living in Tolon, which is about a 45 minute drive outside of Tamale (most people are much further than this). My boss, Madam Hawa picked me up Monday morning but I got sick soon after arriving at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture office in Tolon. I spent the rest of the day in the bathroom and sleeping on the couch and decided to return to Tamale for the night. Henry also returned to the guest house and it was good to see a familiar face. I'd like to think all this getting sick now means I wont later, but I doubt that's how it works.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdfrhT9Lr8HqaLTvJjDih-GzDJMGeRK0dq20CGgzLtRKs9redF57b_q1gUIbmVT8PIIogGZYSBXhnKuNbxMAA7j8zpeuo1NAK_TtBjVJhCIYByE8Zw4TZ80NUTSEApp8UyF1ez-4z6G2s/s1600-h/IMGP6409.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdfrhT9Lr8HqaLTvJjDih-GzDJMGeRK0dq20CGgzLtRKs9redF57b_q1gUIbmVT8PIIogGZYSBXhnKuNbxMAA7j8zpeuo1NAK_TtBjVJhCIYByE8Zw4TZ80NUTSEApp8UyF1ez-4z6G2s/s400/IMGP6409.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199891429094914002" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Shyam and I Monday morning before going our separate ways.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTgJz92zVdGc_GIgkROCA1mueT42It69DH0afyix0_ABf3YpuxQSDI68NxKzyUq-3O2DkaphJ9lYjL_YrPs8k75iMjIut10lqUC8r8DwA4D15-Sja2ALKYPsPU0AgRlxC4csZYaNCXCO4/s1600-h/IMGP6410.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTgJz92zVdGc_GIgkROCA1mueT42It69DH0afyix0_ABf3YpuxQSDI68NxKzyUq-3O2DkaphJ9lYjL_YrPs8k75iMjIut10lqUC8r8DwA4D15-Sja2ALKYPsPU0AgRlxC4csZYaNCXCO4/s400/IMGP6410.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199891751217461218" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Motor bikes parked outside the Regional Ministry of Food and Agriculture office in Tamale.</span>Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-2818928942296313282008-05-08T07:59:00.000-07:002008-11-12T22:50:03.184-08:00On the MoveArriving in Accra in a few hours. It's been s long flight, but I'm feeling alright all things considered. A portion of us headed into Amsterdam for a few hours during our layover and didn't regret it. The Dutch transportation system is pretty awesome. We took a train from the airport to the city centre, which was about 20 minutes. The streets were quiet when we first arrived fairly early in the morning, but started to pick up as we were leaving. Bicycles seem to dominated the streets and the whole system manages to maintain a chaotic balance between bikes, pedestrians, cars and trains. Perhaps everyone just has a little more patience, but either way it as a very warm place.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwoFAbUgbEEpXxQCfNAbjzF-hVibFRHBCpBFy8-Nq8c-GbhtZgDMGl8VZewHnjG3rEzrIBShcXC4EliqSeW7zqqXHLcSeeAWv5fUJLEdbx2p950t_f1umitRdh1D8ZzKhB-nd3CMLQiAQy/s1600-h/DSC01994cropped.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwoFAbUgbEEpXxQCfNAbjzF-hVibFRHBCpBFy8-Nq8c-GbhtZgDMGl8VZewHnjG3rEzrIBShcXC4EliqSeW7zqqXHLcSeeAWv5fUJLEdbx2p950t_f1umitRdh1D8ZzKhB-nd3CMLQiAQy/s400/DSC01994cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199878750351456162" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Myself and some of the other JFs during out stopover in Amsterdam.</span><br /><br />Thinking back to the last week, pre-departure training was a pretty intense experience. Sessions started at 9am every morning and ended anywhere from 6pm to 10pm. Topics included the structure of development (donors, NGOs and individuals), safety, security and health, cultural integration and methods of participatory fieldwork. We struggled through the challenges of real life development project case studies and tried to learn as much as possible about our particular projects. Just about every session involved some sort of group participation and as the week progressed we found ourselves doing more and more “real” activities such as making presentations, role playing and conducting interviews.<br /><br />But the biggest lessons of the week didn't come in the form of specific skills or knowledge. The most important thing I got out of the week was and understanding of just how hard what we're about to do is. It's not that I didn't know this before, but knowing and understanding are two very different things. And no amount of development knowledge, facilitation techniques or frameworks can change the fact that this is going to be hard. The skills and knowledge we picked up this week are good starting tools, but really in the grand scheme of things they're drops in a bucket. They aren't puzzle pieces we can fit together to find answers, there aren't even answers to find. All there really is is learning. I think I'm about to do a lot of learning...<br /><br />Andrea just told me to look out the window of the plane and down at the Sahara desert. It certainly looks like a desert, there isn't really a better way to put it. Starting to get really nervous now. I guess I know I can do this, I'm just not sure how. Here's hoping for the best. Besides, it's a little late to turn back now.Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-53126495199804324882008-05-02T03:53:00.000-07:002008-05-02T05:17:49.104-07:00Reserving Judgement<p class="MsoNormal">Predeparture training is now in full swing. On Wednesday morning Henry and I boarded our plane in Winnipeg and arrived in Toronto. <a href="http://hpapst.blogspot.com/">Henry</a> is also a Junior Fellow going to Ghana this summer, but is from the University of Manitoba and will be working with the Africa 2000 Network in the good governance sector. Wednesday evening was fairly low key, we got to the EWB house in downtown Toronto, snagged two of the few remaining bunks and met the 20 or so other Junior Fellows for the first time since the National EWB Conference in January. Levi, EWB's director of overseas sending, gave a short introductory speech outlining the current bed bug infestation in downtown Toronto (still none to be seen) and gave a brief outline of the next week of training.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Thursday was pretty straight into workshops. We covered a number of more general topics including our hopes and fears for the summer, how we each choose to define development and what makes an effective agent for change. We were presented with the following list of characteristics of effective change agents:<ol><li><p class="MsoNormal">Internally driven and motivated</p></li><li><p class="MsoNormal">Willing to push yourself</p></li><li><p class="MsoNormal">Committed to impact/results/Dorothy*</p></li><li><p class="MsoNormal">Committed to learning and thinking</p></li><li><p class="MsoNormal">Humility/patience/accepting of ambiguity</p></li><li><p class="MsoNormal">Able to build trust</p></li><li><p class="MsoNormal">Follow all communicating, reporting and safety requirements</p></li></ol></p><p class="MsoNormal">Although we brainstormed what each meant as a group, number five seemed to have particular resonance with me. It reminded me of something Sarah Lewis (a former long term volunteer with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Ghana) said a few weeks ago about confronting moral issues that she felt very strongly about. She gave the example of the attitude many Ghanaian men have about the worth of female education and described how she dealt with these situations. She said her strategy was to reserve judgement. Before deciding this person was wrong, she would try to learn as much as she could about whether their attitudes were typical, about why the attitudes existed and about how they could be overcome. In the case of female education, Sarah described how it would have been ineffective to tell fathers they should send their daughters to school because it was the right of all women to have an education. Instead she said the key was to engage people on a level they really identified with. She would talk about this prominent Ghanaian woman who was very well liked and was about to enter the government before her sudden death. Throughout Ghanaian society she is held with respect and admiration. When she asked fathers, "wouldn't you like your daughter to grow up to be like that?", they would agree that this would make them very proud of their daughters.</p><p class="MsoNormal">I think this idea of reserving judgement transcends international development or cross cultural experiences. It's so easy to say someone else is just wrong, but it's so much more effective to try to understand what their feelings are and why they feel that way. Even if you do decide to disagree with them, just the process of trying to understand them builds respect. At the risk of sounding over dramatic, I think the world would genuinely be a better place if everyone took this approach. I think disagreement is always going to exist, but that it's the lack of respect that's really damaging in relations, either between individuals or on a larger scale.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>* Dorothy is a metaphorical individuals used in EWB to represent our boss: a man or woman in a developing country striving to work themselves out of poverty but meeting often insurmountable obstacles.</i></p>Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980381551307035613.post-82815173966008265222008-04-27T13:30:00.000-07:002008-11-12T22:50:03.577-08:00Because All Good Stories Need An Introduction<p class="MsoNormal">Hello there! This is the first of what I hope to be many posts over the course of this summer. For those who don't know, I'll be spending three and a half months in Ghana as a Junior Fellow volunteer with Engineers Without Borders Canada. The following is a short description of what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><h2>What is Engineers Without Borders Canada?</h2> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQc_WyCyCeqwkqYECERMCX5AzQUQo6vtELpKJaBDyCIk6p0IjxbVK19j6kq1BDNNCtRXkz-xJOwGY_dZ8szbIbgHdhuAqMwvCc3x4aQTeUxYH3JRYVPofB7sgs_xd9Xe5uHsCs_zBw_9yJ/s1600-h/ewblogo.