A Time for Sowing

The rainy season has begun here in Parot. We've had a few good rains and people have been sowing seeds: okra, pumpkin, sorghum (a kind of millet). They'll sow peanuts later.

The Dinka around us typically plant seeds in two ways: scatter and bury, and dig and drop.

In the scatter and bury method, seeds are scattered over a plot of ground that has not been worked or dug in any way, only softened by rain. Then, usually on their knees, people turn over the earth with long hoes, burying the seeds in the process. No sowing in straight lines or making sure seeds are a certain distance apart, as is the custom in many other places.

The ladies in this photo are from our local church. We have given them part of our compound to grow things in. The fruit of their labours will help support their denomination's pastoral/leadership training centre. The past few days the ladies have worked sowing okra. The video below shows how they use their hoes while kneeling or sitting, turning over the earth to bury the seeds they've scattered.

The dig and drop method is usually used for smaller areas. My friend Agau planted a small patch of okra last week using this method. It's very simple: you did some holes, and drop seeds into them. You can do all this while standing, covering over the seeds with your foot, as Agau does in the video below.