Moshi, TZ – Student garden clubs harvesting again – 3 Mar 2017

Mwangaria Primary School’s student garden clubs are beginning to enjoy the benefits of their hard work. After struggling for months to get their organic vegetable gardens productive despite an extended dry season and a grasshopper infestation, the clubs have started to reach their harvest targets of at least 15 kilograms per week from each 12-bed garden.

For two weeks in a row Mwangaria has reported over 45 kg harvest combined from their three gardens. Enthusiasm is increasing along with results and the students are hoping to qualify for improvements to water infrastructure by the end of March.

Water remains the biggest challenge for the garden clubs at Mwangaria. The school has two pumps – one hand pump and one foot pump – and must share water across all 36 garden beds as well as share with students who are cleaning toilets, classrooms, pots, and pans. Students only have a couple of hours per day – before school, during breaks, and after school – to complete this extra-curricular work. During any of these periods lines form at the water supply. Students hope that improvements in water infrastructure will make water distribution more efficient so everyone can get their work done and take care of the school as easily as possible.