TRAINING ON MICRO GARDEN AND VEGGIE TUNNEL PRODUCTION
Student: Mr. Muronga Poulus Dinkwe. He came from DiHokoHoko close to Divundu
in the Kavango region.
I received him to be trained in micro gardening and
mainly on veggie tunnel production from the 26th of May 2013 till
the 31st of May 2013. The training was done at the Hope Village
veggie tunnel gardens and was organized by Namibia Horticulture Trust.
This training was offered in order to prepare him to
be able to manage veggie tunnels as part of his skills improvement. This would filter
down to teaching his skills to the members of his community, to create jobs and
income generation.
The student was
trained on how to:
·
Install a veggie-tunnel and
repair it
·
Plant, care and harvest vegetables
(how and when to water, how to harvest certain crops and when to harvest them)
·
Control of the application of water
·
Use planting bags
·
Select soil for the preparation
of planting
·
Do the planting calendar and
crop rotation (crop rotation cycles and the sterility of the sand medium)
·
Use the Hygroponic Fertilizer
·
Choose a good cultivar for the
area and season
·
Expect and address problems in
his garden (pest control and diseases)
Other activities
which the student participated in were:
·
Watering the tunnels
·
Weeding the planting bags and
the general area
·
Harvesting crops as was
indicated
·
Installing drip-lines in the
tunnels
·
Maintaining a clean environment
around the garden
My time with the student was mainly practical work; we
worked more outdoor than indoors. The student demonstrated the value of his
past experience with gardening, which was helpful knowledge to build upon.
Although challenges were encountered with the homework
and the written test he still performed well in the practical applications.
The venue where the training was done is called Hope
Village in the Goreangab extension of Katutura and the gardens consist of 4
veggie tunnels. These tunnels provide for the 4 houses of orphaned HIV
children. The Hope Village gardens are sponsored by NHT and used as a training
facility with the approval of the Hope Village management.
Cost Involved
The training was offered by NHT for free. The student
was not charged a training fee either.
Evaluation
At the end of his training, the student had to
complete a written test that covered the topics of his period of training. The
student did pass his test and he proved to have a good general understanding of
the course. As a result of this test, the presenter was also able to identify
areas which proved to be unclear to the student and used it as a final session
to address and explain these topics in more detail.
Report By
Emmanuel Muyumba
Urban Horticulture
TOT
