the learning contract

Sorry for the bombardment of text-heavy posts today - pictures will come soon, I promise.

For the Ridge to Reef (R2R) program, we each have to write a learning contract. Because the program doesn't use a grading system, we need another way to be accountable for what we do and don't accomplish during the term. The way VISFI keeps us accountable is through these learning contracts. The great thing about them is that we write them. I come up with my own goals. I decide how far I want to push myself and how much I want to learn. Midway through, and at the end of the term, we will go back through the contract with our adviser and see how well we are sticking to it. Tomorrow, my contract will be signed by my adviser, Dan Glenn, and myself.

My Learning Contract:

During my time studying at VISFI, I will reach the following goals. Also, where applicable, I will continue to aim for these goals after leaving the farm:

I will pursue knowledge to the fullest of my ability. I will seek out those who can teach me, and I will ask questions and do outside reading to obtain it. This pursuit will give me a fuller understanding of my focus area of study as well as any other area of study or farm activity. I will not turn down an opportunity to learn something new.

- trapping & skinning mongoose-dem
- helping with meals
- greeting visitors
- building a fire using a bow drill
- etc.

I will understand what I learn. I will learn the jargon and other technical terms that correspond to my areas of interest. To gain this understanding, I will ask questions and do any necessary outside reading. I will learn to teach to learn.

I will communicate with those around me. I will make sure that my fellow students know some of the things I am learning about, and I will be interested in their focus area endeavors. I will be a part of this community and take part in farm activities whenever possible. I will also communicate with family and friends off the farm using a blog that will give insight to my life on the farm and detail my study and creation of solar energy systems.

I will take advantage of my mornings. I will stretch, focus, meditate and pray to awaken myself in a way that positively prepares me for the day.

I will aim for high-quality work. I will use appropriate technology and supplies for the project at-hand. I will know that whatever I build, plant, and install will last as long as possible and will fulfill its purpose even after I leave the farm.

I will design, build, and install a working solar system for long-term use on the VISFI campus with my partner, Patrick. We will observe the specified site and the needs and wishes of our client, and create a system that meets those needs.

I will attend 100% of scheduled classes.

I will continue to use knowledge gained here after I leave. I will continue to seek out knowledge during my life off the farm and use it in ways that are beneficial - whether it be to feed my family or to feed thousands in Africa. I will take advantage of my knowledge and give it to others.

signed _____Benjamin Rucker____1/29/08_____

Mr. Golden Sun, please shine down on me

The curriculum for the Ridge to Reef program here at the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute (VISFI) is split into 8 different study areas: Farm-based Education, Permaculture, Sustainable Building, Agroecology, Animal Husbandry, Renewable Energy, Slow Food Cooking, and Agrotourism. As a class, the nine of us will spend a week on each study area (minus animal husbandry because not as much interest was expressed toward that area) and one week at the end will be spent on holistic synthesis, where we will bring everything together into a cohesive whole.

Individually, each of us has chosen one area to focus on more fully. We will spend two days a week working with an adviser in that focus area, while completing a final project that will benefit the farm in some way, and giving us a way to turn our ideas into reality. We will also show our project to the class at the end of the term in a final presentation.

It took some hard thinking to decide which area I wanted to focus on. It was a relatively difficult process - as decisions often are. Permaculture has been very interesting, as I will highlight in a future post. And sustainable building is something I have been interested in for a while. I really wish I could spend months studying each one of those areas and putting that knowledge to practical use. Someday, I want to build my own home - an efficient, energy-saving place where I can raise a family and grow old. And I want to use the land around me to grow food and create a fertile environment for natural cycles to take place. Still, I knew the place I wanted to start my quest for knowledge was with renewable energy.

As I focus on renewable energy, I will be working with Dan Glenn, the farm's operations manager, to create a sustainable system of solar power for a specified site. First, though, Dan will have to teach me (and Patrick, the other student who chose renewable energy as his focus) the basics of electricity. We spent a few hours last week looking into the system where he lives on the farm. There really is a lot to take into consideration when deciding how to set up your own solar system.

