"Smart Farm"

Just get to work!

The International Collaborative Demonstration Farm, that we are unapologetically calling, “Smart Farm”, is located in the Nagotuno area just south of Selela Village and next to the Selela Forest and Ngorongoro escarpment. 

This escarpment is the edge of the Ngorongoro Highlands in the great Rift Valley in that part of East Africa.

Last month we told you about our experiment with a solar powered pump in a borehole. It is working very well! We are now planning crops and engineering the next steps.

The ground water comes up the pipe at the borehole site and has to be distributed efficiently to where the plants need it. The challenges are:

•   Land preparation

•   Water distribution infrastructure

•   System maintenance

•   Weeding, proper fertilizing

•   Intrusive wildlife control

•   Learning everything about crops and their needs

•   Marketing

Three Growing Areas

In order to maximize our own learning while also bringing useful demonstrations to our neighbors, we are first creating three different growing areas:

Tomatoes— 1.5 acres

We are developing this area to provide drip irrigation. We will lay pipes in rows with drip outlets every 30 centimeters.

Many types of vegetables do well with drip irrigation. It requires an initial investment for the drip pipes and controlling valves, but is a great method for conserving water for plants that need water focused on them and their roots.

Bananas—2.2 acres

The bananas will be watered by flow in channels from a water hub filled with a pipe from the borehole.

Corn or rice—1.6 acres (crop to be decided)

This area will be prepared for flow from a hub, similar to the banana systems. It will be dedicated for rice only if our borehole supply is actually just an addition to great rain.

The key to that decision is the expected duration of rain starting this November. If there is no hope for reliable large-scale rain, we will plant corn and use the groundwater as the primary source.

We are going to demonstrate that corn can be raised well using groundwater, whether or not we first try rice. Corn is a staple of Tanzanian food, and farmers, even those open to new ideas, want to take advantage of the immense market for corn, independent of current ideas for better food production.

We ourselves have experience in corn farming, but are hiring farmers experienced in banana, tomatoes, vegetables, and rice to work with us

While we are learners, we don’t want to waste growing periods just with our learning. So we are thankful that there are experts who can help us make sure our learning does not delay the demonstration of the productivity of our farm and the usefulness of groundwater.

We are developing demonstration programs in both livestock and agricultural areas to help the Maasai explore creative directions they can take in the face of the challenges to their rain-based economy.

We appreciate the efforts and contributions of all who are making this possible.

Taking action today!