Notes from Zambia

Aug. 13, 2010

Today was a very important day where each team met with their respective COMACO leader to compile their reports, which will be presented this coming Monday. The case studies that are being organized are the result of the intense work that was performed by the groups over the last two weeks:

Farmer Groups

Z-Team Members: Wyatt and Caleb

COMACO Staff Member: Nathan Mulambya

Green Market

Z-Team Members: Catharine and Austin

COMACO Staff Member: Simon Banda

Poultry and Bees

Z-Team Members: Jake and Laura

COMACO Staff Member: Gilbert Botha

We look forward to our presentations on Monday.

NOW, time for some rest and relaxation! Tomorrow, we head for the COMACO Bush Camp for some fun and adventure. We hope to see plenty of wildlife and other feats of nature. See you on Monday!

The Z Team

Aug. 12, 2010

The weather today once again proved to be rather unseasonably cool, and it certainly provided for some interesting conditions during our transport times! However, it didn’t dampen the spirits of the Z-Team. We are making the big push toward tomorrow’s main task of preparing our final reports with our respective COMACO team leaders. We all felt a twinge of sadness knowing that this was our final day of visits with producers.

The Poultry and Bees team were once again part of a meeting of new and prospective COMACO members in the Jumbe area. This crowd was even larger than yesterday’s, with the number attending hovering around 50. This was exciting to witness since this means that even more producers are joining the ranks of those who are aiming for food security along with preserving wildlife through sustainable farming methods. The Farmer Group team attended another meeting of lead farmers and witnessed a particularly high level of professionalism by the participants as they are stepping up in their leadership roles. The Green Market Team visited area COMACO gardeners who are having challenges with elephants raiding their gardens and trampling and eating their produce. While these gardeners were very sad and forlorn, they nonetheless wished to remain firm in their commitment to sustainable production. During our time there, they were given instruction on mulching and establishment of individual tree nurseries. They were given the seeds on behalf of COMACO with the agreement that the trees are to planted for use as windbreaks and sources of nitrogen for the soils in their fields.

During mid-afternoon, the entire team traveled to a local safari lodge where we met with personnel in charge of food and beverage with the intent of creating a new market there for COMACO produce. While traveling in and out of the establishment, we were excited to see some wildlife such as elephants, monkeys and giraffes! On the road back to the guest house, we were delighted to witness a spectacular Zambian sunset. We are confident that this beauty will be a great omen for tomorrow’s activities.

The Z Team