Beating Covid-19 with climate change resilience

Beating covid-19 with climate change resilience

The Tikondane community still needs your further help, as Covid-19 has prevented any guests from coming to our lodge so our main income which came from the lodge is nil. We have reduced the hours worked at Tiko and asked the crew of 72 to work in their fields and gardens instead. This they are doing and for once the rains, have been fabulous.

You helped us to give them extra help to buy seeds and we also introduced yams, a new crop which is the main food in many countries in West Africa. Yams are drought resistant, while maize, the traditional food here needs expensive seed and expensive artificial fertilizer. Cassava, introduced to replace maize was not successful, suffering depredations caused by uncontrolled marauding cows.

After a workshop on cultivating yams which fired the enthusiasm of the crew, we ordered 4000 seed yams and subsequently 2000 more thus further increasing costs. A further addition was the cost of bamboo sticks to support the growing yam plants.

We still need help to pay the allowances of our crew and costs such as those for leaking roofs, and fences. Poverty is now so great, that stealing has greatly increased.  Alas our usual provision for hunger help in the months, Dec – April, is not enough. Sadly, covid-19 has come to Zambia and infections are increasing at a threatening speed. Whatever happens, there will be a big demand for yams, since few had money for the expensive artificial fertilizer, that is needed for the cultivation of maize