Me and AAFF

To start, I thought I should show some more pictures and background from my first couple days here in Ghana.  I arrived on Saturday, June 23rd.  By Sunday, Jon and I were headed to the farm.  Our method of transportation was shown in the last post.  To the left is one of the first things I saw on the farm- the irrigation.  It rests in a clearing that allows us to perform any needed maintenance.  Since the system is on a pivot, it rolls in a circle, not allowing you to really ever move it out of the corn field, unless you have a clearing like this.  Jon and I drove up the clearing and had a climb up to the top (below left).  It was actually a great view.  From there we could see the path down to the lake to the south, the farm off to the south west, and the rest of the impressive crop (below right).  The corn stands about 8ft after having been planted in late April.  Jon and the rest of the crew are super excited at the current status of the crop and after hearing all their stories of bad luck and tough work in Africa, I can't help but get excited with them.  I uploaded a 360 view that I took the day after this.  Since it's a video, it's on YouTube here.

 

While atop the irrigation system, we stopped for a photo-op.  I thought I could take this time while I have Jon’s face here to give you a little bit of his background.  Jon started his professional career on Capitol Hill after graduating from Hope University.  He spent 15 years on the Hill in different roles, ultimately ending as a consultant for African countries.  He decided that that wasn’t enough for him.  So in 2009, after making several trips to Ghana, he moved his family out here for a year.  He now travels back and forth at least once a month to check up on the farm status and to move the business forward with different organizations, Ghanaian government agencies, and other corporations.  

To the right, Jon returned the photo-op favor.  Here's proof I'm still alive, mom!  Our common mode of transportation sits below me as the sun sets to the west.  A setting sun means it's time to go indoors.  Gnats, mosquitoes, and the like come out in swarms at night.  I'll be sure to share some proof of their intense existence on the farm.

The next day we got up early to decrease the length of the hoses on the irrigation.  Since the corn grew so high,  the hoses were sitting in the leaves, not allowing water to be dispersed efficiently.  Jon sits in the front loader (left) while Andrew drives him to each hose.  (Jon and I switched after awhile, so don't think I only take pictures!)  This process took a great deal of time, but luckily it really only needed to be done this once.  At this point, on a farm in America, we would flip a switch and the irrigation system would start pumping.  But since we're in Africa, several water pumps, generators, and precious time are needed to start the system.  I will share the precise process later, but just know it's very involved.  Instead, below, you see the finished product of our time- a working, running irrigation system.  However, we weren't done here.  The nozzles were not spinning correctly, so Jon hopped in the loader again and had to manually adjust each one- getting him quite wet.

I suggest clicking the picture to see it larger,
you will see puddles and water drops

Jon and Andrew are searching for other
messed up nozzles below right.

Throughout the rest of the day, we walked the grounds with Andrew.  He showed us the watermelon patch he planted a couple days ago (first below).  At the end of the day, the sunset was more than spectacular (second below).  There isn't much like an African sunset!