The students have been hard at work again today covering the seeds they planted yesterday with mulch. The Farming God’s Way team refer to it as God’s blanket, and it’s a very good description. Watching the mulch go on this afternoon was like watching a blanket being laid on the ground. Last Sunday we had a delivery of grass to use for mulch and it was all hands on deck today, at the end of school, moving it down to the field. From the oldest to the youngest the pupils took big armfuls of grass to add to the blanket. All we need now is a few good downpours to get it nice and wet so that it can assist the germination process.
Our next challenge on the farm is to make sure that our seeds do not get eaten by the local chickens and wildlife. This may pose something of a problem as our neighbours work on the, not unreasonable, assumption that letting their chickens forage for their food gives them the best chance of having enough to eat. This, unfortunately, means that our maize seeds are fair game and will need protecting. Last year, when I was in Lesotho training with the Farming God’s Way team, I saw a novel approach to pest control, (of the winged and furry kind). Owl silhouettes, made out of wood, were perched on top of tall poles to deter foraging. According to our guide on the farm it was a success. We could, alternatively, set up a ‘chicken’ patrol during the day, (manned by our pupils), to chase the chickens away. I think this would be more fun. If we approach it properly I’m sure we could devise some sort of associated PE activity to give it added educational value. We could, as a last resort, apply the ultimate sanction and simply eat the chickens.
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