My Current Projects

Hi guys today i was told to submit to my boss all of my current projects so they have some clue to what your wayfarer is actually doing. Honestly i don't have a clue what I am doing, each day is a learning experience, but i can't remember a time of having so much fun learning.

Sorry for all the Acronyms.....I work for the government.

also sorry for all the type-o's, i have no time to edit before returning to the bush, and i went to a state college.

go figure.

Here is the information you asked about, this is an outline of my current projects if you wish for further clarifications don't hesitate to ask.

PROJECT LIST

FARMING PROJECTS

Improved farming methods

-FMNR Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration

-IFMIF'S

-SEF Sahelian Eco Farm

-IITA Cowpea and Millet intercropping

Last years field combination of all four methods

30 X 30 meter field

-15+ different sources of food, Trees/ Field crops

-45+trees over 15 varieties

In village Home Fields

-Edible Forest Garden

Acacia, High Value crops, rainy season gardens, melons, gourds

-Dry lands Orchards

Mangoes, Pomegranate's, Dates, Banana, Figs, Citrus

-Sunken Well Project

Using improved methods of water catchment systems, drip irrigation w/ readily available materials to create.

Farmers Field School

What is our school

Who funded it

Successes

Failures

Influence in Village & other villages

Project Goals

Nazifi's Army

This is a group of kids who adopted my goal is to teach them improved methods of agriculture, mapping, Permaculture, micro stock management, composting. This year they are working in my Peppenaire, and will be working my field for last year and will reap all the proceeds of their harvest and hopefully will also be hired out for individual projects by the owners of fields and houses.

SIM Village Demonstration

Held a village demonstration promoting acacia trees,

-Built and trained villagers on improved cook stoves

-Demonstrated integrating acacia flour into traditional foods

-Health benefits of acacia for humans and microstock

-Discussed Improved farm management FMNR, IFMIF'S (SASSABE ZAMANI)

-Prepared food for 300+ people

TREE NURSERY/PEPPENAIRE

The goal of this years tree nursery project is train nurserymen on improved methods of management, and provide advanced training in techniques such as grafting mangoes, pomme de sahel, and citrus trees. Since assuming management of the nursery my ambition is to integrate a permaculture design into the existing nursery using a dry land orchard and garden into the area.

Tree Planting

-1500 acacia trees: A. Coleii, A. Tumida, A. Touralousa

-500 High value trees: Merenga, Baobob, grafted varieties of Mangoes, PDS, along with Citrus and numerous fruit trees.

-Collaborating with PPILDA's demands to out plant an additional 2,000 trees such as Neem and other native varieties.

Animal Integration

Goats, Sheep, Chickens, OX, Horse, potentially bees.

-All animals bred are used to distribute freely to organized groups.

-Readily Supply of Manure/Compost materials for orchard and gardens

Income Generation-value added products

(hibiscus juice, food products from fields such as sesame cakes)

Trained individuals to build improved cook stoves

Rainy Season and Cold season gardens

Traditional - Melons, Gourds, tomatoes, carrots, etc

Initially the gardens in the orchard will be focused more on gardening training methods rather than high output

INRAN Agro Forestry Project

Collaboration of 3 surrounding villages and over 20+ workers

Out planting In Sha Allah 15,000+ native varieties trees

Tree Nursery Irrigation Systems

Due to the high volume of trees and water demands for each peppenaire, I am currently working to provide both nursery's with an irrigation system that extends from the wells underground and fills water cisterns connected to the well and above ground water catchment systems.

Nursery Training Courses

Working in collaboration with SIM international to train local nurserymen and provide training in advanced techniques.

-Currently organizing field trips to regional Peppenaire's

Livestock

-Women's groups Goat and Sheep distribution 20+

-Rabbit project teaching management, breeding, nutrition, and innovative methods to build rabbit hutches.

-Chicken nutrition project improving diet of fowl using acacia seeds

-I have recently purchased an ox to pull water for my nursery and will be an invaluable resource for plowing and carrying heavy loads on the cart to desired locations. I will also be turning the bull's diet into a project in itself demonstrating proper animal nutrition, and medicine.

PERMACULTURE

Since being in Niger I have been studying an alternative method of agriculture called Permaculture. The benefit of this type of agriculture is that it reinforces living within the limitations of the environment, maximizing the potential of every resource, but always striving to improve the quality of soil and the availability of food.

