Sitting down at this computer, trying to write this blog after watching White Chicks with Mama Joyce and Hope and eating the largest avocado I have ever seen is definitely mind boggling. It’s reminding me of much my life has changed within the span of a week. Racing uptown from Times Square with my friend avoiding the large puppets pulling us in for pictures, blinded by the seizure inducing lights and almost trampled by the hundreds of people leaving the subway station seemed so normal not so long ago. Here, it’s like the world has slowed down. Kids play together on the sides of the road and adults stop their work to greet each other. Church songs and Mosque prayers ring through the streets. Goats, cows, chickens, and dogs roam. Everything has its own rhythm and together, a harmony is created. But, that’s sort of a glorified way of putting it. There have been riots, increased taxes, a rebelling youth, and a corrupt Parliament. And the inspirational aspect of Mbita is that the community stands together despite different religious beliefs, tribes, and socioeconomic status.
I would like to thank the World Food Prize Organization for giving me the opportunity to explore the world and pursue my interest in agricultural research. It’s mind blowing that I’m actually in Kenya, doing work at ICIPE and meeting people with such amazing stories.
The most transformative moment of this trip so far has been going to church. I’m a Hindu and Jain, but I felt like to understand the Mbita culture, I would have to immerse in their religion. Walking into the church I had to remind myself, I’m in a church in rural Kenya. I would probably never get to say again so I knew that I would have to take it all in. And it was unforgettable. All the women dressed so nicely with beautiful dresses, such sleek and stunning hairstyles, and colorful scarves with intricate designs. Young girls walked in with gorgeous gowns and boys with suits and style. The church leaders weren’t just casually listing the sermons, they were embodying, preaching, and passionately delivering them. Chills. A group of young women walked onto the stage with microphones. I knew this was the moment I was waiting for. Every day, I would walk home from work and hear the young church goers practicing for Sunday. I anticipated the moment I would get to hear them in person. This girl who I thought was at least 17 (she’s actually 13 WHAT) belted out in Swahili the most awe inspiring and mind boggling notes I’ve ever heard. I’ve gone to Niall Horan and Jonas Brothers concerts and I can say that none of those even compared to this majestic and extraterrestrial-like experience. It wasn’t just me who was in a trance. Looking left I saw Mama Joyce closing her eyes and dancing to the beats of the song and right I saw an older woman with her hands in the hair (similar to the ‘sacrificing yourself to Christ’ position) with tears running down her cheeks. I just stared in awe. Soon, I felt comfortable enough to sway back and forth and clapping to the beat. The church leader then thanked the women for their performance and went on with the program. He told all the attendees to greet each other. Before I knew it, I was shaking hands with the entire church hearing the words, “welcome” and “we are so happy you are here” from the adults and “hello mzungu” from the children. Even though mzungu means a person with white skin, they generally apply it to all foreignors with skin different than theirs. It has a positive connotation. They appreciate our difference even as kids. It felt special. As the sermons went on, I did in fact fall asleep a few times. But, hey, that shows how at home and comfortable I felt. They ended the service with a message from a youth leader about supporting the university students in the rebellion against the Finance Bill and current president. It seemed that the whole village agreed on this topic and stood in support. They recited a sermon asking Christ to guide them as they change the leadership of their country. It’s really interesting how religion plays such a huge role in all aspects of this village. In education, work, social life, and political scene. Mama Joyce was so concerned when she heard that Americans don’t involve spirituality in schools. Since most of the work that villagers do here involve luck like farming and fishing, I’ve noticed that it’s very normal to pray to God to support livelihood and finances. So, as you can imagine, the village is full of churches and on Sunday, you can see the whole village leaving their house in special attire, ready for a day of prayer.
Next, I wanna talk about my day in the field. On the second day of work, we learned about push-pull and its effects. Push-pull is an agricultural technique developed at ICIPE proven to increase crop yield double, triple or even quadruple. We stood between a control field and a field that applied the Push-Pull technique. The results were VERY clear.
In the control, striga weeds, pests, stemborers were damaging and removing the nutrients from the maize. In some areas of the control, the striga weeds had grown even taller than the maize itself. What the striga weed does is attach itself to the root of the crop and suck the nutrients (it’s a parasite). The push-pull method finds a way to remove these weeds and pests and actually, improves soil quality. The ‘push’ part describes the desmodium that is planted next to the crop whose stench repels stemborers and kills the striga weed by inhibiting its growth. Then, surrounding the area where the desmodium and maize/veggies are planted, there are pull-plants (such as fodder grass) which attract pests and the stemborers, but does not sustain them. It ends up killing 80% of the pests that enter the grass (through entrapment) and almost all of the pests’ eggs. It’s truly amazing.
