In the village of Mudjoga, in North Kivu, DRC, farmers have devised an innovative agricultural competition inspired by football.

The competition is called “agricultural match” and it consists of farmers demonstrating the application of certain cultivation practices. The exercise itself is inspired by football, or “soccer”. It pits farmers against each other in a friendly competition where each demonstrates an agricultural technique. They are supervised by a jury of judges and the president of an organization called Action for the Development and Conservation of Biodiversity (ADECOB) who plays the role of referee, another farmer who acts as a judge, another farmer who guides and trains them, whom they call coach, and finally they are assisted by other curious farmers from the village. This last group acts as spectators, just like at a football match in a stadium.

Before the match, the rules of the game are defined by the jury. During the actual match, the referee and judge are there to ensure that the rules are followed. They are also there to give a red or yellow card to any athlete who tries to violate the rules.