Break Near-starvation Cycle for Congolese Farmers

In the second year of a world-wide pandemic, it is a joy to write about living, growing, and thriving things. Yes, Covid-19 has reached the Kafubu Valley, with deaths in Mwenda Village and Kawama Village. But the focus of the people is on the growing crops.

The fieldwork is progressing well. Nitrogen fertilizer has been applied to the corn plants. The seeds for cabbage, okra, and aubergine (eggplant), to be sold in the public markets, were distributed to each family in the villages. After training by the agronomists on how to grow quality vegetables for public markets, or market gardening, each family carefully sowed their seeds. These more fragile crops will be tended with great care.

This is a new type of farming, or gardening, for the villagers. The quality and appearance of the market vegetables matter more than food grown just for private consumption. The varieties of seeds are chosen to appeal to city shoppers. This has not been a consideration in the past, but the villagers are learning about business and marketing in addition to farming.

The influence of the professionally trained agronomists is noticeable throughout the valley. The corn grows thicker, higher, with much larger cobs than in the past. Now, new vegetables augment the extremely limited diet of the villagers. Sales of some of those new vegetables are bringing in cash. And best of all, parents can afford school fees. That is changing future generations!

These marvelous changes are because YOU, our donors, are paying for the agronomists, quality seed, and fertilizer. YOU are making a difference in the Kafubu Valley every single day. Thank you!