I have realized that there is a huge demand in this type of agriculture in Niger. Permaculture is a type of agriculture derived from the best of what traditional agriculture around the world provides. Permaculture will work here because it is based on foraging which reinforces the typical village lifestyle but stresses organizing and zone management of space.

This is in large my contribution to the village, and as each project evolves my goal is after my service to have shown my village an alternative method of working and living.

Currently there are administrators looking into the possibility of integrating these concepts into PC training. Also I will be leaving behind a manual of my work, and Permaculture design manual tailored specifically for Niger.

Examples of Permaculture Housing

A principal of Permaculture is to utilize untapped resources generally discarded as unusable. Some examples would be old tires, large tomato paste cans, woven cement sacks for water storage when planting high water demanding trees such as mangoes. Shade Hangars are also an incredible resource, they are a multifunctional tool for shade, and storage, but why not make them even more so.

Garden Hangar-

This waist high structure connected to my house will support a variety of readily available herbs and vegetables used to flavor sauces and add essential vitamins.

The microstock Shade Hangar-

A larger structure adjacent to the garden hangar will supply ample area for shade, and if built correctly will be planted with grass, which will offer a living barrier to protect the structure from solar damage and rain but will doubly function to provide rabbits and chickens with a readily available food source.

In addition I intend to demonstrate how to create a hanging garden from the support structure which will grow items such as tomatoes and peppers upside down so that gravity works in favor to stimulate a healthier plant since energy will not be needed to support its standing structure.

Housing-

Though my goal is to build a new house using permaculture design, currently I am looking into how to make the roof of my house a living space as well, and will be building a series of water diversion and catchments to support rainy season gardens and doubly function as compost pits during dry season.

Potato and Garden Huts

Currently there are numerous empty circular huts with no roofs which serve no other function that taking up space, or if someone doesn't want to walk to the bush to relieve themselves. Why not use these as a protected areas to plant gardens, composting, or more imaginatively as a place to grow potatoes.

The idea is to accumulate old unusable tires and create them into a valuable resource by planting the ground lever with seed and as the potato plant grows the manager adds more compost and stacks tires higher as the plant grows. This will provide the gardener with easily accessible source of food and market produce.

This project also reinforces the need to compost instead of dumping and spreading field fodder without composting.

House Gardens

As opposed to empty unused huts, hamlets being lived in can be just as a valuable resource for rainy season gardening. Planting around a hut an individual can direct the water to cisterns, and can also compost for a healthy garden if protected. Also thinking of utilizing resources think of the roof itself, all year organic matter clings to every roof and when it rains this organic material returns to the ground, it can be rich in nutrients which will also support healthier plants.

The Forest Garden

Forest gardens are an area that mimics the natural system of a forest only in this case the manager chooses which species to integrate which could include for example highly sought after medicinal plants, trees for fruit/nuts, animal fodder, and building supplies.

The Dryland Orchard

Dryland orchards in the typical Nigerien village could drastically alter the use of land for small fields within individual concessions and similarly could drastically improve the nutrition and income generation for the household. Though the orchard will need to be protected and will be water intensive, labor intensity and resource use can be drastically reduced by adapting permaculture planting designs. The idea is using less water more effectively and allowing the orchard to be largely rain fed thus allowing many isolated villages with deep water tables the opportunity to grow within their villages a resource not generally considered feasible.

In my opinion introducing and training my villagers will be my greatest contribution agriculturally to my village, Dan Saga is a village agriculturally well ahead of the curve of the typical Nigerien village but there is room for improvement and my goal is to continue my self taught method of this agriculture and hopefully return to Niger promoting this alternative in thinking about land use and management.

Center for the Promotion of Music" CFPM"

Recently while playing music at the CFPM I was inspired by one of the local musicians who recently assumed control over the café' and after starting out with an investment of only 2,500 cfa ($5.00 USD) and after a little more than a month is now operating a full café' with one other employee.

If you think the term starving artists means something come here and you'll see the artists and musicians are hungry for more things than food for their sustenance. They need work, food, instruments, job skills, and most importantly inspiration to create and sustain something for themselves instead of relying on donations.

My desire is to create a full scale permaculture design onto their compound planting things for food, building materials, instruments, and other natural resource management methods to maximize every resource available. But generally as an artist myself I would want a more welcoming environment for the artist of the center.

