The school has about 10 acres of property. Some of the teachers are allowed to farm their own plot of land on the grounds, but few are able to obtain good results.
Paulina, a Tloma teacher, along with teacher Sulle, and Daudi Tahhani, a former employee at a local lodge, have been experimenting with Paulina’s plot. They have planted a vegetable garden that is showing great potential. They have been giving produce from her garden to the school cook to add to the school lunches.
Recently, a 75-year-old gentleman, whom the residents call “Mr. Christmas” – because he was born on Christmas – came by to admire their handiwork. Mr. Christmas, an avid gardener himself, has seven acres of land at his home and takes pride in his own flourishing garden.
Additionally, Daudi, Sulle, and Paulina want to encourage other teachers to grow more than just beans and maize. A variety of other fresh vegetables grown in the garden could be mixed into the students’ daily lunch, providing an additional source of nutrition.
Students benefit in more ways than just getting an enriched diet. The agricultural skills they learn working with Daudi, teacher Sulle, and teacher Paulina in the school’s garden can be applied outside of school – at home and in the community.
Some of the produce that is doing well in the garden include spinach, tomatoes, collard greens, cabbage, okra, and sweet potatoes. The garden also features seed beds for carrots, onions, watermelons, salad cucumber, and pumpkins.
African nightshade, known as mnavu in Kiswahili, is one of the few varieties of nightshade that is not poisonous. It is being grown in the school’s garden for its nutritional benefits – it is high in vitamins A, B, and C, and is helpful for those who are iron-deficient. Among mnavu’s many medicinal benefits are helping with digestion, hypertension, scurvy, fever, and is good for patients with malaria and those with ulcers. Demand for African nightshade is growing in markets in rural areas like Tloma and the Karatu district.
But because it is a fairly big responsibility to maintain the garden, the teachers would like to hire someone to help tend it. The other challenge is that they need water during months when there is less rain. With enough water, they can grow enough vegetables to be able to sell the excess to the community.