Sunflower harvesting has a long history; human beings have included them in our diet to augment animal feed. The women of the project manually harvested sunflowers using traditional methods. The project continues using permaculture farming techniques to empower women and improve their lives and their families.
Such a pleasure to have hosted ‘Print the Love,’ a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free photos to people in underserved communities throughout the world. They gave the gift of photos to the women and children living in the local community. Each woman received a photo of themselves and their children giving them memories that they can be cherish for a lifetime. The joy they brought through the simple gift of giving was definitely a reminder of the best in all of us! This summer we will be hosting another group from a non-profit that is doing phenomenal work addressing the nexus between mental health and nutrition. We hope to coordinate their visit around harvest season so that participants can have the pleasure of planting.
Walking the farm at night and checking out the solar power lighting the chicken coop. Amazingly, chickens need light in the evening, but also, power is used to keep the coop warm during the winter months in Zimbabwe. Most people do not realize that nights and mornings can be as cold as 5°C/41°F to freezing during June and July. Zimbabwe has seasons. The rainy season is from November to March, a Spring-like season from March to May, and what we would call summer is what is termed the ‘hot’ season from September to November. What we would term fall is a ‘cool’ season that lasts from May to September. But, I love the weather any time. There is so much plant biodiversity and incredible landscapes.
Harare is truly a beautiful city! I love the diversity of the neighborhoods that transition seamlessly from one to the other. One day while running errands for the farm, Richard took me to the Muslim quarter. For many local people, Indians are people from the Middle East, India, or who are practicing Muslims. I was amazed that the “robots” which are what traffic lights are called, were all working. Driving out to the farm, many of the robots don’t work unless they are solar-powered. Enjoy!
Meet the incredible women of the Farm Project. We honored them on International Women’s Day and continue to celebrate their resilience through our mission. @ZimFarm_Project is working to #Breakthebias by ensuring food security for their households and communities. Watch this video to learn more and how to support! #IWD2022
