Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Subsistence Agriculture

Agriculture in Burkina is life. Most of my neighbors are 'unemployed' in the sense of having no documented job. They feed their families and survive by raising crops (millet, corn, black-eyed peas and peanuts) also known as subsistence farming. Their methods are rudimentary (not differing far from our ideas of medieval farming methods). To further complicate the matter, my region lies on the edge of the Sahel where rain only comes for three months during the summer (and often only once a week). It is a short window in which every member of the family must work the fields each day (all day) in order to grow enough food for the coming year. Even school takes a backseat to cultivation, as students will not start coming to class until the harvest has finished around the beginning of October.

While villagers in Rambo have been blessed with sufficient crop production and adequate rainfall, most are still malnourished as the variety of crops grown are void of vitamins and minerals necessary for healthy living. Children, while having enough to fill their bellies for the day, will still suffer from malnutrition causing them to have large bloated stomachs, hair loss, stunted growth and any variety of health complications.

Currently, my village is applying for grants via US government aid programs. These grants will go towards developing a larger variety of crops and introducing irrigation systems to Rambo. While my expertise is nowhere near agriculture, I have been able to assist by translating their grant applications from french to english and helping them to refine their program objectives, as the application has to be submitted in english and are thoroughly reviewed.

for a little more info check out wikipedia:

"Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficient farming in which farmers grow only enough food to feed their family. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to eat during the year. Planting decisions are made with an eye toward what the family will need during the coming year, rather than market prices. Tony Waters[1] writes: 'Subsistence peasants are people who grow what they eat, build their own houses, and live without regularly making purchases in the marketplace.'"

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Kong Comp Lab

From Kong

a little about burkina faso

Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then.

Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Recent unrest in Cote d'Ivoire and northern Ghana has hindered the ability of several hundred thousand seasonal Burkinabe farm workers to find employment in neighboring countries.

Location:
Western Africa, north of Ghana

Geographic coordinates:
13 00 N, 2 00 W

Area:
total: 274,200 sq km land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km

Burkina Faso