miércoles, 7 de enero de 2009

The Rough Draft of Our Three Month Plan!

Finally there is activity at the school (and in my mind and heart) again! Today, my new partner (Mandy) and I went to the school and re-evaluated an action plan, which was totally necessary. After nearly 2 months of hassle (the school has been closed and the key constantly hidden in different people's homes) the plants on the school site are only half-producing. There has been a lack of sunlight and water, AND maybe a little too little love and care :)

Today, we're finally printing the informational brochures to distribute to all of the teachers (which are also a call for ideas on how to get the students and teachers interested and involved). I'm printing the bare minimum (still working on limited funds), mainly just to give to the acting director and a few more for promising teachers.

Tomorrow the plan is to borrow a wheelbarrow and bring large rocks to build clear boundaries around the plants so the kids don't step on all of them. And if time allows, we'll also bring treated soil to fill in the small beds. For the rest of January, we'll simply be bringing healthy soil to the lot and making sure the students get a feel for the garden project and us. I feel right now, its best to introduce these things slowly and answer questions when they come up and ask them, rather than forcing the information down their throats right away. Everyone is interested in what the silly gringas are doing anyway!

Also before February rolls around, I would like to host the teachers in the school in an informal site for coffee or a beer or whatever and see what kind of interest they have already. Have they ever experienced similar projects, are they resistent to the idea of working with outsiders, etc. If the teachers aren't interested, they will surely let the project fall fallow immediately upon my departure. Or jeopardize/dismiss it. Also, I want them to know that I am willing to search for funding for their ideas as well.

In February, we'll begin to transplant the seeds and already growing plants to the site and watch them grow! I remember biology classes in junior high school and think that this will be an exciting time, fostering student's protection for the plants. We can also begin to talk about pests, reasons for pests (in this area, its because there is little biodiversity), and how to naturally deter them. The Tzutujil have many, many plants that have pest-control characteristics. During the month of February, I would also like to get to know some of the local organic farmers that live closeby as well as begin to collect compost and raw materials from local restaurants and hotels.

In March, hopefully good relations and discussions have sprouted up around the garden project by this time. Perhaps we can dedicate an hour to garden talk where we discuss current food issues, local and globally. Food crisis because of reliance on oil, the pros and cons of genetically modified foods, food in historical and cultural contexts, other aspects of industrialized foods (excessive waste, unfair treatment to communities around irrigation systems, loss of land, loss of biodiversity, etc).

This month will be the beginning of scheduled maintenance, where a gardener really gets settled into caring for her plants. Some of the plants may be nearing maturity and we can talk about harvesting fruits, vegetables and herbs as well as taking seed from the plants and replanting (hopefully the students want to start home gardens-even if its only possible in containers).

By the time April rolls around, I'm sure lots of new prospects will have taken route. We can also think about including tourists in this project, to improve relations between locals and foreigners. Tourism isn't going anywhere around here and it certainly needs to have a vested interest in the local people because the community is changing and developing to more fit the wants of the wealthier tourist population (usually is not sustainable development!)

So, for the next three months, these are the goals and I will continue to post updates and pictures (promise they will be more interesting--the kids are cute!). After the three months, we'll evaluate progress and build new plans! Looking forward to any questions, ideas or comments from readers, as always!

Thanks for reading!

1 comentario:

The Peter Files Blog of Comedy dijo...

You might want to do what they did at the St. Ignatius College Prep. Co-op in Chicago and ask the teachers if there are vegetables that they themselves would like to get out of the garden in exchange for a little labor or help from their students. (At Ignatius the faculty did all the work, but I am anticipating less co-operation.)

Perhaps with the promise of some tangible results, they will at least be more supportive and some of them will be less critical as it will be in their best interest to be positive.