In October, I helped to convene a women’s focus group on Mount Gorongosa.  The women who participated are almost exclusively reliant on income generated from unsustainable farming practices.

Some comments from the ladies:

  • We are happy you are here so that we can share what is on our minds and hearts.
  • Transportation is a major problem for us.  We have to go a long way to sell produce.  Sometimes when we are in our home, our husbands tell us that we need to sell something.  Women are responsible for the the children.
  • To sell produce (beans, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, or corn), we have to leave at 3:00am for the long walk to the nearest town, Vila Gorongosa.  Usually, since we haven’t eaten, we are very hungry when reach our destination at around noon.
  • Men have between 1-3 wives.
  • Drought makes life very difficult.
  • When it is raining, there is very little transportation.
  • It would be great to have a marketplace to sell our produce next to the nearby school.
  • We need access to a “bomba da agua” (a well) for water.
  • We don’t have a place to buy clothing nearby.
  • We would like to have a “moagem” nearby so that we can mill our corn.
  • We do not have a means of storing food.
  • We are lacking seeds right now.  Currently, we are plowing (slash, burn, and then turning the soil), but we have no seeds to plant…
  • There have been no changes on the mountain since Mozambique gained independence from the Portuguese – and the civil war ended in mid-1990′s.
  • These women say that they farm “down,” not “up” on the mountain (unlikely for the ones from Nhandinde).  They likely associate “up” with where there is currently forest cover.
  • There are no groups here that offer us farming assistance, like in other areas of Mozambique.  There are no active agricultural organizations working with us.
  • We need help with clothes and food since we stay far from the main road.
  • It is hard to feed the children when you are poor.
  • There is a shortage of family planning and/or people to teach us.  Family planning assistance would be good going home to home.   (This could be further discussed, as at least one woman said it was better to do outside of the home).
  • There is no nearby health center.
  • Our husbands treat us unfair in terms of money, clothes, school, financial, and family planning.
  • People are leaving their homes and going to settle in the main road to change their type of life.

At the end of the discussion of general needs, we showed the group of women a sample of a tree seedling (soil in plastic bag with a germinated seed).  We asked the ladies if they would be willing to begin producing these bagged seedlings, if we provided them materials and payment for their work (1 metical per seedling).

  • The women looked at the bags, asked about the materials (seeds, dirt, plastic bags, etc) and then agreed that they would be willing to take on a project like this.

The plan is to arrange a second meeting in November to be held at one of the tree nurseries on the mountain.  There, we can inquire if the women would like to participate in a pilot project, which would consist on the development of 2 “community” tree nurseries.  They will be involved in determining the location of these nurseries and will receive the guidance they need in respect to building and maintaining them.  We will need to get an official roster of membership to begin this project and agree on a payment procedure.

TREE SEEDLING PROJECT

Projected First Year (2011) Budget (15 women):            $3,698.00*

Projected First Year (2011) Production of Seedlings: 117,500

*Amount does not include the cost of purchasing seedling bags ($750.00).  This cost, however, should not be added to the expense of the project, as the GMRP has already been approved for this purchase.

 

First quarter budget (15 women) 38 Meticals/1 US Dollar:  $276.00

Months 1-3 (3 months)

3-4 meetings food budget:  $50

GMRP Vehicle Support (gasoline, etc): $52

Supplies and Labor: 5,000 seedling bags, 4 watering pots ($42), bamboo for building nurseries, and skilled labor from the GMRP forestry team.

Month 3 Payment to Participants:  (2 Community Gardens = 5,000 seedlings) = $132

 

Second quarter budget (15 women):  38 Meticals/1 US Dollar: $1246.00

Months 4-6 (3 months)

3-4 meetings food budget:  $50

GMRP Vehicle Support (gasoline, etc): $52

Supplies and Labor: 32,500 seedling bags, 15 watering pots ($158), bamboo for building nurseries, and skilled labor from the GMRP forestry team.

Month 6 Payments to Participants: (15 Personal Gardens = 37,500 seedlings) = $986

 

Third quarter budget (15 women):  38 Meticals/1 US Dollar: $1088.00

Months 7-9 (3 months)

3-4 meetings food budget:  $50

GMRP Vehicle Support (gasoline, etc): $52

Supplies and Labor:  As needed

Month 9 Payments to Participants: (15 Personal Gardens = 37,500 seedlings) = $986

 

Fourth quarter budget (15 women):  38 Meticals/1 US Dollar: $1088.00

Months 10-12 (3 months)

3-4 meetings food budget:  $50

GMRP Vehicle Support (gasoline, etc): $52

Supplies and Labor:  As needed

Month 12 Payments to Participants: (15 Personal Gardens = 37,500 seedlings) = $986

 

  • Expansion of this project can be done at the beginning of each quarter, but would involve added expense.
  • Tree seedlings can be used to stock a commercial nursery where sales benefit PNG or participants of the Tree Seedling Project.
  • Trees species grown below 700 meters (Park zone) can include a variety of fruit trees.

 

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