To the Office of Namibia Horticulture Trust: July
12, 2013
SAMARITAN
VEGGIE TUNNEL RENOVATION
I conducted a renovation on the 3 Veggie
Tunnels of Okahandja, which were in a critical condition. The Samaritan network
is also a feeding program and their tunnels are used to supply fresh vegetables
to their soup kitchen. They have one gardener who looks after the tunnels and
makes sure it is watered twice in a day. The center later on provided me with 6
people that helped around with the renovation.
The condition
of the Tunnels before the project:
Tunnel 1
The tunnel was laying almost flat on the ground, with
broken pipes and unplanted planting bags inside, with other empty plastic bags laying
around within the tunnel. The tunnel was also covered with a bit of weed around
it, which we had to clean and we removed some stones that were inside the tunnel.
Activities that were done and renovation around the
tunnel:
·
Bringing down the net
·
Removing of the old pipes
·
Fixing the torn places on the
net
·
Taking out the old pegs
·
Replacement of the new PVC
pipes of 32mm
·
Bags filling up into 3 rows
·
Moving the bags from tunnel 2
into tunnel one
We did these activities starting with tunnel one early
in the morning, through till five o clock in the afternoon. There were planted
spinach bags in tunnel two that we moved over to tunnel one, row B. Tunnel one that
was empty, now has 3 rows with 610 planting bags all together. We left this
tunnel as an example for the other 2 tunnels.
Tunnel 2
The condition of Tunnel two was similar to the first
tunnel because it also laid low with broken pipes inside. The gardener tried to sustain the tunnel by
adding pieces of wires that left the tunnel torn in some places. It had two
rows of spinach with a big open space in the middle. I left this tunnel empty
and instructed the center to be filled as soon as possible with planting bags
filled with river sand and then to replant it.
Activities that were down and renovation around the
tunnel:
·
Bringing down the net
·
Removing of the old pipes
·
Fixing the torn places on the
net
·
Taking out the old pegs
Tunnel 3
Tunnel three was the one that was really looking down
and shattered in many places. It was sustained inside by 2 PVC poles to keep it
high and able for someone to walk in, upright. The tunnel had some carrots,
beetroots, onions and a few tomatoes; the plants were looking unhealthy.
According to them this is the tunnel that has been there for a long time and that
is why it looked old.
Activities that were down and renovation around the
tunnel:
·
Bringing down the net
·
Removing of the old pipes
·
Fixing the torn places on the
net
·
Taking out the old pegs
·
Replacement of the new PVC
pipes of 32mm
Due to the condition of the plants I advised them to
remove the crops that were not looking so well and replant it, to allow a
better yield rather than wasting time and as well as space and fertilizer on
something that has been overdue.
Challenges
experienced by the Samaritans
They explained to me that they have one old man who is
looking after the tunnels whenever he can and he has been trying to maintain the
tunnels in whatever way he could. Due to the short supply of fertilizers, seeds
and planting bags, their vegetable production has gone down. Because the garden
is not fenced, they experience children playing around it, cutting the net and
pulling out some of their favorite vegetables. They also experience animals
coming in such as dogs, cats and squirrels.
Suggestions and
Recommendations
After the renovation project was completed, I
suggest to the office of NHT to see if the following can be done to improve the
productivity of the tunnel:
·
Secure a fence around the 3
tunnels
·
Organize training for 3 more
gardeners
·
Supervise the work around the
garden by a visit once in a month
·
Consistent provision of seeds
and fertilizer
These things need attention for now to keep the garden
running fully and to be able to provide a sustainable project afterwards, of its
own.
Conclusion
After the renovation, I had a chat with the manager of
the center and the project assistance encouraged them to replant as soon as possible
and to conduct activities around the tunnel. We discussed that they will
replant the tunnels each having 3 rows: one for beetroots, spinach and carrots. We agreed that they will share a harvest report whenever
they harvest to me, which I will update on the recording data system and share
later on with the office of NHT. The amount, which covered the whole
renovation, was N$8,246.00
More pictures on the renovation project
More pictures on the renovation project
Report by
Emmanuel Muyumba
Peri Urban Horticulture TOT