Rotary clubs in the Longmont-Boulder area are working together to bring a life-changing project to a small African village: a learning garden that will teach people how to cultivate crops.Longmont Rotary member and wildlife photographer Andrew Lee is the project manager and driving force behind the garden, the idea for which arose on a trip Lee and his wife took to Botswana two years ago. The “learning” aspect of the garden is its role as a test site for raising crops – vital education for the village, which doesn’t grow any of its own food. Khwai Village is located on the banks of the Khwai River in northern Botswana. The village is home to 400 people that includes a preschool/elementary school and secondary school. The garden will sit next to the village’s preschool and will measure around 50 feet long by 80 feet wide, Lee said. Construction is already underway and should finish in September or October. Most recently, volunteers drilled a well for irrigation and are in the process of adding a solar-powered water purification system to the village. The village of Khwai, Botswana, is 70 miles away from the provincial capital of Maun and receives frequent visits from elephants and cape buffalo. The village relies on imported crops, but the new garden aims to change this by providing a space for local kids and their parents to develop their gardening skills. To read the full article click here.