Okay well that's about it, if you have any questions, or "what the hello are you thinking kind of comments"please don't feel hesitant to ask, each of these projects are a learning experience as much for myself as the villagers and I am always open to constructive outside advice or ideas.

I expect that for the IST in may I would deliver a general outline of my work, and provide information in the form of pictures and handouts as a resource for the volunteers to think of how to incorporate into their own agriculture or natural resource management work.

Good Bye's & Tree Training Trips Written March 14

Greetings folks,

Wow what a busy time!

For a country whose national motto is SAI HANKURI "have patience" things sure are moving at pretty breakneck pace. Aside from having a huge seed festival in my village at which 17 villages were agriculturally represented and about 500+folk shipped in while building my own monster of a tree nursery, along with other projects This week has kept me on the go practically from start to finish and farming season dauntingly stares at me merely two months away.

Sunday I hopped a bush taxi, nothing eventful, but Monday, Monday.

Monday my plan was to send my good friends Henry and Emily Mercier out of the Sahel in style and throw them a grand ole American style BBQ. So Monday morning I woke early, then at 'bout 0800 I was off to choose which meat off the dead cow carcass before the dark cloud of flies did.

The wonderful thing about Nigerien butchery is that all meat is considered meat. Here they recognize the tastier portions of flesh, but care not to differentiate by price, only how they chunk it up. So virtually a fillet, or T-Bone is the same price for the grisly portions that one makes hamburger from.

After visually dissecting the carcass I chose which portions I wanted and directed the butcher where to wield his blade. It was a beautiful sight; 4 kilogram's at 2 million cfa per kilo which came to a whopping grand total of 8,000 West African Francs (cfa).

The equivalent was less than 16 American dollars to pick my own meat and transport us all back to that familiar backyard paradise we all collectively remember way back in America.

After my market venture I returned home grinning ear eager to share my prize, a beautiful brisket and tenderloin, along with a couple bags full of freshly picked veggies from local farmers, all together to feed about 10 good folk the total price 12,000 cfa ($24 USD)

I dare to think of the price of that back in the states, but it didn't matter. I couldn't imagine seeing friends off like these without giving them something special to remember, not to mention those of us staying behind need from time to time a special kind of day that we forget about the rigors of our labors and take the time to enjoy each others company.

After all, for us in the Peace Corps this is a time of renewal, a time when all the new AG and NRM volunteers swear in as we veteran volunteers glee in the opportunity to either go to Niamey, stick to our villages and projects, OR come and enjoy an empty hostel.

Ultimately though most of us when together at these times we all take time to reflect on a years worth of service and be more than grateful that we are no longer them, and well on our way

What a day it turned to be, we got the party rolling by 1000 in the morn. By that time our guest came in from Zinder and we had an incredible day and one of the best gatherings that any of us could remember for quite some time. I also discovered that my soon to be departed friends were leaving to live in Maryland as Emily earned her PhD, and thankfully they would only be a couple of hours away from my potential new home in Charlottesville Virginia after the Peace Corps.

To me nothing seldom feels better than tracking my way down a river and dodging the obstacles as they come, I guess this correlates how I try to live, so it feels natural to take my bumps but really appreciate the beauty of each part of the journey especially when the river guides me kindly.

My point....

The beauty in this part of the story is how Hemily, ( as I call Henry and Emily collectively) reacted when I told them of my potential plans to move to VA, they assured me that my future home is a perfect for me, and they wouldn't be surprised if that upon my arrival the noble citizens of Charlottesville would be laying in wait (with banners) greeting the arrival of its new wayward son.

Apparently Charlottesville is an paradise thriving in bluegrass, agriculture, and not to mention a Purdy little bird building me a love nest back in the United States.

About this time, as I am wondering do I do real work here..sure. I did come to Maradi for a reason so I might as well reinforce the idea that we really are here doing work. It just doesn't always have to be hard.

So on Wednesday, after a much needed day of rest after the ville and he BBQ, our official work was to round up some volunteers village counterparts then we all would participate in a two day tree nurseryman's course at a wonderful organization based out of Australia/ New Zealand called SIM "Serving in Mission".

SIM has been fundamental in my project development for Dan Saga. A few examples would be the amazing opportunity to work so closely with some of the foremost experts in the world in relation to the Australian Acacia trees. They also will be coming to my village to talk with villagers and hold a village wide workshop demonstrating natural resource management, innovative farming designs, and making obscene amounts of nutritious food fortified with protein derived from the Acacia seeds.

