Klein Karas Community Garden is growing well
During a recent project visit to the community garden, it was clear that there was progress and that the community has begun yielding rewards from the hard work they put in.
Since the appointment of a consultant, Mr. Tobias Linus with funding from the Environmental Investment Fund in August 2014, there is evident change in the work being carried out at the garden. Mr. Linus comes with wealth of experience and knowledge of vegetable farming and has guided garden workers on how to make the best of the resources at hand. Although, the level of understanding is still low but with time and dedication, the workers will learn from the consultant.
The garden has produced a number of crops, most of which were been sold in the open market in the nearby town of Grunau. The people from the area seem pleased with the produce and have identified preferred vegetables that will be focused on in the next cycle.
The Klein Karas Cooperative that oversees projects implementation in the area is also on hand to assist the garden with challenges that they encounter from time. Recently, the garden workers have complained about the low water pressure and unavailability of water at certain times of the day. This affect the quality of the produce and therefore what they sell might not fetch high sales revenue. To address this challenge, the community with assisted from NAM-PLACE project secured a grant of 10 000.00 US D from FAO for installation of an irrigation system.
It may take time for the garden to reach the quality and quantities that are in demanded by the nearby lodges but in the long run, with commitment that the community has exhibited so far, the achievements are not very far out of sight.
