By Markus Faigle | Volunteer Project Director
Our grand plan of growing a Moringa forests is taking shape very well. The seeds from ECHO our founder Dr. Ihanta took back to Madagascar in February 2017 are growing well (see website). Our gardeners in both villages are growing seedlings successfully that will be planted first around the villages, and hopefully in the near next to every house in Fiadanana and Fiarenana. Called ‘Ananambo’ in Malagasy you can see the photos that the seedlings are indeed taking off.
Moringa trees are an extremely fast-growing species and under ideal conditions can grow to 8 to 12 feet, or 2 to 3 m, in just one year. Providing the climate and the weather is right, these trees will flower in the first year and produce many seedpods, with hundreds of seeds. It is our hope that within a year or two, we will be able to produce our own seeds plus hundreds to spare and share with surrounding villages and communities.
While we’re very excited about these prospects, we also very aware of the fact that young Moringa seedlings are best described as ‘moody’. After very promising start, only time will tell how many will grow into full, productive trees.
As soon as the seedlings are 2 to 3 feet, or 60 to 90 cm, tall the first leaves can be harvested and for example be added to soup. It is very encouraging to see in one of the pictures that a woman is harvesting a few of the young leaves rom the tiny little tree that is a few months old. After all, Moringa is a vegetable growing on a tree, and people have to want to harvest and eat it for the project to be ultimately successful.
We will keep you posted in future project reports about this exciting new reforestation adventure.
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By Markus Faigle | Volunteer Project Director
By Markus Faigle | Volunteer Project Director
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