So for the rest of the week up to today Friday, March 14, we attended nursery courses (all in Hausa) and without frustration we listened intently, understood, and participated. It was a wonderful opportunity to feel like a real international development agent, but more importantly a great opportunity to share ideas and experiences.

Yesterday after the course was finished my village guest and I walked to the bush taxi station and discussed our future nursery work and he was completely unable to hide his enthusiasm for this years upcoming work.

This friend, Mamman, is by far my closest Nigerien friend, he is the son the chief, lives in my concession, and is also most likely to be the next village chief.

At this point in my service I feel he is whom I need to make the greatest impression on and focus most of my project work towards. This year Mamman was going to work in Lagos, Nigeria until farming season but the chief told him he must stay behind and work with me.

Initially a little bummed at the prospect of not being able to make the bulk of his annual income abroad, his spirits lifted greatly when he learned that he and I would buy a bull together and that he would be the manager of the village nursery after the end of my service.

Mamman realizes that this is a wonderful opportunity for himself to learn something new, make some money for himself, but most importantly is for him to learn in which direction to take the village when he becomes the next village chief.

His father is the chief now and is a great man, one of the best I've ever had the pleasure to know.

I have learned that there are important men, and there are those who stand in the shadow of those for their own benefit. They deceive themselves, they might gain from exploitation and have influence, but important, or good men. They will never be.

It is my greatest aspirations that the villagers whom I chose to work closest with will be those great people.when it is Mamman's time to lead, I pray he will be such a man.

So all in all as you can see its busy here, the work is good, the life is getting better and better, and hot season hasn't been all that bad….yet…..(knock on wood for me please)

Okay so thanks for tuning in, turning on, and dropping out as Timothy Leary, one of America's former leading brilliant wackoo's often proclaimed. As always I hope this is good waste of your time.

Until then,

Sai anjima.

p.s. I'm off to the bush for the next couple weeks and will be incredibly busy so don't expect to hear from me too much. But sometime around the 7th of April I will be in Niamey again for my mid service training, its hard to believe that I am that far into my service and then in a couple short months it will be my end of service conference.

It seems like yesterday I was back in the states without a clue but with a healthy reserve of optimism. Though I still don't have a clue, the optimism reserve is holding and I believe that my work here will mean something. Who knows by tomorrow it will feel like my time here has ended.

Take care guys.

I am actually sending this while being at my MID SERVICE TRAINING, what does that say for being busy.

I'm going to go and see a man about a horse, Attaboy.

2-26-08

Going to Niamey or traveling for that matter is always an encouraged event when needing to step away. Or if you want see some old friends taking off from Niger as they end this period of their lives and begin another journey as they step back into the unknown, the world we all left behind.

Its helpful to see them, gauge their mood and use it as a tool to cope with only having a short time here.

I have a little over 9 months left before my adventure changes again.

Scary.

Trips often revel their true meaning as the journey develops. Sometimes on a good journey you meet new interesting people and learn a little more about the world through them. Or all kinds of fun challenges present themselves and provides more fascinating self discoveries to the limits of patience, or the levels of microbial infection one can weather on a pot hole road.

Adjusting to unexpected detours is part of the spice of life and as time rolls on you just go with the flow instead of fighting the forces of nature.

My trip to Niamey was swell, seeing my good friends Alex and Bri's village in the Balleyara region was both informative and a treat to see new country plus I was thrilled to be able work in their garden, and eating the spoils of their labor. Also conversing with like minded agrophilliacs about our experiances and work, is always worth the mulitple day trip it takes to get there.

Sometimes the road throws you a bone in the form of a taxi; empty, cheap, and with the same structural integrity of a slinky. But as it comes wiggling by, damn if its not a sight for sore eyes.

Afterwards I went back to my Native Hamdallaye and immediately heard "Nazifi!!! Nazifi!!! Barka da Zuwa!!!!! (blessings on your coming)

I haven't been in this place for nearly a year, how do they remember me?

Briskly pining over this, I reduced there are not a lot of white guys wearing a brimmed hats with bright red beards and a mandolin strapped to their back.

I spent lunch strolling down memory lane feeling like a an old veteran and talking about my projects and experiences.

A year ago I was one of them, any stimulus is good up on the desolated training site.

