Sustainable Farming Growing Carrots (Africa)

For the fourth planting season, after successful maize and sugar bean harvests, carrots were planted. Unlike our first harvests where irrigation was necessary, this planting season has received excessive rain causing rapid and extensive weed growth. In lieu of herbicides, and in keeping with the mission of increasing employment in the community, especially for women and girls, we hired them to tend and weed the fields. The first two crops we chose to grow were maize and sugar beans, both staples of the Zimbabwean diet. Once these fields were harvested we decided to grow root crops. Carrots are classified as a root crop and grow best in cool weather. They are an incredibly nutritious source of vitamins, including K, B6, and C among others. The rich orange color that typifies carrots is due to carotene, which is converted into Vitamin A when we eat them. Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant which has a critical role in maintaining healthy vision and neurological function. Carrots are high in fiber and sugar, which makes them the perfect to eat, whether cooked or uncooked. When harvested, they are washed, but it is advisable to rewash them prior to consumption.

Clean Water Initiative

Gaining access to clean water is at the heart of programs designed to improve the lives of people living in regions of the world in which this is a challenge. Clean water initiatives are funded by private, public, and charitable organizations, because people can survive with little to no food, but will die without water.  We implemented a water conservation program as part of our mission, and in adherence to ZFP’s commitment to foster sustainable agriculture.

With the repair of the wind-pump, and the rehabilitation of the borehole, farm employees and residents now have consistent access to potable water free of contaminates which transmits diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, etc.  The success of our clean water initiative has enabled us to conserve the water resources, thus reducing the stress on the borehole, as well as realizing greater efficiencies in terms of human productivity, and crop yield.

Harvest Time! Carrots

Harvesting carrots is relatively straightforward though it requires a lot of bending to get down into the thick of things. We had never planted carrots, and to our delight, we had an amazingly healthy crop. The farm manager, Maxwell, was instrumental in bringing this harvest to fruition, with the oversight and assistance of Richard, Talkmore, and other community members. The farm currently has three crops growing – maize, potatoes, and carrots. As of today they have harvested a quarter of the fields

Planting Potatoes

Growing potatoes has been a wonderfully enlightening experience. Mr. Tauro, who is the farm manager, recommended planting root and tuber crops. Since he has successfully managed the planting and harvest of four seasons of crops for the project, this seemed like an worthwhile investment. Unlike previous years, rains have been plentiful this season, and since potatoes require consistent moisture, this was immensely helpful. Recently, an ox plough was hired to do ‘ridging,’ also known as ‘hilling’ of the fields. This is typically done every few weeks to make sure that dirt covers the roots of the plants, and that the green potatoes are not exposed to sunlight which will cause them to be bitter. Our plants have begun to flower which is a signal that the potatoes are nearing maturity.