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQc_WyCyCeqwkqYECERMCX5AzQUQo6vtELpKJaBDyCIk6p0IjxbVK19j6kq1BDNNCtRXkz-xJOwGY_dZ8szbIbgHdhuAqMwvCc3x4aQTeUxYH3JRYVPofB7sgs_xd9Xe5uHsCs_zBw_9yJ/s200/ewblogo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194175852440441138" /></a>Engineers Without Borders Canada (EWB) is an organization committed to reducing poverty in the developing world. The organization’s formal mission statement is to promote human development through access to appropriate technology. In reality this means a couple things. Firstly, EWB works to inform Canadians about the role that they can play to make this country more responsible to the real needs of those living in poverty. This type of public education is largely carried out by members of EWB’s 27 university chapters and 7 professional chapters across Canada. Our work in Canada focuses on the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca/en/the-issues/trade-justice">elimination of unfair trade policies</a> between western countries and developing countries, on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca/en/the-issues/more-and-better-aid">increasing Canada’s official development assistance</a> and on the <a target="_blank" href="http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=24509">untying of Canada’s existing foreign aid</a>. Secondly, EWB recognizes that there is a direct role for westerners to play in the developing world. By partnering with existing non-governmental organizations, local entrepreneurs, governments and other groups in developing countries, EWB strives to increase the capacity of the development sector by identifying the root causes of poverty and focusing on long term and sustainable impact. EWB’s overseas team is based in four countries: Ghana and Burkina Faso (West Africa) and Malawi and Zambia (Southern Africa). It is composed of Junior Fellows (university students who spend 4 months overseas) as well as Long Term Overseas Volunteers (university graduates who typically spend one to three years overseas).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><h2>Where Am I Going and What Am I Doing?</h2><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As a Junior Fellow, I will be living and volunteering in the Tolon-Kombungu District of Northern Ghana, 45 minutes outside the city of Tamale. I will be departing Toronto on May 7 and returning in late August. Once I arrive I will be responsible for finding a Ghanaian family to stay with. While living in my host community I hope to learn some of the local language (Dagbani and Konkumba), better understand the Ghanaian culture and some of the challenges faced by the Ghanaian people, and leave the people I meet with a better understanding (and possibly even opinion) of westerners.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">When not spending time with my host community I will be volunteering with the Ghanaian Ministry of Food and Agriculture at one of their district offices. The goal of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is to increase the incomes of Ghanaian farmers on a sustainable basis. This is done primarily through the use of technologies that increase yields and through micro-credit loans that provide access to high-capital farming inputs such as fertilizer. Unfortunately, both the adoption rate of these technologies and the repayment rate of loans are low.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">EWB and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture are partnered through a project called Agriculture as a Business. The goal of the project is to increase the effectiveness of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s existing programs by incorporating business and market messages alongside agricultural technology. EWB is in the process of developing a curriculum with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture that will include promoting record keeping, conducting profit analysis and market studies with farmers of their commodities, and facilitating farmer group development to better access loans/investment and markets.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Although the EWB and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture are involved with a variety of different crops, the majority of my time in Ghana will be spent working with rice. There are three specific projects I will likely be focusing on:</p> <ol><li><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rice Cooperative</span> - NILRIFACU (Northern Region Intensive Lowland Rice Cooperatives Union) is a farmer group that is about three years old. I will be helping them gain computer skills, develop a rice packaging, labeling and inventory system, establish a selling point in the market and generally be better organized and function more effectively.</p></li> <li><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Comparative Study of Rice Varieties</span> - NERICA (New Rice for Africa) is a project of the African Development Bank which seeks to introduce a new variety of rice that can be grown upland (no need for the intensive water of lowland varieties). Free seeds are already being distributed to farmers, but will the project work? Will the new rice really have higher yields? Will it produce the quality of rice demanded by consumers?