In Niamey I met a courageous married couple, he is a Swedish adventurer/math professor and she an Iranian hydrologist. Currently they are driving an 89' tank of a Land Cruiser all the way from Sweden, to the south of Nigeria then they are going to climb a mountain then move to America and work at Purdue University as a math professor.

Not a bad way to set off for America huh?

That's the beauty of being on the road, especially in Niger. A large part of the Nigerien culture is historically nomadic, and it seems that it attracts a different sorts of wanderers from all corners of the globe.

Last night we had a farewell dinner and party for our soon to be departed and estranged AG/NRM class of '07. It was a real joy to dress up again go to a formal dinner, and have a good time and put my dancing shoes one afterwards. Though I prefer the bush life and roughing it, sometimes a boy just needs to feel pretty.

:-)

Supposed to go back to Maradi this morning, but it can wait. Its going to be a long time before I see these folks again, besides until I buy my ox, I am kind of in a work lull.

Okay that about settles it, day after tomorrow I spread my wings and fly.

Till then sai anjima

Bought a horse. Wrong time to buy, but the right price; 100,000 cfa ($225-250). Thanks to the income boost going home receiving my income taxes. 1 horse, 2 books later, the remainder of my fiscal presence is no more.

I am starting to feel more like a start up farmer than a volunteer.

Feels kinda cool.

I bought him from a derelict owner, well I think anyways. He's a little starved, but has a frame for a good sized horse. Eight years old, willful, but kind. When I bought him he needed medicine for his eyes, back, and not to mention looked pretty aerodynamic, that is all ribs and hip bones.

Our first trip together into the bush showed me that he was a good purchase, I haven't rode much in the last decade and he immediately seemed to be a perfect match for me. Our 6km round trip showed me he is going to be an amazing horse despite his initial lack of health.

He has been in my care for the last two weeks and has already shown drastic improvements especially in his health and character development.

On the market day a week after buying him a lot of horses came to Dan Saga and the enthusiasm for a late afternoon horse race was the topic of the town. I love horse racing days, its not that I find 6 year old kids being in harms way while straddling expertly atop a racer particularly safe, but its impressive.

Plus this time I could roll in on my own.

Horse races bring out all the characters, kids, musicians, vendors, herders, farmers, drunks and all sorts of good common folk looking for a little entertainment.

Having a horse seems to be a status symbol, riding a healthy horse is like cruising about in a sports car, you get noticed.

I had the horse for about a week and had rode him once so far, but he seemed spirited for a ride and it seemed that kind of day to introduce Dan Saga's newest horse to the village.

It was going to be a good day Immediately after mounting him, something was different he was a different horse, he responded well, and immediately seemed eager to kick some dust up and put the village in the distance.

As soon as he saw the racing field and all the other horses, he needed no encouragement, he took off on his own, who was this stud?

We ran!!! And man it was fun

Not only that, I was convinced to enter him in the horse race and he performed wonderfully.

Came in dead last both races, the first he cut across the racing field nearly bucking his adopted rider, the next after the other horses started, he said, ah when I'm ready….

Then zoom!!

Waiting at the finish line proudly for my horse to speed past he came way behind the other horses, but still at a amazing speed for a starved horse. Dead last again, to the laughs of my villagers, and to the applause and cheering from his proud owner, he took shit from no rider, and showed amazing recovery.

Stubborn as hell, but also with a sweet side

Damn I am going to like this "doki" (Horse in Hausa)

He was barely able to walk when I bought him, and now he runs with spirit.

So what's his name?

Attaboy!! Attaboy!!

April 10th I have had Attaboy for nearly two months and he has excelled in every way as a horse. He "kira's" constantly at other horses or if the occasion beckons, he's competitive, curious, and proud. We could trudge through the bush in the heat of the day, exhausted. But when we get close to a village, he rears his head, puffs up, and starts wanting to show off.

I already receive enough attention, plus it’s a lot of fun run'n so why not

YA!!!!!

ZOOM!!!

A couple of weeks ago I was riding back to Dan Saga with my friend on another horse, Attaboy felt spunky so he bolted, the other smaller, and thought to be faster horse caught up, Attaboy glanced back, at the horse and gave me the sign that he's about to kick it up a bit. 10 minutes I waited in my ville for the friend to come, Attaboy ran the whole 3km, and wanted more.

Damn!!

