My new personal initiative in Belgium
Do you want to help me to make the world of the poorest better ? If your answer is “yes”, then go ahead and read this.
Seeds for Life
At the end of 2005, I was invited by UNICEF ALGERIA as a consultant for their project “Family gardens and school gardens in the refugee camps of the Sahrawis in S.W. Algeria“. The Sahrawi refugees (most of them originally nomads and fishermen) are living already more than 30 years in these camps in the Sahara desert. Although some UN-organizations, like the World Food Program (WFP), are providing the necessary food quantities for the survival of these people in rather dramatic conditions, malnutrition is still registered, in particular among children. UNICEF ALGERIA takes care of 3 different programs in the refugee camps: (1) Vaccination of children program, (2) Educational program (alphabetization) and (3) Nutritional program.
Within the framework of this third UNICEF program, a preliminary study has shown :
(a) That it is possible to create small family gardens and school gardens in the desert, in which vegetables and trees can be grown with a minimum of water, when using a water stocking and fertilizing soil conditioner like TerraCottem (see <www.terracottem.com>.
(b) That is possible to “teach” quite easily children and adults (without any agricultural experience) how to grow fresh vegetables and fruits.
A Technical Committee and some Sahrawi agronomists take care of the follow-up of this interesting project.
In that part of the Sahara desert, the region of Tindouf, there are two seasons for horticulture : (1) The autumn and winter season (September – January), in which several vegetables like lettuce, carrots, onions, garlic, beetroots, peas, beans, eggplants, parsley, … can be grown, and (2) The spring and summer season (February – June) when temperatures rise above 40 degrees Celsius and vegetables do not grow anymore. This is the time for growing “tropical” species, like melon, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet pepper, chilipepper, etc.
Construction of small gardens is not a problem : people are building a low wall with bricks of local soil to protect their “garden” against goats and sheep. Training the local people and children is not a problem too, and even a minimal quantity of rather brackish water is available. Thus, using the water stocking soil conditioner TerraCottem, one can keep the garden soil moistened for quite a time without excessive irrigation.
The most difficult part of the project seems to be the delivery of seeds, as quality seeds are quite expensive on the market. However, taking into account that there is no necessity whatever to provide selected quality seeds or special varieties to these people in the desert, they can do a good job with seeds of an average quality, as long as they can produce juicy fresh vegetables and fruits, full of vitamins.
This is the basic reason why I asked in August 2007, with the help of the Media, my Belgian compatriots to show their solidarity with the refugees in Algeria.
I did not ask them some financial support, but only to send me the seeds of the “tropical” fruits they are eating from time to time : melons, watermelons, sweet peppers, pumpkins, papaya, avocado, etc. In most cases, these seeds are simply thrown in the garbage bin.
I was only hoping to get a certain quantity of those seeds to start up some production in the desert gardens. But, imagine my big surprise getting, even up to now in November, every day an extraordinary heavy load of envelopes and boxes with all kinds of seeds. Explanation of this extremely positive reaction is given by : “Here is someone NOT asking for money for a humanitarian project, but only for some seeds, normally going to our garbage bin !“. Why not ?
Belgian citizens got so excited about this initiative that even radio and television invited me for an interview or presentation. Of course, it is quite simple to contribute this way to a humanitarian action, and it costs almost nothing, but a stamp.
I gave the following advice :
(1) When preparing to eat a melon, a watermelon, a pumpkin or sweet peppers, take out the seeds, put them in a sieve and clean them thoroughly with running water to wash the pulp away.
(2) Put the clean seeds on a plate and let them dry for several days in a warm and dry place. Shake regularly to prevent them from sticking together.
(3) Put the dry seeds on a piece of kitchen roll, fold it, label it and tape it well.
(4) Put the labeled seeds in an envelope, a bag or parcel.
(5) Keep the different species of seeds apart (don’t mix them).
Now they are ready to be sent to:
Prof. Dr. Willem Van Cotthem
Beeweg 36
B-9080 Zaffelare – Belgium
This Seeds for Life project aims at improving the self-sufficiency of rural people in developing countries. The project has an educational part as well. Together with their teachers, pupils are constructing and keeping a school garden. When harvesting vegetables and fruits, children get all the necessary vitamins and in the meantime they learn how to use local resources and to start the cycle of sowing and harvesting, so as to take care of their own future. The practical skills children are learning at school will serve them in their adult life, wherever they will live.
MY CONCLUSION
One doesn’t need millions of euros or dollars to help rural people in developing countries. Let us simply collect seeds that would otherwise go to the garbage bin! And in the meantime we reduce our waste.
Taking all these seeds in a proper way to small family gardens and school gardens, where they are so badly needed, will be a fantastic solution for traditional problems like hunger, famine, malnutrition, poor health, poverty etc.
Who is afraid of helping me to realize a dream? Let us reach hands and form a wordwideweb to collect seeds for those who need them !
You want to help ? Send me an email with your coordinates and I will put you on my list of “members of the SEEDS FOR LIFE – family“.
For more information and some pictures :
e-mail: willem.vancotthem@gmail.com
Website in Dutch : http///zadenvoorleven.wordpress.com (English translation in preparation).
