1.  What is your main job while in Madagascar? 

To put it simply, my job is to increase food security and decrease dependences on natural resources. Food security revolves around increase yield and food availability, but to do it in a sustainable way, a.k.a. without destroying the environment. This is a difficult topic because it involves the word sustainable. What does sustainable mean? There are definitions out there, but basically maintain a human inhabitable environment is the end reason. Of course we what to keep as many of our fuzzy friends, endangered species as an example, around to.

Are you going to be teaching or etc.?

I will be teaching simple techniques to intensify rice farming to get higher yields and food growing techniques so people can vary their diet. I have the advantage of the Internet and being able to communicate with other parts of the world.  So I have a responsibility to communicate what I find out to my village. Teaching is the main part of my work. I look at my job from different angles. I am a communicator, passing ideas in a manner that is understood. I am a scientist/engineer, experimenting with techniques and tools. I am a sociologist/psychologist, understanding the people and how they interact so that I can understand their culture. Above all I am a student, learning everyday. It sounds noble when I read it to myself, but it is what is.

2.  What simple supplies could you use?

I could use a charcoal briquette press if you have one to spare or an oil extraction press to make cooking oils. For simple supplies, I am not sure. What I need is motivation. We all have good and bad days, but it is the effort put forth over the long haul that counts. What do your students think I should be teaching the Malagasy community where I live? I will get more pictures on my blog. Here is a website from the volunteers we replaced. http://www.ftftrading.com/ They are focusing on fair trade, community development, and organic cultivation. We all have something to offer. The community where I live offers vanilla.

Here is a little background. My community has about a 10% malnutrition rate. They mostly grow vanilla, cloves and coffee. They fish in the ocean and also farm fish. They raise chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, gunnies, pigs and cows. There are about 4000 people, I am not totally sure. They eat rice three times a day, when there is enough of it, sometimes they go without. They cook over a cup of rice per person per meal. It is a lot of rice at each sitting. They make a sauce to go over the rice and give it flavor. The vegetables they eat are types of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, garlic, squash and/or whatever they find. There are a lot of tropical fruits to choose from, but very seasonal.

Here are some Madagascar fact sites.

The World Factbook – Madagascar: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ma.html
Embassy of Madagascar: http://www.embassy.org/madagascar/

3.  Are you going to be in contact with mainly adults, children, both?

Our village is like a small American neighborhood. Instead of driving every where we walk or ride our bikes. A simple activity is going to the local store. In the states I would drive to the grocery store or walk to the corner store. Same thing here, instead of a chain convenient store we have very small family owned stores. They have pens, pencils, batteries, lights, cookies, crackers, soda pop, peanuts, macaroni, tomatoes, onions, garlic, candy, petrol, vinegar and other little stuff. The bigger small stores run a generator so they have cold drinks from time to time. To go to the “grocery” store we ride our mountain bikes over an hour. It can be fun, depending on the mud. Every step of the way we talk to adults and kids. In this culture they like to chat. They talk about anything and everything. I never developed my small talk skills and I do not pick up foreign languages quickly. So I have two strikes against me to begin with. But I get out there and mix it up.. Faith teaches English on Sundays, kids for an hour then the adults. I like to be on the move and visit. We meet new people all the time and talk to our neighbors on a daily basis. There are not many physical barriers between people in our village and I mentioned they like to talk.

4.  What could we send to help you (or your wife)?

I am thinking about what we could use to help us at our job, but nothing comes to mind. I know your students would like to help us, I will keep it in mind.