</p></li> <li><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eat Ghana Rice Campaign</span> - A behavior change campaign aimed at increasing the local demand for Ghanaian rice. Ghanaians eat a lot of rice. A Ghanaian-Canadian I interviewed described Ghana as “more Asian than African”. The current social trend is to buy imported rice because it is whiter, free of imperfections and generally perceived as higher quality. Unfortunately, imported rice is not only less healthy than Ghanaian rice, but does not support the Ghanaian economy. I will be helping partner with market women, restaurants, schools, and other groups to promote the positive aspects of eating local rice.</p></li></ol> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutwBJBKIu-hiSRaXNy0tLjQ9fk_J2srSbRHbdiobPh00BxSML8pgJWPMrZKxiliUA7FQdnErZpurIGBmS1DSjH5k7kuFMKufaRTvPi_vvW7uM9lo4oQPQungE1TJFxQpheRDT751fVtJ5/s1600-h/rice.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutwBJBKIu-hiSRaXNy0tLjQ9fk_J2srSbRHbdiobPh00BxSML8pgJWPMrZKxiliUA7FQdnErZpurIGBmS1DSjH5k7kuFMKufaRTvPi_vvW7uM9lo4oQPQungE1TJFxQpheRDT751fVtJ5/s400/rice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194036274593255650" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ghanaian rice and imported rice.</span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p><h2>Why Am I Doing This?</h2><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">There are three main reasons why I’m going to Ghana this summer:</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ol class="MsoNormal"><li><p class="MsoNormal">I want to have a direct and positive impact on the Ghanaian people. While I recognize the incredible difficulties associated with creating measurable change in four months, I also feel that unless what I do overseas is directly useful for the Ghanaian people, I am not justified in being there (at least not in the name of development). I hope to bring the following characteristics to the projects mentioned above:</p> <ul><li><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Knowledge</span> of development theory, leadership and management techniques, and behavior change and social marketing.</p></li> <li><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Skills</span> in information technology and management, giving and receiving feedback, and communicating with a western audience.</p></li> <li><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Attitude</span> learned through use of the scientific method as it relates to rigorous analysis, methodology and documentation, as well as a concentrated drive and determination for success.</p></li></ul></li> <li><p class="MsoNormal">I want to inform Canadians about Ghana and the challenges facing people in developing countries. In contrast to having impact overseas, I think the opportunities to have impact in Canada are broad and limited only by my own efforts. I hope to share my experience with as many people as possible and to use the interest it generates to get people thinking about their own roles in promoting human development. I want to see more of my friends and family buying fair trade products; I want to see the government move closer to untying Canadian aid so that it goes to fighting the real causes of poverty rather than subsidizing Canadian industry; and I want to see an end to unfair trade policies that force developing countries to remain resource intensive economies rather than developing value-added industry.</p></li> <li><p class="MsoNormal">Lastly, I want my experience in Ghana to change me as an individual. Never having been outside of North America, Ghana is a HUGE adventure and I hope to learn a lot from it. I want the experience to increase my understanding of the world and the people in it. I want to understand the challenges facing the people in my host country, but I also want to understand what gives them joy and what makes overcoming those challenges so important. Ultimately I want that understanding to forever alter my perception of the world and my responsibilities in it. Wherever I find myself in the years to come, I want the people I meet and the experiences I have overseas to remind me of the importance of overcoming poverty and the role we all have to play.</p></li></ol> <p class="MsoNormal">My intention is not to “save” the Ghanaian people, nor do I believe they need saving. On the contrary, I expect the vast majority of progress in reducing poverty in Ghana has come from Ghanaians themselves and will continue to do so. I also recognize the destructive legacy left to developing countries by western policies of colonialism, failed structural adjustment programs and forced trade liberalization. This being said, I still feel that westerners can have a positive role to play in development. I also think that bringing people together from different parts of the world, particularly north and south, is essential. Until Canadians have a better understanding of what it means to be Ghanaian and vice versa, progress on international issues will always be limited, and the same can be said for the larger western and developing worlds. In many ways I see the Junior Fellow program as a long term investment: its greatest returns will be realized long after this summer is over. </p>Sam van Berkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14736208266283287905noreply@blogger.com6