Kai.retu's edible forests

09/06/2021

This is no new fight but one whose dynamics are constantly shifting and growing. We continue to gather around solutions.

Kenya's food system is broken. In the past year we've been exposed to food with harmful chemicals that damage our health and the environment. The government must ensure that consumers have access to safe and healthy food by empowering the local small-scale farmers to produce food in a safe and susta...

06/04/2021

When technology facilitates agriculture and wellbeing we've got a sweet spot!

14/01/2021

Look what I found guys!! 💚

The progress made is phenomenal and I believe with continuous support, this community will gain knowledge and skills in Syntropic Agroforestry, have access to nutritious food and act as change agents in the community and beyond by spreading Community Inclusion Currency as a self-funding mechanism.

20/10/2020

“I certainly believe that the dominant cultures of the 21st century could learn important principles and techniques from systems of governance of the indigenous peoples that would be useful in developing more Earth-centred governance structures for our times … Not to do so would be extremely arrogant, foolish, and criminally irresponsible.”
-Cormack Cullinan

As the world changes around us, DENNIS TABARO from AFRICE, Uganda, considers how human activities have created ruptures in the order of things.

29/09/2020

This is what happens when Kai.retu takes you to church. Spent my Sunday morning adding some plants to this little patch.

In went some:
capsicum, beets, spinach, curly kale, lettuce, slenderleaf (mitoo), Afrikan nightshade (managu/mnavu), habanero pepper, bullet chilli, coriander, cumin, strawberry, onion, bush tomato, mint and aloe, turmeric and ginger.

Currently looking to find/add
butter beans, butternut squash, passion fruit, kiwi fruit, lots more herbs (more mint varieties, sage, basil, fennel, thyme....especially lemon thyme, oregano, marjoram, garlic....this list could go all the way onnnn) and some wild herbs I have discovered during my walks to the river. Let's see, aye? The little garden will guide me. I love me a raw meal and can't wait to make huge bowls soon.

I'd love to know what's going on in your garden/farm too 💚

27/09/2020

Sister moved to a new little spot and discovered a little earth. Now see, if I could I'd have all my food come straight from the earth I spend time tending to. My little experiment right now, is to see how much I can in a little spot like this. Got the tyres from a friend and will be growing some pretty flowers for the butterflies, bees and, fingers crossed maybe they even bring out some birds.

Realised I didn't take any photos of the real before...like before upturning the earth a little and adding the tyres. I was sooo excited to get to it, I forgot. Will definitely be documenting from now on, though.

22/09/2020

Moringa sure is something else. I've had its sprouts in a salad, it does have a rich irony taste, had its mature leaves slightly cooked, had its pods like one would French beans, eaten a seed or two and now I have in powder form.

For breakfast, a baobab-moringa tea with just the right about of wild honey is just the medicine!

19/09/2020

It's been a minute since I've been here but I watched this film and just had to share it. Probably the first time I have seen technology be such a cool way to regenerate! Please register and watch while it's free. It'll be totally worth your moments.

Also, remember the box of tissues. I was cry-laughing all through.

💚

Can we feed the world without destroying it?! Rosario Dawson’s award-winning film The Need To GROW shows the SOLUTIONS — and the real stories of the game-changing innovators behind them. Join in the online screening for free!

18/07/2020

27/06/2020

The moment we isolate an aspect of nature and attempt to manipulate it as a thing existing outside of an ecosystem we begin to spiral towards dystopia. Taking a keen look at our food systems right now, the ways in which we have centred profit, the capitalism-induced myopia surrounding our definitions of economy and our interaction with the natural systems we are but a small part of, it becomes clear that the coolaid's been drunk! Now that we are here in this place of environmental distress, a place where food sovereignty seems so distant, what does movement towards regenerative structures and systems look like? Dr. Vandana Shiva's work and thoughts are a good place for re-education. 💚

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TED...

25/06/2020

20/06/2020

Seed-banking and the conservation of indigenous crop varieties is no longer a luxury. It now is necessary. This is how biodiversity thins. While we are aware, let's prioritise growing crop varieties that are indigenous to the lands we occupy.

In order to receive development assistance, Tanzania has to give Western agribusiness full freedom and give enclosed protection for patented seeds. “Eighty percent of the seeds are being shared and sold in an informal system between neighbors, friends and family. The new law criminalizes the pract...

18/06/2020

Been thinking about the word 'weeds'. Way i see it, the word is more about human ignorance than it is about the actual nature of the plants. For instance, at a market in Tanga one will find blackjack on the green veggie stand. Our farming methods have us making enemies of plants that are good for the soil and for us. These past few months, I've been exploring what I prefer to call 'pioneer plants' (though at times my conditioning catches my tongue before I can) and have had delicious salads consisting of blackjack, common mallow, dandelion, woody sorrel and french sorrel (know the plant that has those multiple thorned pods that look like a spiky triangle?). There's another whose name I'm not sure about but it tends to grow wherever you'll find blackjack, think it's called 'Quickweed'.

16/06/2020

This is progress captured over a period of 4 days. We let them stay in there just a bit longer and get a bit greener, cooked half immediately and put the other half in the fridge. They keep pretty well and make for a surprisingly juicy meal.

16/06/2020

When the rinse is done, tilt them like so. Leave them to drain then rinse later. If the water sits, they begin to ferment and that can get interesting depending on what you're into.

