Updates from Tukaone Projects manager, Johnny Mwakalinga:
I am sending the first pictures from the Hembeti fields where other irrigation farms already have rice plants growing. We have our fields prepared and supporting activities going on to partner farmers with Tukaone.
We have also acquired a building for start to care for local orphaned kids who are living poorly and with much sadness.
Here are some pics of the water source off to the rice fields! It is very lovely here. A little financial support may help us in maintaining more fields and thus produce more rice. Now one bag of rice (100kg) has risen up to 100,000 tzs due to rice scarcity ($45US) .
Tukaone farms is set to run farming activities for the Dec, 2019 to May, 2020 period, using the little funds we saved out of selling the stored rice bags (from last harvest season). Currently the irrigation infrastructure is not ready, so we will use the normal drainage channels built by our village government, though we won’t have much control of the water in this way, but we will get on. We will also use the normal rains, as we are planting the paddy while we are in a heavy rains season now (Dec to April rains season in Tanzania). A total of three work men will be employed temporary for working on Tukaone farms, as you will see in our pictures.
Our corporation also has plans to invite some volunteers from USA who are interested in Agriculture. We would possibly be able to host them from June, 2020. All accommodation details, volunteering information needed, visa processing will be done by Tukaone Projects, Ltd Company. That would be very interesting to work with volunteers on Tukaone fields and will help speak out loud for our Walkaroundtheworld/TUKAONE projects, the art works, etc.
Below is our stated activities plan for this farming season (Dec, 2019 to May, 2020):
| TIME FRAME | TUKAONE FARMERS ACTIVITIES |
| Dec,2019 -Jan,2020 | Seed bed preparation, growing rice seedlings |
| Dec,2019 -Jan,2020 | Ploughing using local hoes with our own hands |
| Dec,2019 -Jan,2020 | Harrowing using local man driven cows when funds available or locally using hand hoes |
| Dec,2019 -Jan,2020 | Land leveling (Hand leveling), |
| Jan 2nd – Jan 7th, 2020 | Fertilizer DAP |
| Jan99th – Jan 15th, 2020 | Transplanting |
| Jan16th – Feb1st ,2020 | Gap filling |
| Mid Feb- March,2020 | Weeding |
| March on…. | Post weeding activities such as bird watching (very fun practice) etc until the paddy gets ready for harvesting |
Finally, here are pictures of Elizabeth entertaining visitors with a delicious meal of the rice harvested from the grounds of Hembeti/Tukaone farms (last year harvests). We believe that may be a source of blessings in our projects, to share what comes out of our farms with relatives and friends. This season we have started with preparing farms, seeds etc for fresh planting of rice in mid of January, 2020. Irrigation infrastructure is a great need for us, if we may achieve that.
God Bless, Johnny and The Team.
