Back... Again

Back in the US of A

My gluteus maximus thanked me after more than 26 hours of continuous
use. Feels great to be home, but am starting to miss Swaz and my friends
there. The assignment has been completed for now and its time to come home.

However, it doesn't feel like a good-bye.. cause its not.

Almost two years ago, we set a list of objectives for moringa in
Swaziland. We're on the verge of completing all of them. We've got
government clearance, moringa trial plots around the country, steady
flow of seeds, training workshops for farmers, and the only one
partially incomplete is the development of moringa market for income
generation. That final task will be finished by May, the end of the
growing season.

Its not goodbye because moringa is only part of the food security and
nutrition solution. So whats going to happen now?

The moringa component is going to push forward. We're doing workshops
for a bunch of organizations and sourcing seeds for anybody who wants to
grow it. Over the next 3 months, we anticipate roughly 10,000 seeds will
passed along to farmers and children's homes just from Thokozane's
training sessions. We will help these farmers market excess moringa
powder and generate income for school fees, food, healthcare, and
whatever else the family needs.

The next pilot project is what we're calling an Anchor Farm headed by
our super-star farmer, Thokozane Khumalo.

Swaziland imports 50% of its food from South Africa. Why? The reasons
are combinations of macro reasons (water, inputs, labor) and micro
reasons (local politics, marketing difficulties, transportation,
knowledge). No matter what the reasons are, the solutions are going to
be community specific. There is not one solution that will fit all
communities, all regions.

These privately-owned Anchor Farms can provide the example, the
assistance, and the problem-solving skills to lead communities to
greater food production. Furthermore, empirical evidence shows that such
an Anchor Farm can be self-sustainable and highly profitable, which is
conducive future replication and scaling.

Our first Anchor Farm will have four functions; 1. moringa leaf
production for market, 2. demonstration farm for new crops and
techniques, 3.produce marketing for community collective volume, and 4.
regional nursery producing seedlings for gardeners and farmers.

Alright, time to rest...