africa Archives - Grounded by the Farm

Getting a Whole New Perspective on Farming and on Life — An Irish Dairy Farmer Goes to Kenya!

Janice Person — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 10:59:28 +0000

Hearing Paula Hynes talk about her experiences of spending time with the Maasai people in Kenya offers a whole new perspective on farming. Paula, who has a dairy farm with her husband Peter in Ireland (remember we talked Kerrygold butter?), said the possibility came up so quick, she didn’t have time to really think things through. Her family immediately said she should do it though and she knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Now she says it not only gave her a totally different perspective on farming, but on the world too. (The AI generated transcript is available here).

Amazing Opportunity

It sounds like the run up to a great bar joke, but – have YOU heard the one about the Irish dairy farmer who went to Kenya to visit The Maasai tribe, to learn about culture, agriculture and life? That’s the experience we talk with Paula Hynes about and it is definitely no laughing matter. It is the focus of the most-recent episode of Grounded By The Farm!

I’ve known the Hynes family for years and one of the most interesting facets of their lives has comes from the time in 2017 that Paula was fortunate enough to spend time with members of The Maasai people. This interaction came to the Hynes family after they’d been awarded The Farmer of the Year title in Ireland, when they were invited thanks to a TV production company who were planning to film a three-part documentary series called “The Hardest Harvest” and definitely wanted women to participate. The series focused on the transplantation of a fisherman, forester and of course – a dairy farmer which ended up being Paula into remote parts of Africa. (Maybe next time someone can visit Ugandan fish farmer Kaahwa Jean!)

Have you heard of the Maasai tribe? Find out more about them now with these five fascinating facts about the Maasai people.

An interesting note: Paula had never traveled anywhere on her own – nowhere not even around Ireland. Now she was preparing to hurdle towards the cradle of humankind to be in a documentary focusing on farming. Quite the segue from the rich green rolling mounds of tall grass in Ireland to raise pedigreed holsteins, jerseys and Fleckvieh heifers collect milk to be sure. Paula says that the choice to go was a “no brainer” but the reality is – there was so much to think about not only before going but after.

The experience was amazing, and came as a complete surprise to Paula. She laughs saying she had so much to do to get ready that she didn’t have time to Google what or where she was going and in hindsight, that clearly fostered the choice to go. As a focus in contrast you see – there are no paved roads. There are no bathrooms. There are no showers.

Extreme Drought in Kenya

If all of that wasn’t enough, the area was experiencing one of the most impactful droughts known to Kenyan history at the time. And the culture is very different. Whereas Paula and Peter work as a team of equals, the women of the Maasai tribe are treated much differently/lesser than most can imagine. There is a lot of water to be carried quite a distance and if a structure is to be built, the women will do that too.

And then there’s the wild animals. Hyenas. Elephants, and Zebra, oh my.

The living area was one large community that not only housed the people (men, women and AMAZING children), but all of the farm animals as well. The cows herding there would come into the compound at night to help stave off the likes of the wild animals. As Paula arrived she heard the glorious voices and music being generated by a loving people filled with rich history, culture and tradition as you can see in the video above.

Amazing Welcome, Tough Lessons

The people of the Maasai tribe welcomed Paula outright and gave her opportunities to contribute. Daily activities usually consisted of taking the cows grazing outside the small village (called a Boma) to allow them to feed the best they could inside of the sun-ravaged lands. Their “grass” looked very much like weeds, and 6-7 hours could easily be spent as the villagers guided the cattle to find more plots of grazable food. They provide on-going support for the Maasai rather than being a source of meat.

This video is something we discuss in the episode… Understand it includes sensitive visuals that may upset some, however, it’s an important piece of the story for the Maasai people who depend on cattle but rarely eat beef.

The differences with beautiful rain-fed pastures at home was beyond striking and animal care is vastly different. In Ireland, there are rarely health issues that lead to cattle deaths, but the experience Paula had with cows dying in Kenya struck her hard. In many cases, there were cattle that had to be helped up and even more that just dropped and couldn’t continue on.

