Our Land - LIVE DOCUMENT
What Happened on Our Land In 2023?
Bulldozing
February is the peak of the dry season each year. That’s when temperatures are hottest and driest. GTGR took advantage of that knowledge and bulldozed the land in February 2023. A bulldozer was leased from a dealer of Caterpillar, and for 3 days they destumped, cleared, and leveled the land. There was a significant slope on the northeast corner, so the bulldozer pushed soil from across the land to fill in the corner.
Trained FBO Women in Modern Agriculture
Throughout the rest of 2023, the GTGR team built and trained a group of community women, known as Farm Based Organization (FBO) women, to gain training and support in their farming ventures. This group used the newly cleared land for 2 consecutive seasons in 2023. It was a great year because they were able to keep a higher percentage of their yields without paying rent to anyone.
Moving on to 2024
From 2.5 Acres to 5 Acres
We purchased the next 2.5 acres of land in February, 2024 for 90,000 leones. This brought the total size of the farm to 5 acres. The first 2.5 acres cost 70,000,000 leones. What changed? Since the first time we purchased land, Sierra Leone switched its currency to the “New Leone”; essentially hacking 3 zero’s off each bill to make their currency appear stronger than it is. Compared to 2022, we purchased this land for 20,000,000 leones more (old currency) or 20,000 leones more (new currency). The leone lost value in this time so although the price for this land was higher, we only paid $4,100 USD compared to $5,800 last time.
Clearing the Rest of the Land
GTGR did not host a new group of FBO women in 2024 after having the graduation ceremony for the 2023 class just weeks prior. The reason was because GTGR had a big vision for developing this 5 acre farm in 2024, and it would require all hands on deck. The first order of business was to destump, clear, and level the new land. A bulldozer was leased in April to do the bulk of the de-stumping and leveling. GTGR did not burn any of the dead brush (which is common practice). Instead the farm team hired labor and together they hauled the logs and sticks off the land, creating a fence of fallen trees around the border.
Compost Pit!!
The second order of business was creating a compost pit right away. The longer you give compost to mature, the better it will perform. Especially when creating the first compost mix, it takes several months to build up the bacteria and enzymes necessary for healthy compost. A 15 ft wide x 15 ft long x 5 ft deep compost pit was dug into the earth. It was massive. Layers of green and brown leaves were added to the compost, in between layers of manure we purchased in town. By the month of May we had about 500 lbs of compost maturing in the ground.
Protecting Our Borehole
The third order of business was to build a protective shelter around our borehole so the staff members have a place to evade the rains and hot sun. This became their central hub for meetings and lunch time when no other structures existed on the land. This borehole structure was completed in May as well.
Planting… Pinneaples?
The fourth order of business was to start planting pineapples. It sounds like a weird action item to add to the mix, but there is no cash crop more lucrative than pineapples. If you know how to utilize land properly, it’s possible to plant upwards of 20,000 crowns per acre. One pineapple can be sold for $1, so 1 acre of pineapples can yield $20,000 annually. The farm team planted 2,000 crowns in June to start the process. By June 2025 we will harvest 2,000 pineapples, and in turn have 2,000 free crowns to replant; doubling the size of our farm. If we decided to purchase all 20,000 crowns upfront, it would cost $5,000. Using this strategy, it will only take 3 years to have 16,000 crowns in the ground; while the upfront investment was just $500 for the first 2,000 crowns.
Construction Begins on the Harvest House
The fifth order of business was creating a centralized storage facility to house the company tools, farm inputs, and assets including motorbikes. We wanted this facility to double as a classroom area since we are an educational non-profit. Adding a space for classes would easily facilitate new students once GTGR had the capacity to take new students in. In June/July 2024, GTGR got to work in designing this new storage/classroom facility. A month was spent conversing with local contractors to find the right price and quality of craftsmanship. In August 2024, construction started for the 2,000+ square foot storage facility, which became known as the Harvest House. The facility holds one large room for agriculture tools, inputs, and general storage. One room is designated as the garage, where 1 truck and 3 motorbikes can comfortably fit. The final space is partially indoor and partially outdoor to encourage the natural breeze to regulate the temperature. This space is designated for the classroom. It's a large area where 10 tables can be set up in front of a whiteboard installed on the wall.
Start of 2025 to Present Day
Construction is still underway for the Harvest House as of February 20th, 2025. The only remaining work is to finish plastering the walls (20% remaining), painting the walls, and pouring cement for the floors all over. Construction is in the home stretch! But in the spirit of full transparency, the contractor we hired to do the job has stopped showing up to work since last week, February 13th. We called his laborers who told us he ran out of money and won’t be coming back. This is a very common problem in Sierra Leone. No matter how much you may vet a contractor there is always a high risk of breaking the contract. Typically the problem boils down to money, as it has here. So we moved on to “plan B” on February 16th. GTGR has a great relationship with the police officers in Bo. We are known for good work and working honestly in the community. If ever a problem arises, the police are there to assist us. A staff member visited the police post and talked to Mr. Bull. He’s the officer we usually start an investigation with if needed. In this case, Mr. Bull brought a contractor friend of his to the Harvest House construction site in Tikonko to investigate the amount of work completed, and the amount still needing to be completed.
As of February 20th there are no updates to give. Mr. Bull will sort out what needs to be done. He will likely request the building contractor to visit the police post to discuss how he can reimburse the remaining part of the contract not yet completed.
As previously mentioned, a small amount of work is left for the Harvest House to be completed. The organization must push forward regardless of setbacks and find a new contractor to finish the work. On the back end, we will work with Mr. Bull to collect the debts from the previous contractor.
After the Harvest House is complete, GTGR will hire a group of laborers to dig a 25 ft x 25 ft x 8 ft deep hole which will be the future fish pond. Fish farming is highly lucrative, and will be the first animal species to be incorporated on the farm.
Throughout the rest of 2025 the plan is to build a chicken coop, a bathroom, and stalls for future sheeps, pigs, and goats.
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