I would hate to be cliché' and say he eats like a horse, and about time, he hasn't been able to do that for a long spell. My rabbits are breeding like....you get the idea.

Anyways, a couple of weeks ago my chief and I were riding to a market down about 20km down the bush road and we came across a caravan of horses on their way to a horse race. One of the riders, my chiefs' friend asked if Attaboy was so and so's horse and loosly translated said 'HOLY SHIT!' "he was a hell of a horse"

A good investment indeed.

A sporty young horse that needed a second chance and wound up excelling, gotta love a story like that.

Having A'boy has greatly enriched my experience here, I lack the ability to explain what riding horseback in the sahelien full moon at a full sprint through the bush is breathtaking.

I am definitely going to want a horse back in the States.

Folks we meet along the way. Written 2-16-08

Going to Niamey or traveling for that matter is always an encouraged event when needing to step away. Or if you want see some old friends taking off from Niger as they end this period of their lives and begin another journey as they step back into the unknown, the world we all left behind.

Its helpful to see them, gauge their mood and use it as a tool to cope with only having a short time here.

I have a little over 9 months left before my adventure changes again.

Scary.

Trips often revel their true meaning as the journey develops. Sometimes on a good journey you meet new interesting people and learn a little more about the world through them. Or all kinds of fun challenges present themselves and provides more fascinating self discoveries to the limits of patience, or the levels of microbial infection one can weather on a pot hole road.

Adjusting to unexpected detours is part of the spice of life and as time rolls on you just go with the flow instead of fighting the forces of nature.

My trip to Niamey was swell, seeing my good friends Alex and Bri's village in the Balleyara region was both informative and a treat to see new country plus I was thrilled to be able work in their garden, and eating the spoils of their labor. Also conversing with like minded agrophilliacs about our experiances and work, is always worth the mulitple day trip it takes to get there.

Sometimes the road throws you a bone in the form of a taxi; empty, cheap, and with the same structural integrity of a slinky. But as it comes wiggling by, damn if its not a sight for sore eyes.

Afterwards I went back to my Native Hamdallaye and immediately heard "Nazifi!!! Nazifi!!! Barka da Zuwa!!!!! (blessings on your coming)

I haven't been in this place for nearly a year, how do they remember me?

Briskly pining over this, I reduced there are not a lot of white guys wearing a brimmed hats with bright red beards and a mandolin strapped to their back.

I spent lunch strolling down memory lane feeling like a an old veteran and talking about my projects and experiences.

A year ago I was one of them, any stimulus is good up on the desolated training site.

In Niamey I met a courageous married couple, he is a Swedish adventurer/math professor and she an Iranian hydrologist. Currently they are driving an 89' tank of a Land Cruiser all the way from Sweden, to the south of Nigeria then they are going to climb a mountain then move to America and work at Purdue University as a math professor.

Not a bad way to set off for America huh?

That's the beauty of being on the road, especially in Niger. A large part of the Nigerien culture is historically nomadic, and it seems that it attracts a different sorts of wanderers from all corners of the globe.

Last night we had a farewell dinner and party for our soon to be departed and estranged AG/NRM class of '07. It was a real joy to dress up again go to a formal dinner, and have a good time and put my dancing shoes one afterwards. Though I prefer the bush life and roughing it, sometimes a boy just needs to feel pretty.

:-)

Supposed to go back to Maradi this morning, but it can wait. Its going to be a long time before I see these folks again, besides until I buy my ox, I am kind of in a work lull.

Okay that about settles it, day after tomorrow I spread my wings and fly.

Till then sai anjima

Good Work of the Year

Greetings all.

I am currently in Maradi and enjoying a much needed rest. Since returning to Dan Saga everything has been on the go go go and all my efforts are focused on preparing my tree nursery for the upcoming year.

The hammock is hung, the dirt is being turned, materials are accumulating and my passion for agriculture is only intensifying with each new day of work in my peppenaire.

Yippee!!!!! I feel all giggly thinking about it

Last week my focus was on fencing, I repaired some spots in the old portion of the nursery, and then put up a 35 meter chain link fence to create an area reserved for animal management and manure accumulation. The work was fun and took much less time than I thought it would, there is an expression that many hands make less work so luckily with the help from my friends and about 50 kids just hanging the job was done and I hardly even had to work.

I have upper management written all over me.

