What do you call it when you get a string of good signs?

That a higher up force is on our side?

That’s what’s been happening a lot during the process of legitimizing urban agriculture (part of my job) here in Dar. As I’ve explained before, I work a lot with government officials. Sometimes, it’s frustrating, but sometimes you just feel like everything is happening to help us get our jobs done.

Today was such a day.

First I must explain, though. Currently, we’re asking each municipality (there are three) to write a strategic document to legitimize urban agriculture for submission to the Dar es Salaam Master Plan (in the process). So far, this is what we’ve done:

• brought farmer representatives and government official representatives together for a day of dialogue.
• brought the agriculture and livestock department and the town planning department in each municipality together for a meeting to discuss on how this legitimization process can move forward. All agreed that the agriculture departments should write a draft plan on how they think urban agriculture should happen in this city.
• plead and nagged and asked the agriculture departments to finish their plans (in record time, may I add – never expected it to be so fast)
• bring agriculture departments and town planning departments together again to discuss this plan and incorporate feedback.

So far, that’s how much we’ve done. Still long process, but in good time. Anyways, today…

So we set up a meeting between the town planning and agriculture departments in one of the municipalities. Town planning departments are generally perceived to be high up and agriculture people never really talk to them. So that’s why I have to set up these meetings (yes yes yes, as a foreigner, people pick up the phone when I call and don’t just brush me off). This was an important meeting, and I had already stressed that the ag. department should be on time and that they should bring enough copies of the document so we can go over it.

The time comes. The town planner is already waiting. No sign of ag people. Shoot.

I had just confirmed 30 minutes ago that they were coming….so I phoned again. “We’re coming. But there’s no electricity so we couldn’t print the document.” My supervisor and I look at each other. Ahhh!!!

We make small talk with the town planner. Then he notifies us that he has to leave for a meeting soon, that’s why he told us we can’t be late. He seems pissed.

So I send a text. “We’re on our way.” No idea when they’ll arrive. That sentence can mean anything from 5 minutes to 2 hours.

No choice. I take out my computer and try to print the previous draft we had (very bad draft). The USB stick doesn’t work with the desktop in the office.

The ag. people walk in. Thank goodness. But the town planner has to leave.

Luck number one. The town planner suggests that we can meet in the afternoon when he comes back (it’s actually very nice of him to say that. Most people would probably just say come back another day).

Fine, it’s going to take up our whole day (and both my supervisor and I have tons on our plate), but at least we’ll get the meeting done. So we try to print the updated document. The print takes 5 minutes to print one page when there are photos.

Luck number two. The town planner walks back in. The meeting he had with the district commissioner was cancelled (!).

So we print the document and start the discussion.

Luck number three. The town planner was quite receptive of the proposal. And gave very good feedback.

Luck number four. The head of the agriculture department is in Scotland. Let me explain. The head of the ag. department in this municipality is an elderly man who is super enthusiastic about urban agriculture but has this view that the town planners are always enemies (they have been in the past, UA hasn’t really been accepted as a legitimate land use – hence my job). So he’s always defensive. But today he’s not here, and the rest of the ag. department actually has a good dialogue with this town planner. hurrah!

Four lucky breaks. Do you still call that lucky? Or is it more than a coincidence? :)

Days like this just make me love my job. The meeting went so well, I’m just ecstatic.

But 2 down, 1 to go. This last one is going to be tricky. I just know it. But maybe luck will be on our side again.