Additionally, the desmodium enriches the soil through nitrogen fixation. This technique does not take that much space so farmers with half an acre plot can even use this and it speedens the crop production process so farmers can profit much faster. Here, there is no waste. The fodder grass and desmodium can be fed to livestock in a 3:1 ratio, which is known to be the best combination for their health (the fodder grass is carbs and the desmodium is protein). The cow waste is more healthy which can then be used as fertilizer to help enrich the soil for the crops. It’s circular! And this is just an overview. I’m still trying to understand the chemistry of the desmodium so I will get back to you on that. We met a bunch of ICIPE farmers who have used this technique for decades. They have also created a climate safe version of push-pull with green leaf desmodium and a drought resistant grass (which shares similar qualities with fodder). It’s crazy. We went into the greenhouses to explore how they can isolate the chemicals in the desmodium to understand how exactly the plant is inhibiting the growth of striga. I really excited to apply this knowledge to my research project.
Next, I’ll talk about the human health lab. I’m planning on pursuing Global Health and Public Policy in the fall so you can imagine my excitement walking into the lab. We toured the center with a phD student Abneel who has been working on her project at ICIPE for four years. She studies neglected tropical diseases and her research project is studying Tungiasis in rural homes. She takes samples from homes where a few members of the family have Tungiasis and isolates the Tung at the ICIPE lab through methods that she has created. She designed a filtering system using coca cola bottles, lights, sand, and some sort of solution. She was explaining how she had to create her own techniques to mirror the environment that the larvae usually endure, grow the larvae to adults, and many other processes that my brain couldn’t quite grasp. She showed me the hundreds of spreadsheets and statistical tests she had to run through to get a result of a solution that would prohibit the Tung larvae from growing into adults (that is when they become harmful) that could be sprayed onto the floor of peoples’ houses. She checks up on the houses and actually sees improvement in the family members’ diseases which is so cool. She’s also the first person research Tung so her papers have been receiving lots of attention. This has definitely shaped my ideas for my future. It’s so amazing how she has spent the last few years finding a simple liquid solution to stop this infection and now she is actively helping thousands of rural Kenyans. She’s been such a huge help in adjusting to life here at Kenya and an inspiration as I want to study human health.
Lastly, I’ll talk about the food. I’ve never eaten such fresh foods. Every day, I’ve been having fresh veggies from the farm and homemade ugali (like white porridge in a dough consistency), samosas (I did not expect Kenyan and Indian food to be similar), and Pilau (which is kind of like biryani but less spicy). The chefs at the center are insane. I love the food.
The highlight of my day is going to the Guest House and eating with Hope, Mama Joyce, and whoever joins us. I have also noticed that I haven’t gotten any acne while I’ve been here and my stomach has been completely fine. Also, even though it feels like I’m eating more than I do usually, I’m eating such nutritious and clean foods so I don’t feel terrible after meals. I haven’t really explored foods outside the compound because of the protests and safety risks, but so far, I’ve had a really good experience. I’m also hoping to learn how to cook these meals in my dorms so I’m gonna ask to join the chefs if I could join them one day. But, I’m also not going to lie. A large veggie burger and a hot slice of pizza sounds really good right now. My brother yesterday on Facetime just spent 10 minutes focusing the camera on his pizza to remind me of the reasons I should return home. Also, side note, I think I’ve become more patriotic while I’ve been here. Seeing how loyal Kenyans are to their nation has been inspiring. It’s also made me appreciate New York and the US and how much it has to offer to all kinds of people. It is truly the only place where my grandparents could’ve immigrated to with 15 dollars and prospered through hard work. ALSO, another side note, US does not have this many bugs. So far, I’ve had an ant infestation (THOUSANDS OF THEM but it was my fault having an open bag of Sunchips on my desk) and a tarantula like spider crawling around my room (that night I just had a flashlight in one hand and bug spray in the other). Thankfully I have a net attached to the ceiling which is tucked into my bed so no creatures or pests can enter my bed, thank god. Also, the ICIPE staff have been so nice dealing with my insane fear of bugs. I think I’ve become better with ants and mosquitos, but anything bigger than that, I either run or end up on Facetime with friends and family for the next few hours.
Those are a few of my highlights from this week. A few of my goals of next week are:
- Start teaching at the local school.
- Figure out how to dry my laundry.
- Decrease my screen time to two hours.
- Participate in a village celebration.
- Learn how to farm.
That’s it for this week. I’m so grateful to all the people who have been so welcoming and thankful for all the connections I’ve made. I’m so excited to make the most out of this.
