Subject: [permaculture] Food Preservation in tropics
Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 22:36:30 +0000
Scott Pittman wrote:
"In the villages where I am working in
Africa the lack of storage technology means that one night of elephant
or monkey rampaging in the garden means hunger the next day. In this
kind of food insecurity it is difficult to think beyond today or to plan
a way out of survival mode into some place of semi comfort."
It would be nice if they could keep the elephants and monkeys out of the
garden. Have you looked at the suggestions in ECHO's A-Z book for keeping
elephants and monkeys at bay? I've also read that in parts of Africa they
plant peppers as an elephant deterrent. Appararently elephants do not like
the smell, but I don't know if it will keep a hungry elephant out of a
garden. Are root crops like cassava eaten by animals? There should be ways
to keep cassava and other root crops for long periods. I have problems
with cows coming onto my land, so I am trying to plant hedges of thorny
vegetation and hope to keep them out. Good luck.