Agriculture
Agriculture
With the sustainability of the school project in mind, ADH as undertaken an agricultural project. Income from the agriculture should contribute long-term to finance the school operations. Currently domestic agricultural products are grown on a total area of 10 hectares and are sold at local markets. This helps the food-poor region and creates new jobs. The agricultural project also provides opportunities to involve the local community with the school project and teaches them to take personal responsibility for the school in Mushapo. The professional cultivation can also serve in the future for practical training.
Feb
2013
We are selling pineapples
We had taken over the pineapple plantation from the former SADR farm. We harvested the ripe pineapples and sold them in different markets. To transport the fruit, we used the typical bush transporter – a loaded bicycle. But because of the narrow profit margin, it is no longer cost-effective to continue to cultivate pineapples. So we concentrate on manioc, which is slower to grow, but easier to market.
Jan
2013
We acquire an electric generator
For the need of electrical power during occasional power outages, we installed a donated generator in our Camp in Mushapo. The generator was transported by truck from Kinshasa, and had been loaded sideways to avoid it rolling around during the transport. This resulted in the battery leaking onto the generator and upon arrival it had to be completely taken apart by the `Denys` Team, each piece had to be cleaned and then assembled. Now it works just fine and is a huge benefit to our project.
Dec
2012
The focus is on cultivating manioc
The old five-hectare manioc fields are being inspected, since they had been neglected for some time. We constantly have to test the quality of plants and soil as the weeds, especially the elephant grass, grow fast and can easily destroy the harvest. The fields were found suitable and the soil is being prepared. We will concentrate on cultivating manioc, since it is a favourite staple in this country and both roots and leaves are edible.
Nov
2012
We begin the farming project
We start using the seven-hectare of land from SADR to plant new manioc, corn, beans and peanuts. Our own land which is still wilderness, will eventually be cleared so we can plant there as well. We bought some Acacia plants for the boundaries of our property. A friend gave us some moringa, jackfruit and breadfruit tree seedlings. Cassava and pineapples are already planted and are prospering!
Oct
2012
Growing vegetable and breeding animals
We had to find a better way to provide the ADH Team with food, so that we don`t need to bring a big supply. Therefore, we brought seeds from Europe to plant our own vegetables. To begin with, we tried onions, tomatoes, carrots, eggplant and salad. We already tried to cultivate beans, but need better ground for that. SADR also gave us three sheep and we are starting to breed our first chickens.
Sep
2012
We took on the land from SADR
The SADR farm closed and its owner gave us their good farmland to cultivate for free. We thankfully accept the offer as it saves us from having to cultivate our own land for farming. Our reasoning is as follows: 1) It’s good quality ground to cultivate 2) Our other land would have to be thoroughly cleared, which would mean investing important resources that we could use otherwise 3) But most importantly, we can make use of the already grown plants, which once ripened, can be sold and the proceeds invested in building the school. We inherit five hectares of manioc fields and 1.5 hectares of pineapple plants with approx. 3000 pineapples. To quickly implement the farming project, Wolfgang, Jos and Jean travel to Kinshasa to obtain seeds and seedlings for cultivation.
Oct
2011
We focus on building the school
Our land is still like a wilderness and has to be cleared of the two-meter high elephant grass, bushes and small trees. It’s laborious. We concentrate on building the first school building, so that we can commence with the classes as soon as possible. We clear a small part of our land for that purpose.
May
2011
ADH as property owners
Our project starts with planning: We look for a useable site to build the school and develop the agricultural project. The two chiefs of Mushapo (who traditionally own the land) donated us a nine-hectare piece of property. We get the title of the land transferred according to local custom and record the title in the land registry. The land has to be surveyed. We clear the land to get it ready for our agricultural project.