Due to how I built the fence a recurring theme from last year has already resurfaced " Nazifi that's not how its done", but then again after the fence was finished we looked at our work and then I heard Hey Nazifi, that's the way! I never tire from hearing that.

It’s the beginning of February, and by the end of next month I need to have the nursery up and going its going to be a lot of work but I am having the time of my life lounging about and using my imagination to create something unique and a benefit for the future of Dan Saga.

By applying lessons learned from last years work and integrating Permaculture concepts the pre-rainy season task will be to transform a discarded parcel of turf generally used for a short cut path and place for kids to number two, into a fully integrated multipurpose area used for animal production, gardening, medicinal forest garden, orchard, and nursery.

Last year my focus was to establish a Sahelien Eco Farm and show farmers a different approach to managing their fields. This year my goal is to continue integrating these concepts to willing farmers, but also focus my attention on establishing food security and diversity within the confines of individual homes or small scale fields within the village. It is essential to find a way to maximize land use and water management in locations closer to available water and available maintenance.

This years work will be a lasting impression of the benefits of giving this white guy two years with nothing but time on his hands and the conclusion of a dream that started decades ago when a young boy dreamed of living in the bush of Africa.

Nothing could make this existence better.

1-23-08 The Social Misfit

2:57 PM

Am I a communication misfit? Yes, probably a little.

Dating back to the time I became really sick and Matt was pulled out, and even more so since leaving Niger, and returning from my vacation, for that matter. I can't say I have contributed even the tiniest fraction of events.

Depending on the notion that many of you know me personally as a family member, friend, regular reader or even random search you might have caught some of the tales while home.

If not too bad, so sad.

Going to the states was incredible, cold quality beer, Mexican food, margaritas, BBQ and a multitude of other things were thoroughly enjoyed. It was a real break from the insect light fecalmatterflaked food, piss flavored Nigerien beer, and 12 hour taxi rides to travel 100km.

But coming back to Niger was a blast, seriously - a land mine going off in the neighborhood. I was in checking my email and it was kinda eerie, but at least its something the States don't have, right?

No worries.

I finally made it back to Maradi after a long drawn out week in Niamey, there was no motivation due to the jet lag. For about two weeks I was a wondering moron, stumbling about sleeping only 3-4 hours a day. Or going to bed at 10a.m.

But it’s nothing being back in the ville can't solve.

Last week I made it back to Dan Saga and was given a homecoming reception fit for a returning celebrity. I had called a villager friend and told him that I would be back in two days time. So, on his own initiative, he told everyone and the result was about a hundred or so people waiting for me to arrive that afternoon. There was dancing, singing, hugs, greetings, jumping, running, handshakes, laughing, joking, and even a pair of potato and meat venders showed up for the occasion and profited handsomely on the occasion.

Good tasty Nigerien taters. Fresh meat. Mmmm

I missed it.

After my first night’s sleep back in the ville there was no rest for the wicked and my villagers put me to work. I didn't have hardly a minutes rest between trying to work in my tree nursery, squeak through ALL the rusty Hausa and dodge the barrage of blessings and greetings.

My house hasn't been lived in for practically two months, and seems to be no less of a barrier to the constant shifting of sands, dust, and wind than to the tremendous rain storms.

But that’s not even important. My village was there with open arms, whole heartedly greeting me.

God bless these folks, I love em.

And you know what? I was given a whole new set of fields, I think its 3 or 4 now. Like I said no time to rest, and even was told by many farmers that they were happy to work with me this year and adapt my farming model to their fields.

This was like day 2 of being back.

Day 3

I measured my peppenaire (nursery), plotted, and planned how this thingy is going to function based on principals that I have learned from studying permaculture…blah, blah, blah.

My work this year has promise to be a project for the records! It’s going to be a lot fun.

Back in Maradi

Today I went on a bit of a spree and bought a plethora of fantastic tools, fencing, and cement to construct an incredibly integrated system. Though it wasn't my money, and I probably shouldn't have spent it, I did because it was too tempting. With the equivalent of about 300 bucks USD in my pocket I felt like a kid in a toy store.

Now it’s a discarded tree nursery with connecting fields next to a well.

But soon this domain will be transformed from a littered low output field, into a multidimensional space integrating a garden, nursery, orchard, cash crop field, medicinal forest garden, and home to chickens, bees, rabbits, goats, ducks, guinea fowl, an ox or two, then possibly a horse, then top it off with a dog. We will also be selling value added products, along with a multitude of other services.

