Strengthening good agricultural practices to boost production
FAO and WFP are working together to support rural farming communities who are gradually returning to their villages after being forced to flee.
In the village of Kasheke, located near Lake Kivu in the province of South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rachel Akonkwa goes to the community field of the farmers’ group she is a member of to harvest groundnut and haricot beans. Now, every member of the group can purchase quality seeds of improved varieties. “Before, we had no knowledge of quality seeds”, says Rachel. “We used what was available on the market, without worrying about the quality. In order to have a good harvest, we had to sow in large quantities on a small area. Losses were huge”.
Rachel is a member of one of the 15 000 smallholder households who benefited from a training by the National Seed Service (SENASEM) as part of the FAO/WFP joint resilience programme funded by the Government of Germany. The training helps them to sow in lines, respect planting distance, choose the right soil, improve maintenance and recognize good quality seeds. This helps to avoid losses along the food value chain.
Producing more with less
Her plot of 1 ha didn’t allow Rachel to maximize her yield. Nearly all of her production was for household consumption. Selling the little surplus she had, generated barely enough income to pay for her children’s school fees. Since she has started adopting good agricultural practices, she has noticed a significant difference in her production. “I learned how to weed my field without damaging other seedlings. And more importantly, I use less seeds to sow”, she adds.