A Trip to Lonqueira

Helping Visually Impaired Farmers - Drop by Drop

Senhor Monteiro of ADEVIC & Leiza, his Guide

We recently received a proposal from our partners, ADEVIC, who serve the visually impaired in Cape Verde.  A group of visually impaired farmers in the villages of Pico d'Antonio and Lonqueira would like to improve their farming through the use of drip irrigation.  Being from Kansas City we have been just waiting for an agriculture/farming project, so we were excited to visit the site and explore the possibilities.  Senhor Marciano Monteiro the President of ADEVIC agreed to accompany us.  

Path to Lonqueira

We drove for forty minutes north of Praia and then had to abandon our vehicle earlier than expected due to road construction.....they were laying cobblestones on the dirt road and we could not pass.  We had expected to walk into the mountains for about thirty minutes, this lengthened our journey.  We walked for about an hour before meeting the first farmer in Pico d'Antonio.  It was a further ninety minute walk to get to Lonqueira, the community that would most benefit from the project.  I was impressed with Senhor Monteiro's ability to transverse the route as he is also visually impaired.

Leiza's Family's Home in Lonqueira

Finally the first house in the community comes into view.  It is the home of Leiza's parents.  Leiza's father is one of the farmers to be helped by the project.

Irrigated field in Lonqueira

And indeed there was a lot of agriculture happening in the hills.  There are also cows living in little huts, those are the “barns”

Additional Irrigated Fields

We did meet many visually impaired farmers.  They were heads of families and they navigated the steep paths of the mountains without sight, or with little sight, independently.  It was astonishing.  An incredible moment in the tour was when one of the farmers reached over a wall into a field of carrots and pulled out a huge orange carrot.  We get huge carrots in our markets, they come from our fertile, though dry, island.  Wow. Can’t grow that in Kansas City clay!

It was difficult getting out of the mountains.  As we tired  we were tired there were some slips and skids on the high and narrow mountain trail multiple.  No skinned knees or elbows, but we were covered in trail dirt and sunburned.....  and happy to have had a beautiful five hour walk in the mountains and to have seen such amazing things.  What an adventure!