Our Tree Nursery:
With support and a donation of £1000 from a local businessman, our Tree Nursery was established at the end of 2007 this was a godsend to the people especially when the troubles started after the elections in January 2008. Due to our benefactors continuing support, this Tree Nursery now supplies the saplings for our re-forestation project for fencing and for selling in the market, we have also expanded into fruits and vegetables.
Some of the Trees and plants we are growing:
- Calendula (good for bees)
- Eucalyptus
- Kayapa (thorn bush)
- Cow peas (thorn bush)
- Tithonia (good for compost)
- Vehonia (good for compost)
- Napier Grass
- Millet
- Beans
- Sukumawiki
- Groundnuts
- Maize
- Carrots(new)
- Onions(new)
- Suga(spinach)
- Muto like spinach)
- Diana(herb)
- Chillies
- Avocado
- Jac fruit
- Bananas
- Mangos
Tithonia and Vehonia are good for bees and can be used to make manure when flowers have died off.
To make the manure you cut the plants up 50/50 with animal manure and within 14 days the manure is ready, very good for mulching the bananas, every six months you add more manure.
Each banana tree needs 40 litres of water per week during the dry spell.
UPDATE APRIL 2011
Now we have the water borehole complete we are irrigating the farm and growing more vegetables and fruits .The widows and Noah's Ark committee members help to dig sow and weed on the farm, instead of paying them they have each been given a small plot to grow their own fruit and vegetables, which they can then sell to provide for themselves and their families
Kenya Seeds have approached Peter, they wish to use an acre of the Bumala Farm, they will fertilize, plough and sow maize, beans, cotton and rice as a training project to find out the most profitable way to grow the vegetables. When they have completed the training the produce will be left for the Noah's Ark to harvest and distribute the food.
An American charity have also been very impressed with the farm and the way we are helping the local people to self-sufficiency, A advisory has been to see Peter and would like to work with the charity by providing greenhouses, fruits, vegetables and equipment and also train up to 4000 local people on how to conserve water by water harvesting.
Having the Water Borehole successfully completed and enabling the local people to access it has changed everything, Our farm is now productive all year round and the community is at last able to see a better future for their families.
