Water at ACF has been our biggest challenge. During ACF’s first year we had floods followed by drought. Last year saw Cyclone Freddy dump unprecedented rains on ACF’s garden destroying our first planted crops, damaging roads and buildings that were under construction.
This year, el Nino has cut the rainy season and left our soils bone dry. The lack of rain has meant our garden, fruit trees and livestock have been reliant on extra watering.
This uncertainty of access to water has been at the forefront of ACF’s planning. We tried to drill a borehole near the site of our farm but didn’t hit water. As we thought of plan b we use tractors to move tanks of water to keep our trees, plants and animals alive.
After some rebuilding we set up pipes so the foundation would have access to water. These pipes were a great relief but they were unreliable with breakages or power issues to our pump.
To solve our water issues we decided to build a reservoir at the foundation in case of emergency water cut offs. The reservoir will also be used as a fish pond for another source of revenue. Another benefit will be the waste the fish produce will add extra nutrients to the water that we will water our garden and trees with. Now with water flowing into our farm and a backup system being built ACF plants and animal life can thrive.
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