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See how her garden grows!

Holding a freshly picked radish in her hand, it is easy for Manuela Centeno to forget the doubts that she and the other 19 women from her community felt when the idea of growing their own family garden was first suggested.  In the community of El Ojochal del Listón, opportunities for women to contribute to family income are relatively limited and traditional family roles where men are the principal “producers” often lead to a sense of disempowerment.  For this reason it was always going to be a challenge implementing a project which aims to empower women and give them the opportunity to add some variety to the family’s diet and generate some extra income.

Having helped the community to construct 16 family rainwater harvesting tanks last year, we were happy to help the women use some of the available water for drip irrigation systems in organic family gardens close to their homes which could be managed alongside their other responsibilities.  Six gardens have been established and two of these have been declared ‘men free zones’ by the women working on them!  A good natured rivalry has developed and some of the men in the community have even planted some seeds in ‘competition’ to see whose methods work best.

The first few months were hard work.  Tools were distributed to each group and the best location for each garden was chosen.  The ground was prepared, organic compost was produced and seeds were germinated and transplanted.  Each stage was accompanied by a training session in which women’s outreach worker, Benelip Nuñez, worked alongside the women in the community putting into practice the given by agricultural engineer, Enrique Bolaños.  The women learned how to use plastic sheets to trap the heat and kill off insects and disease in the seed beds. They have also learned how to use yellow plastic as a decoy, an organic and environmentally friendly form of pest control.

By the time the seeds were planted in February the women were very excited to see the gardens finally taking shape.  Ten different vegetables are being grown: tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cabbages, jalapeño chillies, onions, radishes, cucumbers, carrots and green beans.  We knew that the bucket fed drip irrigation systems would require at least one bucket of water a day but the women soon realised that in the heat of the last few months of the dry season this was not enough.  The most successful gardens so far are those where some extra water was given to the young plants, underlining the importance of water availability in this remote community.

The first crops were seen in March when the radishes were harvested.  Not all the plants have been so successful, though, and some carrots and tomatoes have been attacked by disease.  Sadly two of the gardens were also invaded by animals and some crops damaged.  Nevertheless, the women are really enjoying seeing their gardens grow now.  There are carrots, cabbages, aubergines, tomatoes and beans.  They are enjoying cooking with their home-grown vegetables and have already asked for more seeds to plant during the wet season.  It is great to see their confidence growing alongside the other crops too!

11/06/10