School vegetable program:
·
Previous year’s projects: We concluded support for repairing flood
damages and provided some seeds for the 2014 planting season. Hwe Ka Loke
school was kind enough to donate to 13 papaya trees to the TPC garden.
·
Forthcoming year’s projects: Having selected three primary school for
this year (Irawaddy, Rocky Mountain 1, and Light Schools), we are now
planning the training sessions we will deliver over the next two months. The
garden training at Wide Horizon School also moves along as we are halfway
complete.
Wide Horizon Students making a type of Indigenous Microorganism called "FFJ": Fermented Fruit Juice |
Agriculture
Training Center/Farming Research:
·
Sweet
potato project: Our team has
prepped the soil using compost
from the pigpens, rice husk, and Indigenous Microorganism, then planted 100
sweet potato plants, which are developing well.
·
Three
Sisters (corn, pumpkin and bean combination): We are currently tilling
and fertilizing soil for planting corn. Other plot cultivation will follow once
the beans are established.
·
Pig
progress: Following the rainy season, our pigs are now re-settled in
the newly repaired pen and are growing so well (weighing 45kg from an initial
weight of about 7kg), we will move 5 of the 10 pigs to our second pen once flood
remediation is completed. We anticipate selling market-ready pigs in two months
time.
 |
Our pigs on new (lower cost) food regimen of rice bran and cooked cracked rice along with FBS |
·
Production
of composted manure: Because we raise the pigs in earth pits, we are
also getting an increasing amount of composted manure which we feed into the
farm projects to increase soil quality and yields.
·
Pig
breeding: We will retain one sow to see whether we can successfully breed
our own piglets to reduce input costs.
·
Training:
Since August, we have trained 60 Burmese teacher training students (from the nearby
Teacher Prep College) and will train 20 more in the coming months. Already, we
have students asking us how they can replicate the method in their communities across
the border.
·
Shadowing:
A representative from Social Action for Women (SAW) NGO is currently shadowing
our farm manager for further proliferation of natural farming method at the SAW
garden.
Economic Development
and Empowerment for Migrant Women:
·
The Financial Literacy project is under
re-construction: To include more “before and after”
activities to the training to promote income generation/self-sustainability
practices.
·
New economic development pilot projects will
kick off this month including: efficiency gardening, laying hen raising, and a
community daycare (with the goal of freeing older children from needing to stay
home and take care of younger sibling—thus, getting them back in school.)
 |
Meeting with women from a migrant community to discuss needs assessment data |
November will bring kick off for
school garden projects, more planting, efficiency garden research, and pilot
projects with migrant women! Stay tuned for more in-depth details on recent developments and outcomes.
