Ryan and I recently attended a two day training at an organization called ECO 2000 where we learned a little more about composting and gardening in a tropical climate. Little did I know that in a moderate climate about 90% of the nutrients in an ecosystem are in the soil while in a tropical climate about 90% of the nutrients are above the ground in the foliage. This is why deforestation in the tropics is such a tragedy. Once people cut and remove the trees and plants, the soil loses all nutrients and therefore re-planting is difficult. So, we learned how to take care of the soil by ground coverage (to protect the soil from the sun) and composting.
Me after helping transform the "waiting pile" into the dome shaped compost pile.
We plan on planting a small garden when the rainy season starts (mid-December) so we can have fresh vegetables since they are extremely hard to come by in the interior otherwise. We also plan to start a compost pile when we get back to our village to improve the soil by our house.
The local maroons use the slash and burn technique, clearing the land of all nutrients. It will be interesting when we have to try to explain why we are using a different method. I am sure they will rack it up as another crazy thing those white people do... ;)
