MARY WENT TO VISIT HER GRANDMOTHER
Mary’s father was living in a rural village having four hundred houses and approximately two thousand people. The village was largely accessible solely by foot. Both men and women did hard work in that village, including carrying heavy loads up and down the steep slopes that were so common there. Many of the homes were accessed by narrow streets, too small to allow any kind of transportation. The men used to carry things over their shoulders. The women used to carry them on their heads. Surprisingly, even the old women used to carry heavy loads without having any problem. The children walked the paths daily to school. For this reason safe footpaths were very important to the community. Of course there was a bus that came every three hours but it ensured only the connection between the villages and the town and it was not used for the current activities. The polyethylene biogas systems fed with cow dung, have been used as an integrated solution to issues related to energy, agriculture and waste management. Cutting down the forests was the most significant environmental concern of the people in that village. The deforestation had led to erosion, low soil fertility and water shortages. The people living there were all farmers having the land titles. Her father lived with her grandmother, owning a nice big house in the center of the village. Her father was a teacher. After the divorce he had not remarried.
” Tell me how it works the rural credit markets?”asked Mary.
” They work by using the standard bilateral lending contracts between a lender and a single borrower. The liability for repaying the loan rests with the individual borrower only, although in some cases another individual might serve as a guarantor. When a borrower responds to the contract, the lender obtains the information about the riskiness of the borrower, and induces him to take actions to reduce the likelihood of default. These mechanisms may be in the credit market itself or they may rely on contracts in related markets.”answered Theodore.
”Very interesting. We can take a credit to buy more cows and more milkers so that we can sell the milk. ”
”The milk at its freshest point is very perishable and it has to be moved regardless of the price. Moreover, the farmers have so much storage. Therefore, the milk is more abundant, and producer prices are low. Faced with an oversupply and negative earnings, dairy farmers have to cut immediate losses by butchering milk cows. Sometimes, when the cows are pregnant, the density of milk collected is very low, the total quantity of milk to be refrigerated is also low and the economical capacity used for a refrigerated tank cannot be obtained. ”replied Theodore.
”In this case, we can build our own milk pasteurization factory. ”tried Mary to suggested.
” Look, Mary, the dairy equipment for pasteurizing milk usually has a big capacity. Moreover, it is very expensive and it requires a very well trained personal. The imported packaging material also represents an important investment. It’s a waste of time. Firstly I have to extend the safety of the water supply and the sanitation facility. We have all we need here for our own household, but look at our neighbors. The lack of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities are the root causes of hunger, disease and poverty. Just look at those women and children, who use water for their families every day of their lives. Every day women can walk up to two hours away to find water for the household that has sometimes been contaminated. With the continued erosion of the terrace system and soil, access to clean water becomes a more pressing issue each year. How can I build a factory here? You’re such a big child sometimes. ”
Theodore became visibly nervous.
”How it works our water supply system?”she asked softly, looking a little worried.
” Oh, it’s very easy. The conveyance system is required to transfer the collected rainwater from the catchment surface situated on the rooftop to the storage tank. Three down-pipes are connected to the collection devices which are in fact the rooftop gutters. The pipes used for conveying the rainwater are made of plastic because of the acidic rainwater. The storage tank is constructed of polyethylene because it is easier to be cleaned than other type. It has three openings which can be fitted with the connecting pipes. I chose a secured cover to avoid the contamination with mosquitoes, insects and rodents. I have an inlet filter for excluding the debris, the dirt, and the leaves. I used to chlorinate the storage tank. I have two pumps for the extraction system of the stored water. The faucets are installed at ten centimeters above the base of the tank because this allows any debris entering the tank to settle on the bottom. . I found seven neighbors who wanted to join me in my attempt to construct a bigger water catchment’s tank to provide clean water but I didn’t find any financial support. ”Theodore tried to explain.
”I see that you have built a large household, dad! It looks amazing!”exclaimed Mary.
”I have one hundred poultry, two cows and five goats. The veterinarian comes very often to take care of the animal’s health, but the most important thing is the sanitary animal sheds, and the proper facilities. These animals can be sold very easily in the market and therefore providing a dependable source of income. ”
Grandmother’s house was pretty big having a basement and a ground floor. Grandmother chose a sunny spot for her garden. Leafy greens like spinach and lettuce could thrive with less light. Her garden was located to facilitate full access from the kitchen. She could see the garden from her window. She improved it by adding organic matter such as compost. The garden was small because grandfather, when he was alive, built a garage that took over a quarter of the space. She had a nice decked area adjoining the house with table, chairs, and flowers. There was a path on the right with little trees. She had a small pond which was the home of some frogs. She had a bird bath, a bird table, and two nut feeders. There were strawberries in front of the house. In the spring the strawberries grew up and they threw their seeds. Every spring they grew up to their full bloom. Grandmother decided their permanent home along the back gray fence. The grass spontaneously used to grow up thanks to the seeds which had been brought there by the wind from the fields around. A spontaneous garden certainly was a bit less tidy but it was beautiful. Custom Fuzzy Socks