COMPLETION OF PINEAPPLE PROJECT

We have been working with a man named John Galiwango on this project for several months. The Church is funding the start-up of a pineapple plantation in the remote rural village of Kigayaza, near Mukono, Uganda. This is an area where most of the people are subsistence farmers with little actual income. The village had a 3.5 acre tract of community land which they cleared and cultivated. We supplied the machetes, hoes and fencing materials to clear the land and spray for weed and insects. When it was ready for planting, we purchased 30,000 pineapple suckers and 250 banana suckers. The project will be used to train the villagers in planting methods, crop management and pest control. As the pineapple plants grow, some of the suckers will be removed and given to other villagers to start their own smaller crops. The banana plants will mature faster and provide an additional cash crop. It will take the pineapples 18 months to be ready to harvest. The banana and pineapple crops will provide income for school fees and needed items for the villagers.




When we first visited the site the 3.5 acres was covered with dense forest. John told us that 30 men working together could clear the land with just machetes and hoes. When we asked how long that would take them he told us 3 weeks. We were slightly skeptical that it could be done that quickly.




When we returned 4 weeks later, this is what we found. The field had been cleared and the suckers planted. The people here can do an unbelievable amount of work with just a hoe. They are hard working and dedicated. There was still work to be done but we were certainly impressed by what they had accomplished in so short a period of time.



We provided some wheelbarrows to help with the field preparation. Coffee husks are spread to fertilize and keep down weeds. This is Ssimbwa, Elaine and John on the day we purchased the wheelbarrows. Elaine is providing the "nutritious" energy food for the workers.



Shortly, the field had all weeds removed and an additional maize crop planted to be harvested while the plants are growing. It will take 18 months for the pineapples to mature so the bananas and maize can be grown as cash crops during that time.




There is a shallow well pump near the field which can help with irrigation during the dry months. However, it sometimes goes dry before the rains start. We also supplied two 2,000 liter storage tanks which can be filled and saved for reserve water during this time.



While we “sweated” with installing the tanks, Elaine entertained John’s children. She obviously got the better part of that deal.



This is another project which John worked on previously in a different area. The pineapples are almost ready to harvest. We are sure this current project will do well and provide needed income for the people of the Kigayaza village.