2 hours ago
18 November 2009
04 September 2009
Back to school
September is the month of back-to-school. For me it's back to the farm. Yes, we grow vegetables during the dry season and keep rabbits and bees, and yes, the rains are still three months away. Still, now is the time to hunker down and start growing something, even if the first crops won't emerge until December.
After the mild success of last years Sunflower crop, we've decided to go bigger and better. We've gone from 3 acres to 9. From 1 crop to 3, and from 1 farmhand to 4.
We've rented 9 acres at a cost of K34,000. We'll plant 4 acres of maize, 2 acres sunflower, and 3 acres soybean.
The expense breakdown:
Land: K34,000
Seeds: K8,000
Fertiliser: K64,800
Pesticides: K5,000
Salaries: K215,000
Marketing, etc.: K30,000
TOTAL cost: K386,000
The expected yields are in the ranges of,
Maize: 2-2.5 tonnes/acre * 4 acres = 8-10 tonnes
Sunflower: 1.2-1.4 tonnes/acres * 2 acres = 2.4-2.8 tonnes
Soya: .75-1 tonnes/acres * 3 acres = 2.25-3 tonnes
Maize sells for an average of K35,000/tonne. Sunflower (as oil) sells at about K70,000/tonne. And soya goes for about K40,000/tonne.
Then the value of the crops are:
Maize: K280,000 - K350,000
Sunflower: K168,000 - K196,000
Soya: K90,000 - K120,000
TOTAL value: K538,000 - K666,000
Value - expense = K152,000-K280,000
This assumes decent weather, and neglects any income from rabbits or honey during the same period. Also, we'll have 1 additional acre on which to grow 4 crops to propagate their seeds. These crops are: pearl millet, Peredovik sunflower, winged bean, and amaranth.
Pray for us! We need it.
After the mild success of last years Sunflower crop, we've decided to go bigger and better. We've gone from 3 acres to 9. From 1 crop to 3, and from 1 farmhand to 4.
We've rented 9 acres at a cost of K34,000. We'll plant 4 acres of maize, 2 acres sunflower, and 3 acres soybean.
The expense breakdown:
Land: K34,000
Seeds: K8,000
Fertiliser: K64,800
Pesticides: K5,000
Salaries: K215,000
Marketing, etc.: K30,000
TOTAL cost: K386,000
The expected yields are in the ranges of,
Maize: 2-2.5 tonnes/acre * 4 acres = 8-10 tonnes
Sunflower: 1.2-1.4 tonnes/acres * 2 acres = 2.4-2.8 tonnes
Soya: .75-1 tonnes/acres * 3 acres = 2.25-3 tonnes
Maize sells for an average of K35,000/tonne. Sunflower (as oil) sells at about K70,000/tonne. And soya goes for about K40,000/tonne.
Then the value of the crops are:
Maize: K280,000 - K350,000
Sunflower: K168,000 - K196,000
Soya: K90,000 - K120,000
TOTAL value: K538,000 - K666,000
Value - expense = K152,000-K280,000
This assumes decent weather, and neglects any income from rabbits or honey during the same period. Also, we'll have 1 additional acre on which to grow 4 crops to propagate their seeds. These crops are: pearl millet, Peredovik sunflower, winged bean, and amaranth.
Pray for us! We need it.
31 August 2009
Another Season Gone
I just noticed that my last entry has "spring" in the title. And now this is September. So a whole season has passed without any updates.
During the summer we had our 2-month interns here at Njewa and Chiwengo. They were working as teachers and mentors for our kids. It is remarkable to watch the changes in some people as they spend time with our kids. It's not so interesting to watch butter melt, but to watch a person melt like butter, to break down under the intensity of being suddently interwoven in the life of an impovershed child, a strange thing to see indeed, a marvelous portrait of the human heart.
Now I'm back to my old work of rabbits and cooking oil. It will be great to get back into it finally. And also to have more time for the kids.
I hope everyone had a good summer. All the best this year. I hope to keep in touch more.
During the summer we had our 2-month interns here at Njewa and Chiwengo. They were working as teachers and mentors for our kids. It is remarkable to watch the changes in some people as they spend time with our kids. It's not so interesting to watch butter melt, but to watch a person melt like butter, to break down under the intensity of being suddently interwoven in the life of an impovershed child, a strange thing to see indeed, a marvelous portrait of the human heart.
Now I'm back to my old work of rabbits and cooking oil. It will be great to get back into it finally. And also to have more time for the kids.
