AICS Staff with the farmers following the training
Most farmers in areas of Eastern Sudan rely on traditional farming techniques that have proved ineffective in producing sufficient crops. The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation-AICS, within its Poverty Alleviation Project in the States of Kassala and Red Sea, is currently working to organize training sessions with farmers in these areas to instill proper planting techniques with an aim to boost productivity, and consequently the living conditions of the farmers.
These training sessions took place in the fields of Arkaweet, Okar and Haya in Red Sea State prior to the rainy season and after it in Kassala. Within the training, 8 varieties of European of tomatoes were seeded in multi-pots, in order to choose, together with the farmers, the most productive varieties and most adaptable to the environmental conditions in Eastern Sudan. In addition to tomatoes, seeding of 13 European varieties of onions also took place with an aim to enrich the local market. Good agricultural practices were also introduced to the participating farmers to ensure high productivity levels, in addition to providing training on the most advanced cultivation techniques and methods to protect plants against weed species, particularly Mesquite.
The Mesquite plant was introduced in Sudan in the 20s of the twentieth century and later in the eastern states of the Country because of its ability to tolerate drought and form a barrier belt against desertification. However with time it became evident that the plant is an infesting one and is in fact absorbing all the water resources available, which are already scarce, therefore significantly reducing the survival chances of other plants.
This explains why, complementing the training, a selection of tools including shovels and pruning tools were donated to the farmers to aid them in maintaining their farms and the surrounding areas.
Pierpaolo Bergamini, from AICS instructing the farmers during the training
Implementing proper planting techniques such as mixing the soil with carbon to increase its water retention capacity, introducing better ways to combat weed and plant diseases by natural preventative treatments such as neem oil and Marseilles soap, in addition to encouraging best land use were all aspects included in the sessions.
The work of the Italian Agency has always been based on the strong collaboration with the beneficiaries and involving them in interventions. In continuation of this strategy, these trainings were based on mutual trust between AICS Staff and the farming community, which was generated from steadily visits to the fields and taking the farmers’ points of view into consideration. This relationship of trust manifested itself in the positive attitude of the farmers of Okar, who after receiving the donations of agricultural tools used them to eradicate the mesquite around the area. After this they placed the cut branches around the new plants, to protect them from the hungry goats.
An old technique protecting the new.