Watering Composting Leaves

I live in West Africa where we have definite rainy and dry seasons. Right now I am scrambling to gather as many falling leaves as I can to create piles in all the garden areas that need leaf mulch (virtually every spot where I would want to plant something as the gardening space has been "swept clean" of any leaf debris for many years now). As we will not have any rain until May 2018, should I sprinkle these leaf piles periodically? If so, once a month a good soaking? And then turn the pile? Thanks!

I would dig a trench where you want a row to be about a foot deep fill with leaves, walk them down, then wet and cover with the soil so it is a mound. Let the critters in the ground do the composting for you. If you water about once a month (not sure of your heat index) stick the nozzle into the ground or open a small hole and pour water in. Wetting the top only allows the water to leave quickly--you want the water inside the row. Thoughts from Tennessee USA

Thanks! I'm originally from Nashville, so I appreciate the feedback. I've discovered a neighbor has been filling 2 corners of her yard with leaf and twig debris, so I've got quite a stock to pull from in trying to rehabilitate the soil in our yard. We are basically hot and humid or hot and dry all year. The coldest it gets is 64F for a couple of months mid-Nov.--Mid-Jan. Photos are garden areas I began "treating" summer 2017.

I have seen photos of some truly awesome hugelkulture forms (and raised type beds) that have been very successfully done in that drought and drown area. They don't incorporate a straight garden bed as we do gardens in the states... instead, because mulching products are hard to come by, they use a core mulching center and a circular planting area. Kinda in the manner we would do a 3 sisters garden. Every scrap of wet and dry waste goes back into that core and feeds the plants even in the driest months. Good luck with your endeavor!

Yes, I think that farming technique is "zaï" and has been written about using the example of a Burkinabè farmer from the northern part of the country where it's noted the technique has been effective fighting desertification. Of course, where he has restored the land, the government now wants to come in and take it. While I"m not exactly following zaï as I don't have "fields" that I'm planting, I am partly following it in incorporating leaves to decay as well as bringing in manure in the next couple of months where I want to garden. I will mix it into the "soil" (must use that term loosely as the areas where I'd like to grow plants have been swept clean for the last 10 years.) One of the ladies who sweeps our street told me that her husband raises sheep and has plenty of manure they could provide me. This should be an affordable option. I also had a friend who filled his grow-bags with manure and some compost materials and let then them sit for several months, turned into the loveliest dirt I have ever seen in W. Africa. So I'd like to fill the grow bags he passed on to me with manure and set aside as well. Thank you for your helpful feedback.