I hope everyone had a good summer. All the best this year. I hope to keep in touch more.
24 May 2009
Spring cleaning
Just a bit of housekeeping: I've made a new blog to go more in depth about the technologies I'm using. Things like windmills, evaporative coolers, irrigation pumps, and peanut shellers will be the focus of the new blog called How 2 Africa.
The reason for the change is mostly for the user's sake. It is something of a "how to" guide, and needs to be well organised (not mixed in with posts about the children or my life, etc.).
It is going to take me a long time to develop the blog though. Just based on how long it has taken me to actually build some of these things, it will take me probably 3 to 4 months to make the How 2 Africa guides. But these are supposed to be a permanent resource. But also, a fluid resource that others can take and amend and improve. Then I'll come back with updates, etc.
Internet collaboration is so in vogue - I'm awesome! And so r u, if you try to build the stuff you find in Africa that makes life better!
Check out the first post on the windmill already uploaded.
The reason for the change is mostly for the user's sake. It is something of a "how to" guide, and needs to be well organised (not mixed in with posts about the children or my life, etc.).
It is going to take me a long time to develop the blog though. Just based on how long it has taken me to actually build some of these things, it will take me probably 3 to 4 months to make the How 2 Africa guides. But these are supposed to be a permanent resource. But also, a fluid resource that others can take and amend and improve. Then I'll come back with updates, etc.
Internet collaboration is so in vogue - I'm awesome! And so r u, if you try to build the stuff you find in Africa that makes life better!
Check out the first post on the windmill already uploaded.
25 April 2009
Sunflower Oil
We pressed our first oil yesterday. I measured out 6.5kg of sunflower seeds and headed over to the Chitedze Research Station where they have an oil ram press. It took us about 45 minutes to press the 6.5 kilos into 1 litre of oil. Well, that's not too bad considering the seeds I brought were not grown with fertilizer.
Anyhow, it tastes great. It's got a real flavour: tastes like sunflowers. So you can use it fresh in salad dressings without the bitterness of some of the cheap oils. It also worked well frying sweet potatos.
So here's the stats:
Dry seeds: 2.3 tonnes
Seeds-to-oil ratio: 6.5kg/litre
Total Oil yield: 354 litres
Total expense: K63,000
Cost per litre: K178/litre
Litre market value: K400/litre
Gross income: K141600
Net income: K78600
Or US$570.
Not bad so far. Still the little business of selling the oil.
Anyhow, it tastes great. It's got a real flavour: tastes like sunflowers. So you can use it fresh in salad dressings without the bitterness of some of the cheap oils. It also worked well frying sweet potatos.
So here's the stats:
Dry seeds: 2.3 tonnes
Seeds-to-oil ratio: 6.5kg/litre
Total Oil yield: 354 litres
Total expense: K63,000
Cost per litre: K178/litre
Litre market value: K400/litre
Gross income: K141600
Net income: K78600
Or US$570.
Not bad so far. Still the little business of selling the oil.
13 April 2009
Sunflower II
Today we harvested sunflower again. We cut about 3 tonnes of sunflower and left another tonne on the field. With the tonne or so we harvested 2 weeks ago, that's 5 tonnes total. Respectable, I'm told.
And I'm pleased we managed to do this much, but I remain skeptical that we will get the kind of oil out of it we had hoped for. But this is a trial, so let the trial begin.
Now we have to dry the seeds and press out the oil. That's another big job in itself, not to mention a drain on my pocket change, especially if this doesn't work out in the end.
No, no. Don't think about that. It has to work. Has to.
Pictures of the loot:
And I'm pleased we managed to do this much, but I remain skeptical that we will get the kind of oil out of it we had hoped for. But this is a trial, so let the trial begin.
Now we have to dry the seeds and press out the oil. That's another big job in itself, not to mention a drain on my pocket change, especially if this doesn't work out in the end.
No, no. Don't think about that. It has to work. Has to.
Pictures of the loot:
25 March 2009
Mpendadzuwa
Sunflower.
The early harvest has arrived today. We cut about 1/5 of the garden, those flowers that were mature. And set them out to dry in the sun where we can protect them from birds feasting. Looks like a pretty good yield, in spite of some small flowers and a few rainless weeks. It's ahelluvalota work though.
Pictures:
The early harvest has arrived today. We cut about 1/5 of the garden, those flowers that were mature. And set them out to dry in the sun where we can protect them from birds feasting. Looks like a pretty good yield, in spite of some small flowers and a few rainless weeks. It's ahelluvalota work though.
Pictures:
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