N'famara Diawara shows me the beds he planted just after he arrived in April and explains the crops and what they'll be used for. Sixty percent is planted in high-carbon and calorie-producing crops that include corn, sorghum and millet. (The residue from these crops is used to replenish the soil in all three beds.) Thirty percent is for high-calorie-producing root crop production and includes Jerusalem artichoke and potatoes, and 10 percent is for vegetable production to meet micronutrient needs and includes turnips. N'famara explains there are crops at the mini-farm, such as barley, quinoa and Jerusalem artichokes, that are not known in Sénégal.
When N'famara returns to Sénégal, he'll have a big assignment. He plans to set up a GROW BIOINTENSIVE garden with his brother Lamine Diawara and Lamine's wife, Fatou, who is currently an intern at the EA Headquarters Mini-Farm. Lamine was an intern at EAH in 2012. N'famara's role will be as the main gardener, adding to his list of artisan skills, which include brick molding, construction, painting and auto mechanics. The garden he will manage is called Fankanta, a Mandinka word that translates: "Better to avert famine than to remedy it." The demonstration of high yields from the GB method will be an initial step in improving crop production in Sénégal, one of several French-speaking West African nations to introduce GB.
