On Thursday we went back to see our neighbour AKK's (Abdul Kareem Koroma) farm. It is a project he is doing with the help of numerous youth, including some of his own children. He has some support from friends in Canada, but the going is not always easy for this innovative project. He is enlisting the help of youth, utilizing solar irrigation, planting diverse and innovative crops and attempting to market crops in fresh ways. He was proud to show off his swamp (farm) and we were privileged to be shown around.
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| In the shadow of a Canadian flag, AKK and his assistants proudly stand in the middle of their farm. |
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| As we arrive well before the heat of the day, everyone is busy irrigating, cultivating, raking, weeding and transplanting. |
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| Someone has to be at the bottom of the well when the water table is low. |
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| AKK proudly displays the solar panels which enable him to fill two huge tanks in about 45 minutes. The panels are stored safely and securely when not in use. |
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| Right now, we are neighbours with AKK. In the future, he hopes to be able to live (at least on weekends) here at the farm with his family, about 3 miles from our house. |
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| Composting takes less than a month. Did you hear that, those of you who try to compost in BC? |
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| There have been a few setbacks in building the farmhouse, but here is evidence of progress. |
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| Posing in front of the solar panels. |
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| Bitterball, I think. |
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| John relishes his job collecting grasshoppers. |
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| They are trying to grow peppers, cabbages, bitterball, beans, cassava, watermelon, pumpkin, pineapple, bananas, mangoes, avocados ... |
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| The nursery. |
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| Watering. |
An incredible amount of work goes into a farm like this. There is no machinery. No livestock is used to plow. Everything is done by hand. It is inspiring to see the satisfaction that AKK, a Muslim, derives from his work. Like the Christian farmers I have met, AKK is interested in the fruit of his labour.
This is what God does. He gives his best - the sun to warm and the rain to nourish - to everyone, regardless ... Matthew 5:45 (The Message)
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