So far, all I have done is read through a few packets of information on electricity, wiring, circuitry, and solar power. For instance, did you know that enough sunlight travels to the earth each day to provide enough energy to last us 5 years at our current rate of consumption? That's pretty crazy.

Soon we will be hiking up to Kyle's place, checking out the site, and working with him to design a system that meets his needs. Kyle is a staffer here on the farm, who is currently teaching us all about permaculture. He is almost finished building his own cabana up in the hills above the moringa swales. He wants a solar system to provide his power, so Patrick and I will work with him as our client to design, build, and install a system before the term is over.

I chose renewable energy as my focus area because I felt like it was the area I could benefit from most during my time here. Though I do really want to learn a lot more about other areas as well (permaculture, sustainable building, agroecology, etc.), I know that I can always find ways to learn about these things in other places - whether it be through a class or through an apprenticeship or just simply asking lots of questions at farmer's markets. I don't know a whole lot of places where I will get a chance to design, build, and install a solar system with no previous knowledge or experience. It is just something I can't pass up.

mongoose: it's what's for dinner.

Today, a mongoose wandered into the trap with our newly fashioned trigger mechanism (baited with peanut butter, the magical stuff) and found himself in quite a predicament.

Marshall and I went back to square one with our trigger system yesterday. The previous system was not sensitive enough - the bait was taken, the door was still up.

Our first attempt with the new system worked quite well. Yesterday, we checked the trap after lunch and it had been triggered. Did the wind trip it? Or was it a mongoose?!? Well... there's no mongoose... Unfortunate. BUT WAIT! Is that hair? Sure enough, one of the wires had been bent inward and a large ball of mongoose hair was stuck to the end. We had trapped one, but it escaped.

After our close encounter, we were determined more than ever to catch one for good. We could already see the difference that morning had made as we found egg after egg in the chicken tractor, untouched and beautiful. The mongoose-dem were scared at least. We reinforced the section of the cage where it had escaped and reset it immediately.

After having the wind blow the trigger shut a few times yesterday afternoon, we reset it once again this morning. This time it was perfect. It was strong enough to hold against the wind, but sensitive enough for a mongoose to trip. After lunch, Marshall checked the trap. The door was shut. Wind again, for sure... Wait! There is a long, hairy tail sticking through the cage wall! We got one! (Sorry this is cheesy, but this is literally how we felt).

We were in the middle of an exercise for class, so Ben, the farm founder and executive director, ran out of the community center, unsheathed his knife, and headed for the trap. He pinned the mongoose to the back side of the cage with a horse shoe nail and reached around with his knife, stabbing it a few times until it was lifeless. I'm actually glad I didn't witness this part, because it sounded pretty gruesome from Ben's description of the encounter.

After class, Marshall and I took the mongoose carcass to the supply container/workshed and skinned it. Marshall showed me the process and all the intricate cuts that must be made in order to leave a clean hide and good meat. I held its back legs apart while the most gruesome cuts were made - guts spilled out and rectal cavities were dismembered. It was appetizing.

We left a pretty nice hide for Wren to work with (I don't know what she wants to do with it. She skinned a cat last week, too. You would never guess it by looking at her because she has the presence of an angel, but she knows how to get her hands dirty). We also left Keith (the chef) a decent amount of meat (for a big rat) to work with as well. Mulligan stew will be on the menu in the coming weeks if I have anything to do with it.

We'll bait the trap and reset it tomorrow morning. We're gonna need at least 10 more to make a nice stew.

me and saba lou

The farm dog - she's a hand full.

This picture was taken by Tim Olive. Nate, our program director, is Tim's son. I can't think of a better image than this to show the beauty of this place.


The community center for the farm is the building near the middle of the photo. The Hawk's Nest (up on the hill) belongs to Ben Jones, the farm founder and executive director. My cabana is just past the field on the right side of the picture.