📍 Harlon Schools · Eastern Uganda — real satellite view
👆 Tap a simulation above — then work through it right here on the Harlon School field.
Simulation 1 of 3
🌱 The Planting Decision
Coach Addison says
Before you decide
There are no trick questions here — every choice teaches something. Read the whole scene, picture yourself standing in that schoolyard, then choose what you would really do. We'll talk it through together after.
It is Monday morning. School is closed. You and three friends — Amara, David, and Grace — meet at the school gate. Principal Westimika has given you permission to use the school compound.
The schoolyard has two areas: a large open area that gets full sun all day, and a smaller area near the classroom building that is partly shaded in the afternoon. You have seeds for maize, beans, sweet potato, and cassava cuttings. You only have enough energy and tools today to start one area.
The schoolyard has two areas: a large open area that gets full sun all day, and a smaller area near the classroom building that is partly shaded in the afternoon. You have seeds for maize, beans, sweet potato, and cassava cuttings. You only have enough energy and tools today to start one area.
Which area do you start with?
🌽 +0
You start in the large sunny area. Amara suggests you plant everything in straight rows — it looks neat and easy to manage. But David remembers something from agricultural studies: maize and beans grow better together, planted in alternating rows.
Grace reminds you that you also have cassava cuttings and sweet potato vines. These need different spacing. You have one morning of energy before the heat becomes too strong to work.
Grace reminds you that you also have cassava cuttings and sweet potato vines. These need different spacing. You have one morning of energy before the heat becomes too strong to work.
How do you arrange your planting today?
🌽 +0
Three weeks later. The maize seedlings are 20cm tall. The beans have germinated well. Then it rains very heavily for two days. Some of the lower areas of the garden are now waterlogged — standing water between the rows.
The standing water could rot the bean roots. But the soil is also very soft — easy to work. Your neighbour says to ignore it and wait. Grace says you should dig channels to drain the water away now.
The standing water could rot the bean roots. But the soil is also very soft — easy to work. Your neighbour says to ignore it and wait. Grace says you should dig channels to drain the water away now.
What do you do about the waterlogged beds?
🌽 +0
🌱
Planting Simulation Complete!
Garden Coins earned: 0
Key lesson from this simulation: Starting with the sunniest area, intercropping maize and beans together, and acting quickly on drainage problems are the foundations of a successful school garden. Every decision you made here affects how much food your community will have in 90 days.
Simulation 2 of 3
🌽 Harvest During the Outbreak
Coach Addison says
This one is hard
This story asks about a sick family member. It is heavy — and real. There is no shame in any feeling you have. What matters is keeping everyone safe and caring for your family. Both can be true at once.
Four months have passed. The maize is ready. The ears are full, the husks are browning, and the silks are dry — the signs that harvest time has come. Your family is hungry. But this morning you discover that your uncle, who helped plant the garden, is not feeling well. He has a fever and is resting inside.
You do not know yet if it is Ebola or a different illness. He has not been confirmed sick. But the community health worker said to be careful.
You do not know yet if it is Ebola or a different illness. He has not been confirmed sick. But the community health worker said to be careful.
Your uncle helped plant this garden. He is now sick with fever. How do you handle the harvest?
🌽 +0
You have harvested the maize. You have 40kg of fresh maize cobs — much more than your family can eat in one week before it starts to spoil. The cassava in the garden is also ready at the edge — about 15kg of fresh cassava roots.
The markets are still closed. But three families on your road are struggling — they planted later than you and have nothing ready yet. One of them is the family of your classmate, Esther.
The markets are still closed. But three families on your road are struggling — they planted later than you and have nothing ready yet. One of them is the family of your classmate, Esther.
You have more maize than your family can eat and markets are closed. What do you do?
🌽 +0
The sweet potato vines have been growing for 3 months now. The vines are lush and green. You know the tubers are probably not fully formed yet — they usually need 4–5 months. But your little brother is asking for food and the family rice is almost finished.
Grace tells you that the leaves and young shoots of the sweet potato vine are very nutritious and can be cooked like greens — you do not have to wait for the tubers.
Grace tells you that the leaves and young shoots of the sweet potato vine are very nutritious and can be cooked like greens — you do not have to wait for the tubers.
The tubers are not ready but your family needs food now. What do you harvest from the sweet potato garden?
🌽 +0
🌽
Harvest Simulation Complete!
Garden Coins earned: 0
Key lesson from this simulation: During an outbreak, safety and community sharing are both essential. You learned to harvest safely without a sick family member present, to begin preserving surplus food immediately, and to harvest what the plant offers now — leaves, greens, shoots — without destroying your future harvest.
Simulation 3 of 3
🔥 Preserving Our Food — Making It Last
Coach Addison says
Now you're the expert
Preservation is where your garden becomes weeks of food instead of days. Sun, smoke, and salt are your tools. Pick the best method for each food and watch your harvest last. This is the knowledge that carries a family through a hard season.
This simulation is different. Instead of one story, you are now the expert. For each food, you will choose the best preservation method for your situation: no electricity, no refrigeration, fire and sunlight available, salt sometimes available, smoking possible.
Choose your preservation method for each food. Then tap to see what happens and how long your food will last.
Choose your preservation method for each food. Then tap to see what happens and how long your food will last.
