Pomegranate Power

This week I met our Turwanyubukene Farmers Cooperative (TFC) for the first time. The TFC consists of 32 men and women who have each donated one hectare of land to the co-op to farm of organic pomeganates, chickpeas, and chili peppers. Millennium Village Project (MVP -me and my colleagues) are working with the US African Development Foundation (USADF) and the TFC to turn 32 hectares of dry barren land (yet virgin organic... never seen a pesticide!) into Rwanda's newest and most successful cash crop exporting farm. Pomegranates are in extremely high demand around the world right now and it is predicted that the demand will only increase in the years to come.
But at the moment this dream is all on paper. I sat in a 1.5 hour conference call with USADF in Washington yesterday discussing the ins and outs of the proposal. We have a long way to go!
At the TFC meeting on Thursday morning, Chantal (a member of my team) and I picked our way across the red ground and carefully stepped over and around the briars and thorns to meet the farmers at the area they were clearing the land. Not too long into the meeting some of the women started explaining to me with animated gestures and facial expressions how they are in desperate need of rubber boots. Some of the other members were too busy picking torns out of their calloused feet to stop to talk. About half of these people were barefoot and the other half have on flip flops. I told them that I would try to return with rubber boots at next Thursday's meeting. When I asked them what else they needed to clear the land, they sat thinking for a few minutes. One lady looked at the machete she was carrying and gestured that it was really dull and not very strong (it wobbled when she shook it). Ok, I agreed, machetes for each of you. After some more thinking we came up with gloves, shovels, and hoes.
Its the simple things that make a dream come true. Next week my dreams will come true if I can bring rubber boots to the co-op meeting on Thursday!