16/06/2020

Quick update on the sprouts....I find that it's good practice to, each morning and evening, rinse the sprouts. You can do it a few more times depending on temperature and humidity. This, here is what a good rinse looks like.

06/06/2020

.envisioning regenerative agriculture as part of a larger efficiently regenerating ecosystem. 7, well illustrated short (no more that 1:30min each). Truly worth the watch.

04/06/2020

The sprouting cabinet's been at it this week and since the vibe's step by step here's another.
after soaking the lentil over night,rinse them.cover them with cloth. leave them slightly tilted and upside down so they continue to drain excess water. rinse first thing in the morning.and last thing before you go to bed.maybe once or twice more during the day if it's necessary.

02/06/2020

There was such good response to our fermented uji post so we thought it'll be good to post a step-by-step. We split the starter uji from our last batch and made two batches. It'll be tucked away in that dark corner for at least a week. Sunday has been our day and we want at least one more day a week for some of this good goodgood. What flours do you enjoy in yours?

21/05/2020

a display of our fermented fruit drinks, our 'lab' nyehehehe...typical merriment....and other such shenanigans

21/05/2020

Uhllo there errbahdy! It's been a long minute since our last one and it's been just the amount of time to get some slow food going. Fermenting and sprouting have been the easiest to begin with, so we did. At the core of fermentation is the work that beneficial bacteria and enzymes do to improve the general flora of our gut microbiome. The benefits of this are endless. One of the easy ones to point to is the improvement of our immune systems. So, here's a little peek into our experimental space.

One of my favourite things about visiting grandma was the fermented porridge. When it became difficult to get that good soul-blessing grandma uji, I tried the store bought sour stuff and my tongue wasn't about it. Recently, a friend gave birth and on a visit I was reminded of this lost love. I had to figure out how to make some, so I did.

Three weeks ago, I mixed most of the ugali/uji flour we had in a glass jar, poured in some water and wrapped the jar in a towel to 'put it in the dark'. Last Sunday we sat down to delicious bowls of fermented uji. Everyone had seconds ;) Anyone who knows me knows how much I love cinnamon and since I'm currently obssessing over this rich turmeric we got in Tanga, they both went into my bowl. YUM.MEE!!!

You into fermenting? What cultures are you playing with?

08/05/2020

For several years now, I have been fascinated by natural forest ecosystems and their capacity to regenerate. One of the things I find most intriguing is the forest floor. With every new thing learnt about the soil and how it's built, my respect for the earth's natural intelligence is renewed.
checkdis...

A very unique film on how to restore soil health

06/05/2020

"We are nothing without living soil." Dr. Vandana Shiva puts this perfectly.

Dr. Vandana Shiva, Alternative Nobel Prize winner, Author of 'Soil not Oil 'and 'The living Soil' says the year 2015 offers such a big opportunity to solve t...

05/05/2020

What face does Food Sovereignty wear in the urban setting? How do we constantly evaluate the efficiency of our food systems? What aspects of our lives advise this evaluation? And, what is it all for? What's our goal? What do efficient food systems strive towards? Also, just discovered .....checkdis....💚

Determined to change South Los Angeles from food desert to food forest, Ron Finley wants his actions to be educational, inspiring, and nutritious. He wants k...

04/05/2020

So, why is it so important to grow soil? What does that even mean? Let's see why healthy soil is a necessary part of the regenerative narrative, aye?

This short film, produced by Alegría Fresh and Café Gratitude, introduces us to what's under our feet. Filmed, directed and edited by Loghan Call

03/05/2020

Through the week, we have had a chance to get a sense of where we are as a planet when it comes to the state of the soil. To end the week, how about a peek into some of the ways we could move towards healthier, sustainable and regenerative practices individually, in our community and by establishing structures and systems that actually work long-term.

Find out what would happen if we diverted the 60 billion pounds of mineral-rich food materials that go to landfills each year in the U.S. alone and turned th...

30/04/2020

Soil and carbon. The conversation on carbon and global warming can be difficult to be part of yet, it now is necessary that we take a good look at how we can contribute to a change in the carbon tide. Let's see what that's all about.

WATCH the follow up, The Compost Story! http://bit.ly/2ov6zf8 MIRA LA VERSION EN ESPAÑOL AQUI! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-y9qGNajBQ Science meets insp...

28/04/2020

Spend 4 minutes of today on this. Tell me how it goes? (:

Poem by Marie Howe. Text and context: https://www.brainpickings.org/2020/04/23/singularity-marie-howe-animated Created for The Universe in Verse: https://www.brainpickings.org/the-universe-in-verse Produced…

28/04/2020

Soil. Let's begin by taking a look at the current state of matters soil, non?

This animated film tells the reality of soil resources around the world, covering the issues of degradation, urbanization, land grabbing and overexploitation...

26/04/2020

The first point of focus for anyone exploring regenerative agriculture is how to grow soil. A quote I heard has been the guiding light for all my agricultural exploration.

"A conventional farmer grows crops. The regenerative/natural farmer grows the soil."

It all begins with healthy soil. And, at the core of regenerative farming are practices that make this a continuous process. So, what are some of the ways we can do this? Here's a real short and easy one to get us started on a potted plant or two...as well as to celebrate that we at over 60 likes.

Mix up your own Super Soil - then just water your plants and go! How to make organic compost fertilizer at home :[email protected]