When this happened, she realized that the Maasai tribe members knew that those cows – were destined to die. They were left to the elements and animals – which was an extraordinarily hard experience for Paula who understood the Maasai intensely valued the cattle but had so few choices compared to her farm at home. When water and food are in rare supply and can only be given to the cattle that are making a go of it. Sometimes there is no resource that will save them, and there are no tractors with which to lift them back to their feet. There is only time, and the sad, natural course of events to craft another day in Kenya, and that’s it.

A Chance to Prove Herself

The Maasai Chief had established a series of tasks for Paula, but – believe it or not, she didn’t actually meet the Chief for DAYS, until after Paula was already hip-deep in the experience. The morning tasks were given out each day and the Chief would watch from afar to see what Paula was doing to foster the tasks to completion.

The offering of a hunting knife to Paula caused one of the bits of strife during her experience. You see, only Masai tribesMEN are given this tool to do tasks. This was one of the many “firsts” that Paula was honored with during her journey. Another fine first was put in the books as Paul constructed her own mud hut with the women in the boma called a manyetta. She was able to achieve this after being given a machete with which to chop down the lumber to build the small rudimentary structure. Thankfully, these two tasks were able to quell any problems that the men and or women had with her and the rest of the time spent was beyond amazing.

The differences between a sage Kenyan community, and the ways of life on an Irish dairy farm are vast – but never too far to bridge when hope, knowledge, education and legacy are the ingredients swirling in a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime experience. Be sure to listen to this episode of The Grounded By The Farm Podcast to learn more about Paula’s extraordinary life lesson, adventure an be sure to connect with Paula via her Twitter account @paulahynes4 or Instagram at peterpaulahynes.

Ready to learn what Paula’s Maasai-name is and more importantly – what it MEANS? There’s only one way to find out! Listen to THIS EPISODE of Grounded By The Farm!

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Growing A Plant-Based Protein that is Humble Yet Powerful — Convo with Dr. Priyanka Gupta

Janice Person — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 04:04:46 +0000

In today’s world, people talk about plant-based proteins as a dietary preference, or a way to deliver innovation. But when you think about that, how often does your mind turn to growing a plant-based protein in a desert? How often do you think about subsistence farmers, people who struggle to feed their family the most basic foods because weather strikes hard? That’s both the challenge and the promise we turn to in our latest episode of Grounded by the Farm.

Recently, we talked about plant breeding and I mentioned we would be talking with another plant breeder — Dr. Priyanka Gupta — this summer. Although Priyanka is from India, plant breeding work has led her to work in several countries. She’s currently focused on improving a plant called grasspea in Morocco. Ever heard of a grasspea? I hadn’t either so no need to feel bad. It’s part of the pulse family (like the lentils and purple hull peas we discussed with farmers in season 1). And it has the highest percentage of protein content!

For a detailed transcript of this episode, see Talking about Grasspea with Dr. Priyanka Gupta

Discovering a Love of Agriculture

While growing up in India, Priyanka knew plenty of people who took the very traditional thing that women in India are encouraged to do – become a wife and help to raise a family. Maybe teach for a bit. But there had always been a strong pull to do something else with her life and ultimately, she chose to focus on benefitting the planet. She started in environmental sciences and eventually became a true evolved lover of agriculture.

For those that think that careers like being a “Global Grasspea Researcher” are something someone is born with – nothing could be further from the truth. Priyanka was very undecided when the time came to choose a career path, and only with the help of friends and classmates, and some focused determination, was she able to eventually find out what her next step would be in life and her career.

Growing Crops – in the DESERT? It’s a lot more involved than you might think! Learn more about it now! https://mesquitelocalnews.com/2019/08/14/overcoming-the-challenges-of-desert-gardening/

What does grasspea look like?

