Kilimanjaro, TZ – GOMM Family – 9 Dec 2013

The GMM family garden continues to be one of the most productive in Mkyashi. Everything is coming in well for the family. The family is enjoying four varieties of leafy-greens in addition to green peppers and cucumbers. Tomatoes and eggplants should be ready to eat soon. So far the family is so excited about their vegetables that they don’t want to sell much. They are enjoying the additional nutrition and variety in their diet. Each week they sell a couple of handfuls of vegetables and get between 500 and 1,000 TZS ( US$0.50 ) per week, but they are more than happy to keep the vegetables for home use.

The biggest concern the GMM has is how their vegetables will hold when the weather changes and the rains come. The extended rainy season is still months away, but it could have a serious negative effect on her garden. The garden is covered by a lot of shade which is good for the hot dry season, but could stunt growth in the rainy season. The Lishe Bora team is working with the family to continue pruning trees where possible to allow as much sunlight as possible to reach the vegetables. Another strategy will be identifying vegetables that don’t require a lot of direct sunlight and planting more of those in the rainy season.