Africa 100 appeal cash benefits thousands
Money raised by British farmers is helping to secure food supplies for 12,000 people in western Kenya, according to the NFU.
More than £200,000 was raised for NFU’s Africa 100 Appeal which was set up in the union’s centenary year, 2008.
The cash is now supporting a FARM-Africa project to grow stronger, disease-free crops of cassava, the staple food crop which is consumed every day in 64% of households across the region.
The cassava project was started when the crop was hit badly by a new form of mosaic virus which left many people dependent on food aid.
It has now helped to establish 107 farmer-marketing groups which promote the planting of higher yielding virus-resistant varieties of cassava.
NFU head of communications Sarah Whitelock, who led the Africa 100 Appeal for the union, said: “We were really pleased with the amount of money raised. This latest update from FARM-Africa just goes to show the hard work is paying off.
“Cassava has a short shelf-life so the project will also fund construction of two factories to turn it into dried chips and flour. This will increase the flexibility of the crop giving it a market in local food industries and potential as an animal feed.
“Having witnessed the tremendous way FARM-Africa supports farmers and transforms their lives I am convinced that supporting the cassava project has been a thoroughly worthwhile cause. It will make a significant difference to the lives of thousands of farmers and their families. Hearing about this project’s success is a fitting tribute to the generosity of all the donors who have supported Africa 100.”
Richard Macdonald, board member of FARM-Africa and former NFU director general, said he was “hugely impressed by the project”.
“By introducing new varieties of cassava and sweet potato, FARM-Africa had, at a sweep, trebled yields and reduced risk by bringing in disease-free plants. The follow up replication and spreading of the new technology was like a tide of income improvement in a whole district – quite fantastic.
“Local farmers were so grateful, and what compounded the benefits is that this is an area where 20% of the adults have HIV and many are widowed.
“I have been left with an over-riding feeling of ‘we must do more’.”
| AfFRICA 100 PROJECT CASE STUDY United Women’s Development Programme (UWDEP), is one of the project’s Producer Marketing Groups in Ukwala, North East Ugenya. The group has 20 members and 20 affiliate groups with about 30 members per group. Members are familiar with new cassava varieties because they were given one bag of SS4 cuttings in May 2009. Working together as a group, they have been able to harvest eight 70kg bags of cutting from the one bag they were given. The group kept four bags and has sold four bags of cuttings to other farmer groups at 500 Kenya shillings (£4) each. In addition they have been selling 2kg tins of cassava chips for 240 shillings (£1.90) each. As a result of their sales, UWDEP members are positive about the opportunities presented by FARM-Africa’s project for increased food security and income generation and are extremely keen to learn a lot more about new cassava varieties and how best to grow them and to add value to their yield through processing. On joining the project, the group rented two plots of land in the centre of their village with money raised from their activities: one for a cassava demonstration plot, and the other for a cassava multiplication plot. They cleared the demonstration plot earlier this year and planted four cassava varieties under the direction of the project team in early May. During that time they learnt the best way to plant and weed regularly. • Heleda Auma Yaoko is chairwoman of UWDEP. She is 50 years old and farms a two-acre plot. She wants to grow more cassava so that she can earn a regular income. She plans to dry it, chip it and transport 2kg tins of the chips. • Evelyn Nabwire, UWDEP secretary is in her mid 40s, and farms a three-acre plot. Most of her crop provides food for the family but she does manage to sell some. She plants local cassava on 1 acre and plans to reinvest payments in growing vegetables, tomatoes and onions. • Lucas Oriedo, joined UWDEP in 2005 and has divided his three acre plot into 0.25-acre sections on which he grows maize, groundnuts, cassava, potatoes and bananas. Lucas is keen to grow cassava as a cash crop as well as a food crop and sees the factory as a great opportunity to add value to his harvest in the same way as he has done with groundnuts. |
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