As you’ve discovered, the grasspea – looks like grass, and tastes like a pea. Didn’t take a creative brainstorming session to come up with that name, but – isn’t that amazing?

Priyanka was nice enough to send us photos of the crop at various points of the season. Here’s the video.

Priyanka explains that grasspea is a renaissance crop or a crop which is able to offer people a rebirth. That’s because it is so hardy that it can grow with the least amount of water. And it is so nutritionally beneficial — 30 percent protein!

But she admits to a component that can be controversial. One of the pieces that Priyanka is focused on, is a naturally occurring substance in grasspea called ODAP. The natural chemical is advantageous for medicinal reasons with cardiovascular health but if you get too much of it in your diet, a reality that can happen when famine is striking and people are desperate for food. With the limited number of crops available in those situation, people have large percentages of their diets in grasspea and ODAP can cause some muscular or nervous issues. So Priyanka and other researchers are trying to reduce the presence of ODAP in some varieties suited for those regions while providing ODAP for pharma uses in other regions.

Understanding ICARDA’s Role

After focusing her studies, and an extended fellowship program, she found herself part of ICARDA – a global organization that applies science to dry areas of the world to build resiliency. And that is where Priyanka began her focus on the grass pea.

ICARDA originally had many of its resources located in Syria, but recent political unrest fostered a change of venue to Morocco – a Northern African country, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. You can see some more of the organization’s efforts in this ICARDA video overview.

Ready to connect with grasspea Researcher Extraordinaire Priyanka Gupta? Check her out over on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/vidhipriyanka

Plant Breeding Shifts Prove Beneficial

During her research over the years, she has moved from grass pea to wheat and now back to the grasspea. Learning how each of them is different, but also learning which characteristics each share has been incredibly valuable not just in the evolution of growing both of these crops, but in Priyanka’s growth as a researcher and person. You see, while the crops ARE different and DO have different qualities that each thrives in – BOTH share things that – when implemented in tandem – allow each of the species to thrive – and by learning about both, this also allows Priyanka to thrive and evolve as a researcher as well.

One of the most fundamental differences between grasspeas and wheat are their root structures. Inside this episode of Grounded By The Farm, Priyanka details how each grows and is able to tap the local water-based resources to enable each to survive. This is what makes the study not only interesting but incredibly valuable when it comes to research and development in areas where there is so little water but always the need for more food, resources and support.

When it’s all said and done, being a plant breeder that collects research on some of the most robust crops with incredibly hardy growing abilities is not only an interesting story – it’s not just educational, it inspires future generations to also take time to learn more about the planet, to cherish our environment, to challenge standard cultural norms and break the traditional mold – to allow all of it and ourselves to evolve.

What did YOU find the most-interesting about this episode of Grounded By The Farm? Connect with us via our many Social Media platform links here at our website and be sure to sure to share this episode and story with your friends, family and others who might benefit by becoming – GROUNDED BY THE FARM! Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Clubhouse

A Few Video Recommendations from Priyanka

As we talked about the work that is being done, Priyanka mentioned some videos and information. We wanted to share those here for those who want to go a bit deeper on plant breeding!

1. CNN talks about ICARDA’s genetic biodiversity conservation mission (https://youtu.be/QriBmFCKO2Q)

2. ICARDA on a mission for genetic biodiversity conservation (https://youtu.be/GVM3sO6MMQw)

3. ICARDA returns to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkSdW_w6Kyo)

4. From the north pole to the fertile crescent (https://youtu.be/7HWZzv-T5ss)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvw0XTCNWG k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVnPv2pdW6Y https://www.youtube.com/user/ICARDA08

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Ugandan Fish Farmer Produces Fresh Tilapia & Encourages Small Farms

Janice Person — Wed, 12 May 2021 11:00:07 +0000

I knew I was going to have opportunities to meet new people and learn new things through this podcast, but I never thought I’d talk to a Ugandan fish farmer. It had simply never crossed my mind. And as I talked to a friend who works with the Global Farmer Network, and she mentioned the potential, I was giddy.

