May 12 - A Visit to Kabele

The day before our interviews, we wanted to get a sense of what life was like in the Kebele of Delbo Atwaro (a Kebele is similar to a rural municipality in Saskatchewan). We parked at the Agricultural Development Centre and walked in to see what a typical farm was like. We were escorted/followed by a group of curious children and farmers.

This visit was our first chance to see some of the local crops grown in this area. There were enset and coffee plants growing close to the house where the soil was most fertile. Maize, sweet potatoes, kale, beans, carrots, and herbs were also some of the commonly grown crops. This farm was 0.5 ha (the average size of a farm in this Kebele) which is much smaller than most of our gardens in Saskatchewan.

The children, women and men that had gathered around us were very excited about our digital cameras. They all wanted to have their pictures taken so they could see what they looked like! On of the most memorable moments was when we took a picture of an elderly woman inside her kitchen. She was so happy to see the picture, tears were coming from her eyes and she patted Dani on the back to thank her for taking the picture.

We were very lucky to be able to see what the inside of their homes were like. There were four main areas of the hut. One area was the kitchen, which was also the place were the animals were kept at night. There was a fire in the center for cooking and many pots scattered around the kitchen area. There was a separate area for sleeping at the other side of the hut. Everyone in the house slept together on grass mats. The main entrance to the hut would have been a common sitting area. There was a second story to the hut, which housed the chickens and stored grain. The diameter of the hut would have been no more than 5 m, so the total inside living space would be less than 200 sq. ft. (the size of a bedroom at home). There would be as many as 10 people, 3 cows, 2 sheep, and 4 chickens sharing this space!

Alexis, Melissa, Dani, Amanda, Jenn and Michelle