Disapppointment is a pretty powerful emotion that can even render you immobile and make you quit. Disappointment comes when we don't get the results that we expected and thus frustration rides in as if on cue. Its been a dry season and the short rains didn't come as I had expected. This in turn has denied my crop of Green Grams (Dengu) the much needed water at this half-way point in their growth. The crop has thus been stunted and unless it rains well in Kitengela soon, I am afraid I won't have enough harvest to cover my costs. The Green Grams had been advertised as drought tolerant but it seems that this drought has outrun them.
This however being only my first crop, I can't afford to be discouraged. I have known from the start that I could get burnt and the best thing to do from here is to learn from this occurrence. The major lesson here is that rain-fed agriculture is the reason we are perenially hungry and for any serious farmer, irrigation has to be the ultimate option. I will thus have to set up a proper irrigation system before the next crop. The good thing about our farm is that there is a borehole on the farm adjacent and the owner is a family friend and has given us the go ahead to tap water from his borehole. I was thinking of planting water melons for the next season but I was advised that if the melons -which mature in three months- are harvested during the april long rains, they will run the risk of getting damaged by the wet weather. I am weighing my options and one of them is Dania (not sure of their English name but they are used as food seasoning along with onions).
Like I was saying earlier, this disappointment is a mere speed bump on the road that doesn't give me the luxury to sit around and mope. From here on, I'm rolling up my sleeves again and its the pedal to the metal. Im going hard! And on that rejuvenated note, I send you seasons greetings, Happy Holidays.
