Friday Cory spent the day teaching at an agricultural meeting at a church out in the former sugar cane plantations south of Cap Haitian. Sugar cane remains one of the main crops in the area. Six churches [none Wesleyan] were represented and the participants were a mix of pastors, farmers and students.
Cory: Pastor Rwosvelt Chery from Village Campion requested that I bring plants to share and teach about plant propagation (grafting, cuttings and air layers) and about the value of the new crops I brought. I met Pastor Rwosvelt though mutual friendships with our Wesleyan pastors.
The new plants or varieties included starfruit, Malabar chestnut, chaya (a bush that produces leaves used like spinach or collard greens) asai palm, bamboo, breadfruit and disease resistant bananas and cooking bananas. Happily the new breadfruit variety we imported and continue to propagate stimulated the most interest. It should start producing in two years and we hope at a different season than the local varieties.
I also brought a Creole health book along to show those attending the meeting. Folks excitedly expressed their desire to buy the copy before learning that could be purchased later from Pastor Rwosvelt. Before leaving the needed arrangements were worked out to pickup additional copies of the book for distribution in the area.
We hope the health books, the teaching, the donated plants and any others brought in the future help increase the agricultural production and local economy of the area.
1 comment:
Cory - thanks for sharing. Sounds as if your visit was a blessing to them, so glad the book continues to be popular.
Post a Comment