New FEAST members have taken over their new responsibilities, and now we embark on our first blog post! We are excited to get started working and hope to keep you all updated on our journey. Our blog posts will be rotated to be written by all the FEAST members so you will get a new perspective each month. This first post is to update our objectives and current work of our committee.
If you haven’t met us yet, check out the “About” tab to read our bios, you can also check out our Facebook to see comedic introductions written by fellow volunteer, Adam Wymore. Our group comes from a diverse background of agriculture experiences and we want to support all volunteers!
Our current objective is to help volunteers feel more comfortable with starting agriculture projects by providing adequate resources for them. An agriculture manual has been started many years ago but has been unfinished due to lack of time from previous FEAST volunteers and the sheer volume of information needed to complete the manual. We find that this manual is extremely important to have in the hands of the upcoming agriculture class in February, so Erin has taken on the role as Editor in Chief to accomplish this large task. This manual will cover everything from information on soil types, how to graft trees, what materials are needed to start a water project, basics of raising animals, and the list goes on! This giant manual will serve as an informational guide for volunteers at any agriculture experience as well as a resource when problems arise. This manual will be distributed as a hardcopy to agriculture volunteers.
We are also working on having sample chicken, bee, and pig project blueprints. This will provide volunteers with housing designs, the cost of materials used, and the timeline of the project. This will give volunteers a rough idea on costs, project implementation and planning, as well as setting a standard in Peace Corps Tanzania animal housing. Examples of past volunteers projects will also be added.
Lastly, we are planning our IST (In service training) in December about school gardens and nutrition. This IST will focus on the basics of food security through gardening for nutrition and skills application in clubs and classrooms. Designed especially for educators and youth facilitation, this training will provide specific information for plotting, planting, and harvesting school gardens, as well as methods for teaching sustainability and agriculture to youth. Peace Corps volunteers and their counterparts will learn about topics including: permagardening, fruit-tree production, basic water management, vitamin and mineral content in local crops, orange-flesh sweet potatoes and other nutritionally-rich crops, cooking demonstrations, and techniques for incorporating agriculture and sustainability in the classroom.
This blog will serve as a way for us to keep all updated on our activities, share volunteer projects, and to share anything we find interesting!
Until next time,
The FEAST team
Peace Corps Tanzania Feast 