I also realized I needed to do some serious background to get up to speed on the country and the role of agriculture there. I learned a lot in my searching &I reading, but as usually is the case, talking to a farmer from the area really helped me understand.

So glad Jean Kaahwa would take the time to talk with us and that although the lines sometimes had static, the call went pretty well overall!

Background on Uganda & Ag

Do you even know where Uganda is? What kind of fish do they have there? What kind of experience do the Farmers have there? Waitaminit — They farm fish in Uganda? There’s not only a lot to learn about fish farming in Uganda. Grounded By The Farm was able to connect with entrepreneur and fish farmer Jean Kaahwa, who shares his insight and “schools” others to learn how to fish and to never forget the futility of only accepting fish that are given to them.

Uganda – in Africa – is next to the Congo and Kenya, and the territory there – is filled with fertile farmland. That’s where Jean is able to teach new farmers and entrepreneurs business and farming lessons that will last a lifetime.

Uganda is an agriculture-based country where more than 70% of its people work in agriculture, many are often referred to as small holders. Their farms are typically very small, usually less than one hectare (2.471 acres or 2-3 football fields) and they grow food to feed their family and try to grow enough to sell too. Agriculture is the country’s largest industry by far.

Uganda is also a large coffee grower…. There are some coffee plants are generally much tougher and more resilient than other coffee plants. They don’t require as much herbicide, pesticide, or general upkeep as their more fragile counterparts in the industry. Strangely enough, the people of Uganda are NOT consumers of coffee! 95% of the coffee grown there is exported to bring that tasty cup of Joe that many think has few competitors. While the coffee industry employs 40% of the population, it contributes 25% of the nation’s GDP and is mainly accomplished by women.

While the wide open fertile lands make for great opportunities for farms, there is also concern that there will eventually be labor problems – because there is so much open land on which to farm. This is in stark contrast to what we in the United States experience.

Getting to Know Jean Kaahwa & Fish Farming in Uganda

While Jean started as an employee with a “regular job” he realized that it was time for something else and then started with two fish farm pilot projects. Jean’s digging into how things work and being able to sell his ideas allowed him to secure investors in the fish farming effort, His skill sets grow and expanded to being able to help people with the business side of general agriculture, and allowed him to eventually begin generating award-winning programs for young people interested in agriculture. Eventually the Global Farmers Network was able to connect with Jean’s effort and things expanded further.

All of this talk about agriculture is interesting but – what about THE FISH? Here are some photos and video he sent us to share as you listen to the podcast!

Jean currently grows tilapia – https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/tilapia-fish – an inexpensive, mild-flavored fish, and is ideal for farming because it doesn’t mind being crowded, grows quickly, and consumes a cheap vegetarian diet as it grows. Jean has also been able to grow a quickly budding network of people and resources.

While fish farming is definitely the focus, one of Jean’s team members also recently provided an excellent video about mushroom farming. Have you seen it? You know we had to take notes after seeing the way the team at J&M Farms grows mushrooms.

In Uganda, the fertile land makes generating a variety of items a straight-forward process that yields quickly and offers the environment to work well with the needs in the region.

Are you interested in learning more about the business principles that Jean shares with many budding entrepreneurs? Be sure to check out that video that will detail all of it for you right now!

Getting in Touch

You can connect with Jean online or through the card he shares digitally. The company — Africa Agri-Business Services — website is aagribusinesss.com and they have social media too.

As we mention in the podcast, he uses LinkedIn. You may notice the name is in a different order…. the beauty of cultural differences! Look for Kaahwa Jean on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaahwa-jean-97b40737/ Be sure to take just a moment to connect and find out more about what Jean is doing now and how his connections can help you thrive!

Did you know he’s also on Twitter? Be sure to follow him today and tell him that Grounded By The Farm sencha’! Twitter https://twitter.com/kaahwajean1

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