The Health Agroforestry Combination

Agro and Health volunteers go through stage/training together, while Ed and SED (small enterprise development) volunteers have their training combined in June/April (I believe) here in PC Cameroon. This combination is particularly relevent for us, as there are many joint projects and overlapping of sectors between Agro and Health workers, three of which I will highlight.

Moringa
Moringa oliefera is a multipurpse tree that grows here. It does not grow very fast necessarily, or very big, however the leaves are edible and people here make a sauce out of the leaves to eat with couscous, which is delicious. The leaves themselves are very nutritious, containing high levels of protein, calcium, and potassium. In addition, the powder of ground up moringa seeds can be used to purify water.Thus it is a tree that is promoted for nutrition and agroforestry. Because it is a slight and delicate tree, people can be encouraged to plant one in their concession, where it won't take up much space, and will be readily available for cooking needs. It also coppices fairly well, meaning it can be cut off to a smaller height and regrow from there, growing more outward instead of too tall, making leaves easier to harvest. Other projects have worked to promote it at health centers. In health centers and hospitals here, including the big hospital in Garoua, when someone is sick and staying in the hospital, they have a bed, and care, however no food is provided. Family members come and stay outside, setting up cap, to cook for their sick one, and stay with them. Thus promoting moringa at health centers means you have a ready audience of people to learn about the benefits (complemented by classes or animations), you can use open space to demonstrate the trees, and families who are there can use the trees for their cooking during the hospital stay.
One interesting thing is that culturally, most Muslim families do have a moringa tree in their concession, but not a lot of Christian families, just due to traditional cooking. So introduction to Haako Kona (Moringa sauce) might be successful in non-Muslim cartiers.

Fruit Trees
Similarly, is the promotion of fruit trees, both at health centers and in family concessions, for the same reasons of nutrition, as eating more fruit can greatly improved the vitamin deficiency in a lot of children here. (In addition, growing fruit tends to be a pretty lucrative endeavor, as once the tree is grown, the inputs are few and the amount of fruit produced exceeds what is eaten, and excess can be sold) People keep their water here in great big ceramic urns. An ingenious container for water in hot places--as water evaporates from the "canerie" the temperature and water inside is chilled. Indeed, it is the refrigerator for volunteers without electricity, because you can stick food in plastic bags and throw them in the water and they will stay much colder! As it is though, a lot of water does leak out. So a simple thing is to encourage people to plant a tree right next to their canerie...a fruit tree or moringa perhaps. (Papayas grow and start producing in 2 years, and their root systems are not extensive, so they can grow right in a small concession) That way, you don't even have to water your tree as it grows. The lost water from the canerie does it. I'm planning on planting a papaya next to my canerie as soon as I get to post, and also some moringa in the concession as well.

Soy
Nutrition again, mixed with agriculture. As agroforesters, our aim is two fold: to get people to plant trees (for all sorts of needs--reforestation, amelioration of the soil, fruit, economic benefit, anti-erosion, etc) and also to improve the environment/soil and agriculture. Soy is a legume meaning that it fixes nitrogen back into the soil. Where other crops, like corn, millet, and above all, cotton, take a lot of nutrients out of the soil and tire it out, soy, peanuts, beans, all work to improve the soil. Thus we like to promote it as another alternative crop. Simultaneously, adding a little soy to diets here can go a long way to improve nutrition, especially for children. Sarah and Ryan, two previous Health and Agro workers in Bibemi, had a nice successful program, promoting soy on the equal parts of farmers and mothers. Ryan worked to promote it to farmers, talking about the benefit to their land, etc, and Sarah worked to promote it to mothers, encouraging them to put a little in "Bouille" (a flour drink served frequently) or other sauces to give a little more protein. Thus they created the market for it by working together. I would love to be involved in such a project...simple but effective.

Water
Finally, there are all issues with water. Water, a necessity for growing trees, here where it rains for 3 months out of the year. Water, which is such an integral part of health, where so many diseases are spread due to lack of good water quality. Working on well projects and education is something almost all health and agro volunteers are involved with at some point.

I think it is a wonderful thing to collaborate across sectors, and hope there will be a Health Volunteer near me at my post.