What keeps me motivated of working here like this? I look at the long term and think this is how I would do it back on my farm.

My goal is to turn this area into a learning environment that extends its impact beyond my own service and stands as a testament to anyone who takes the time regularly to stop and ponder on the larger things in life and use their imagination to create something wonderful.

Or if one just says eh' that's a great place to tether an ox, or for little kids to take a number two, good enough for me.

Woe to me for having a job where all I have to do is explore my imagination and create something musical, beneficial, but most importantly sustainable.

The next month seems to be a very busy one so don't expect for me to surface too often other than for a quick jaunt out of the ville to grab something.

2008 is going to be an amazing year.

Even managed to put up a hammock in my peppenaire for a place of rest, deep thought, and work.

Peppenaire (pep-EN-yair) as spoken in upper flatland Missourian dialect is a tree nursery.

There is work.
Life is good indeed.

1-09-08 Smurfs Attack!!

10:10 AM

I am back lapping it up in luxury – oh, how I missed the sunny sands of Niger. The trip back across the pond was dreadfully long, but stopping off in Casablanca, Morrocco and sharing time with new people along the way made the trip even better.

Similar to my returning home and missing flights, I returned back to Niger in the same fashion and somehow missed my connecting flight from Atlanta to New York.

I don't know how, really, I don't get it.

Seriously I was there on time, my flight was on time, and my arrival gate was next to my departure one, and I WAS waiting at the gate. Yet I saw nobody enter the gate, no boarding call or anything and the plane still took off without me. The only way I could have missed my flight was during my 5 minute jog down to the restroom and grabbing some airport food and returning immediately.

I don't get it.

Now just between us I don't want any of you to think I am paranoid but perhaps there were more sinister parties involved. Recent evidence has emerged and I believe the culprits to be a crack team of mercenary smurfs whose ambition was to delay me, crawl into my luggage and then deploy their evil doing.

Okay I know what you’re thinking now….

Smurfs are cute, blue, diligent, and courteous, but still I don't trust them. For real people, let’s not forget they have been in a long standing war with Gargamel, and let’s not forget how crafty Handy Smurf is.

Plus, don't you think perhaps Papa Smurf just looks a little too much like a terrorist?

So moving on, I am back in Niamey, jet lag has hit me terribly, once again part of the evil smurf scheme. Somehow after my slumber I awoke to find that my resources had been whittled down.

Where are my reserve stocks of American candy, supplies, but most importantly, bourbon?

But I don't want to sound paranoid.

I can't help it though, anytime now I feel the slight bit tired, BAM! Like a door slamming I'm out.

Can you believe I was thrown out of a bar because they thought I was drunk!! ….bastards!!!

It was smurfs I tell you!!! SMURFS!!!!

Just kidding. Actually not kicked out of bar, but not about the smurfs

You just can't joke about that lot of folk, they are evil doers down to their little blue bones.

Despite the smurf meddling, my time back in Niger has been getting back to normal.

Slow and steady, just the speed I like it.

Yet despite my inability to adjust to Niger time yet, somehow everything seems to be quite right.

I have been playing mando, surfing on my cool new laptop, and reading my new farming and agriculture books, even managed to squeeze a jam session with a famous Nigerien musician.

So why haven't I left Niamey yet?

Glad you asked.

Smurf Meddling I tell you.

Know the Mercenary intentions of the crack team of Smurf assassins have struck.

Last night a land mine exploded in a residential neighborhood in Niamey, killing a director of a public radio station along with his wife. Naturally the Toureg resistance group (MNJ) is denying all responsibilities for this occurrence, along with all the other recent wave of landmines striking the country. Naturally most seem to believe this, except for the Nigerien government, and most likely ours as well.

Really the worst of it for us was that for a day we were not allowed to leave the hostel, and then not allowed to ride in taxis for a day or two.

But don't any of you worry we are all doing well, safe and on lock down…....again.

Thankfully the criminal investigators never came to ask me, I fear the repercussions too terrible to think or mention, but you know what I think. It was, without a doubt, the same crack team of mercenary Smurfs that hoodwinked me in Atlanta. They are the ones to blame for this new wave of violence.

How do I know?

The escalation of this proxy war has been small scale.

There you go, simple logic once again prevails.

Do you think it could have been the time zone changes? Dunno.