Help Stop Slash and Burn Farming in the Congo

The agroforestry program continues to grow into new communities and have a measurable impact within participating villages. Over the last quarter (July-September) the agroforestry program has been able to assist over 650 farmers, and OCP nurseries distributed over 13,000 seedlings including over 4,200 nitrogen-fixing tree seedlings throughout the Okapi Wildlife Reserve (OWR). The necessary agricultural tools that will be utilized to cultivate these productive plots of land, reducing the need to expand beyond established agricultural areas were distributed as well.

As more participants are included in the program, the demand for seedlings and saplings will continue to increase. OCP staff were able to lay out six vegetable nurseries in Mambasa and Biakato. These additional vegetable nurseries will continue to provide plants for farmers who are interested in growing food using sustainable methods. Additionally, the agroforestry program was able to distribute shade tree seedlings to Bandisende, Koki, Babama, Mamopi and Ebiane to fulfill community requests. A community reforestation project at several locations, including the Ekwe area was started to plant more shade trees and fill in some of the gaps where previous plantings had occurred.

Struggles with loose goats at the Epulu demonstration field continue despite a barbed wire fence that was set around the field as indicated by a very hungry goat that found its way through the newly constructed fence. To help deter goats even more, a new row of wire was set in place. Basic lessons like these are shared across the OWR to prevent sneak attacks by other goats, lessening the number of crops lost by farmers that are part of the program.

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