🫘 BEANS — You have 5kg of dried beans. How do you store them?
Sun Dry + Sealed Sack
2–3 days preparation
✅ Best choice. Spread on mats in full sun for 2–3 days until completely dry — they should rattle when shaken. Store in a tightly sealed sack or clay pot. Dried beans last 6–12 months. Check monthly for weevils.
Cook + Salt + Dry
1 day preparation
⚠️ Possible but uses salt. Cook beans soft, salt lightly, spread thin and dry in sun. Makes a salted dried bean that can be rehydrated. Lasts 2–3 months. Best if you have extra salt. Uses firewood for cooking.
Grind Into Bean Flour
Half day preparation
✅ Good choice if you have a grinder. Dry beans thoroughly then grind. Bean flour stores 3–6 months in a sealed container away from moisture. Can be used in many dishes. Requires dry storage — moisture causes mold.
Store Fresh (Unprocessed)
No preparation
❌ Not recommended. Fresh beans spoil within 3–5 days in warm humid conditions. Weevils and mold will destroy them within weeks. Always dry beans before long-term storage.
🌽 MAIZE — You have shelled maize grain (about 10kg). How do you store it?
Sun Dry on Cob, Then Shell + Sack
1–2 weeks sun drying
✅ Best choice. Hang cobs or spread in sun 1–2 weeks. Shell when completely dry. Store grain in sealed sacks or clay pots with a handful of wood ash mixed in — ash repels weevils. Properly dried maize lasts 6–12 months.
Grind to Posho Flour
1 day (after drying)
✅ Good if you need it soon. Dry grain thoroughly first — then grind to flour. Posho flour lasts 1–3 months in dry storage. More convenient for daily cooking. Risk: flour absorbs moisture and molds faster than whole grain.
Roast + Store
2–3 hours
⚠️ Short term only. Roasted maize tastes good and lasts 2–4 weeks. Not for long-term storage — oils from roasting can go rancid. Good for immediate eating, not for months of storage.
Store Fresh Without Drying
No preparation
❌ Not recommended. Fresh maize grain with moisture will mold within 2–3 weeks in Uganda's humid conditions. Aflatoxin (a dangerous mold) can grow on improperly dried maize and is harmful to eat. Always dry thoroughly first.
🍠 CASSAVA — You have fresh cassava roots (about 8kg). Cassava spoils within 2–3 days if left whole. What do you do?
Peel, Slice Thin, Sun Dry → Cassava Chips
3–5 days sun drying
✅ Best choice for bulk storage. Peel and slice cassava 3–5mm thin. Spread on clean mats in full sun. Turn twice daily. Dry 3–5 days until hard and snap-dry. Chips last 6–12 months. Can be pounded to flour or cooked as is.
Ferment → Gari
3–4 days fermentation
✅ Excellent preservation method. Peel, grate cassava, squeeze out moisture in a cloth, ferment 2–3 days, then roast in dry pan. Makes gari — a roasted granule that lasts 6+ months and can be eaten with water. Requires some practice.
Cook and Eat Now
1–2 hours
⚠️ Good for what you need today — not for storage. Cook fresh cassava now for meals. But 8kg will not last your family more than 2–3 days, and cooked cassava spoils fast without refrigeration. Plan to preserve most of it.
Leave It in the Ground
No work needed
✅ Actually a good strategy — if you have more growing. Cassava roots left in the ground can stay viable for months after maturity. They keep better in the soil than harvested and sitting. Only harvest what you can use or preserve immediately.
🐟 FISH OR MEAT — A neighbour shares 2kg of fresh fish from the river. Markets are closed. How do you preserve it?
Smoke Over Wood Fire
4–8 hours
✅ Best choice for fish. Clean fish, salt lightly if possible, smoke slowly over hardwood fire 4–8 hours until completely dry. Smoked fish lasts 2–4 weeks at room temperature, longer if kept dry. The smoke kills bacteria and the drying removes moisture. Traditional and very effective.
Salt + Sun Dry (Dried Salted Fish)
2–3 days
✅ Excellent if you have enough salt. Clean fish, rub generously with salt inside and out, hang or spread in full sun 2–3 days. Salt draws out moisture and prevents bacteria. Salted dried fish lasts 1–3 months. A small amount of salt goes a long way.
Sun Dry Without Salt
2–4 days
⚠️ Possible but risky. Fish can be sun dried without salt — clean well, dry in strong sun 2–4 days. Lasts 1–2 weeks if fully dried. Without salt, there is more risk of spoilage if any moisture remains or if flies get to it. Cover with cloth and check daily.
Cook and Eat All of It Today
1 hour
❌ Too wasteful. Fresh fish is a valuable gift. Eating all 2kg today when preservation is possible means losing a week or more of protein. Cook a portion today, preserve the rest. Two kilos of smoked or dried fish can feed your family for a week.
🔥
Preservation Simulation Complete!
Garden Coins earned: 0
Key lesson from this simulation: Every food has a best preservation method matched to what you have available. Sun drying is your most powerful tool — no cost, no equipment, works for beans, maize, cassava, and fish. Smoking is best for meat and fish. Salt is a multiplier when you have it. Leaving cassava in the ground is free storage.
🌱🏆🌽
0
Total Garden Coins Earned