You might not guess it when you first meet him, but Mahmoud Conteh is a highly educated agronomist who teaches others how to improve their crop yields the sustainable way. In truth, Mahmoud grew up desperately poor and under-educated in the Port Loko District of Sierra Leone, like the vast majority of his countrymen. But he had the good fortune to join a Heifer International self help group that partners with the non-profit Mercy Ships.
While anchored near Freetown, Mercy Ships personnel, working with Heifer Sierra Leone staff, trained Mahmoud and others in sustainable farming techniques. Working with animals supplied by Heifer and local seeds and soils, Mahmoud and his group have abandoned the traditional slash-and-burn farming techniques that deplete soils, and adopted sustainable methods that restore nutrients to the soil and vastly improve the yields from their crops.
Listen as he teaches us why composting is better than fertilizer.