Wednesday, December 10, 2008

"I Am A Farmer."





This man lives at the very far end of Kiziba Camp, in a neighborhood called Nyabishoro. His house is far from the services in the camp--the health center, food distribution, and the school--but where he lives he is able to rent a small plot of land from the local population for the equivalent of about $20 per year.

And for him, this is a good thing because, as he told me, "I am a farmer."

And an extension agent in Congo, knowledgeable about vegetables and fruit trees and livestock. Here you see him proudly holding up some leeks and red onions from his terrace garden and picking passion fruits from the vine that he has trained to grow over his house, high where the children can't reach. They have to wait for him to pick the fruit and share it with them, which he does often.

In the coming year we are going to be putting great emphasis on these kinds of small agricultural projects that are so important in the camps and yet somewhat challenging in a place like Kiziba where land is scarce.

But we have some good examples, like this man, who will gladly share his love of the land with his neighbors.

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