Day 7, Back to Londuimbali for Composto 102

Day 7 Composting 201

The CNFA Team, composed of the driver, Domingo, my new translator, Vasco, the Project Coordinator, Luciano,

and myself, drove back to Londuimbali this morning to teach more about composting to the Cooperativa Dolindo Rodrigues. We stopped to take a photograph. That is Londuimbali in the background

When we arrived in Londuimbali there were already 10 camponez (peasants) waiting for us.

Within 20 minutes we had more camponez attending the second class than we had attending last week’s first class .... a very good sign. I thanked them for coming and told them that having this many camponez attending the class was very motivating to the CNFA Team. An immediate question ….. would those who complete the course in composting receive a certificate. Of course they would! Plus we had a surprise.

Little did they know that prior to striking off for the countryside this morning, we had stopped off at Digital Foto-Diamante and had 26 copies made of the group picture from the first day. We will add these to their certificates. I’m not sure if these camponez had ever seen a digital camera before but the certainly were fascinated with it. This I know for sure: the workers at Digital Foto-Diamante checked my thumb drive for viruses, which I thought was fairly professional but found none. They gave it back to me, as I found out later, with SEVEN viruses from there own systems. I now REALLY believe in the free AVG anti-virus program that Greg French back in Rutherfordton installed on our computers.

So, with the camponez, we first had a review of composting 101.

They remembered the 5 main ingredients: air, water, heat, green material and brown material. They remembered the most important processes when making a compost pile: put the materials in layers and give it enough water so that the moisture content is that of a wrung out sponge. I even had purchased a sponge, had it wetted, wrung it out and passed it around, twice, just so they understood what the required moisture felt like.

Now things started to get serious. We had the camponez break out into the three groups that we formed on Sexta-fiera, (last Friday):Grupo Verde (green), Grupo Castanha (brown) and Grupo Estrume (manure). Did they remember what materials belonged in their group? They did fine; Grupo Verde reported fresh grass, weeds, kitchen waste, cascara de naranga e manga (orange and mango peels) etc. Grupo Castanha reported dried grass, sticks, dried sugar cane and corn stalks, leaves, cardboard etc. And Grupo Estrume reported manure of cow, sheep, goat, chicken, horse, donkey but not pig, dog or cat because they share parasites with humans.

All members agreed to bring two 50Kg sacksof the appropriate materials to the Community Center

Then we discussed the requirenments for locating the site for the compostieria: near water, shaded, level, convenient to get to, accessible to all cooperative members. When I asked for the name of the person responsible for making sure that the compost was workuing, the camponez insisted on electing the leaders, which they did. Next, it was decided that, after lunch of bread, butter and Blue,

we would visit the site with the Cooperative Extension agent, the newly elected leader and two representatives of each group.

The Cooperative owns land near a stream that is used for training. The members had built a hut to hold their meetings. It was decided that this hut would be used fopr the site of the first compostieria. We agreed to return the next day with all materials to this site to build Londuimbali's first compost pile.

I could see them bursting with anticipation.

On our journey back, I asked Domingo to stop so I could take photographs of how ubiquitious the use of 50Kg sacks as a unit of measure is in the countryside.. Charcoal, avacados and all manner of dried beans are sold by the saco no bother that the 50Kg is a measurement of weight and not volume.