Peanut planting - second season

I'm not sure that all the peanuts get to the right place when the person planting doesn't really see too well, but what is the right place in an African peanut garden??  Anywhere you drop the nuts and cover them by scooting dirt over them with your foot.  No such thing as rows and perfect spacing.   Often there'll be tree stumps and maybe huge termite mounds in the fields and the crops are just randomly planted.   I was chatting with Nadege, a CEFA village agent, and she has been running trials in co-op farms.  She'll plant a plot of peanuts with good spacing and rows so they can be easily weeded, right next to the villagers plot of peanuts, which are planted willy-nilly and aren't weeded.  Guess what happens?  Nadege's peanuts produce more, and the villagers see it right there in front of them.

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Getting oil palms out to the village co-ops

Whether the village is across the river or closer by, the CEFA team gets out to the co-ops.  Recently palm trees were delivered to various villages, some of which are on main roads, but others required some creativity, like barerooting the trees and carrying them in a sack on the back of a motorcycle in a canoe.  In each case, CEFA's village agents, like Nadege, helped the co-ops to understand how to plant and care for these trees.  The oil from these palms are a promise for the future for these farmers.

--   Roy & Aleta Danforth  Covenant missionaries to the Central African Republic  cell phones: Aleta 011 237 67529 5071 or 011 236 7744 8621   Roy 011 237 66171 7808 or 011 236 7754 9176  email: roy-aleta.danforth@covchurch.org  blog:  http://blogs.covchurch.org/danforth/

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Beans ready to harvest

In among the newly planted saplings in the recently cleared reforestation area, beans and peanuts and other crops are flourishing.  Great double use of the land!  These beans are a wonderful red variety that softens quickly with cooking, but they are ones that have not grown well up 'til this year.

--   Roy & Aleta Danforth  Covenant missionaries to the Central African Republic  cell phones: Aleta 011 237 67529 5071 or 011 236 7744 8621   Roy 011 237 66171 7808 or 011 236 7754 9176  email: roy-aleta.danforth@covchurch.org  blog:  http://blogs.covchurch.org/danforth/

Building a bridge

CEFA has bridge over the river from the main orchard/office acreage to the cattle area. Now they're building a bridge from the main area to the reforestation section.  They're using "gabions", those cages in the photo which will be filled with big rocks, as the foundation for the bridge.  There are huge boulders on the other side, and they're trying a new method to level off the top of the boulders.  They build a fire on the rock, and then when it's white hot they pound on the surface and it cracks apart.  That's what we do in the rainforest when we don't have a jackhammer or whatever would normally be used.  

--   Roy & Aleta Danforth  Covenant missionaries to the Central African Republic  cell phones: Aleta 011 237 67529 5071 or 011 236 7744 8621   Roy 011 237 66171 7808 or 011 236 7754 9176  email: roy-aleta.danforth@covchurch.org  blog:  http://blogs.covchurch.org/danforth/

Fire in rainy season?!?!

Even though all is green, there are those who will burn to clear a field.  It's time for the second planting of peanuts, sesame seed, etc., and the decades' long habit of slash and burn does not die easily.  Burning is easy, composting is time consuming.

--   Roy & Aleta Danforth  Covenant missionaries to the Central African Republic  cell phones: Aleta 011 237 67529 5071 or 011 236 7744 8621   Roy 011 237 66171 7808 or 011 236 7754 9176  email: roy-aleta.danforth@covchurch.org  blog:  http://blogs.covchurch.org/danforth/

and now a word from our sponsor

The t-shirts have been printed and arrived with our July visitors, BUT the big celebration hasn't happened yet, so they have yet to be distributed.  Certain people have been spotted already wearing the shirts, though.  Thank you Foods Resource Bank, Covenant World Relief, and so many others!

--   Roy & Aleta Danforth  Covenant missionaries to the Central African Republic  cell phones: Aleta 011 237 67529 5071 or 011 236 7744 8621   Roy 011 237 66171 7808 or 011 236 7754 9176  email: roy-aleta.danforth@covchurch.org  blog:  http://blogs.covchurch.org/danforth/

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Nandi's co-op

It was good to be able to give Nandi's co-op some tools to help out in their fields.  It is time to plant peanuts and corn, and they've got many different types of greens going already.

--   Roy & Aleta Danforth  Covenant missionaries to the Central African Republic  cell phones: Aleta 011 237 67529 5071 or 011 236 7744 8621   Roy 011 237 66171 7808 or 011 236 7754 9176  email: roy-aleta.danforth@covchurch.org  blog:  http://blogs.covchurch.org/danforth/

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