Get to know the farmer from D.R. Congo

Thursday, October 15, 2009

The potato production is one of the most biggest productions in D.R. Congo. Gerard Vossen (agripooler of Agriterra) went to this African country for the eighth time, to support the local farmers and farmers’ organisation Sydip by their potato production.

Whether it is transport, market, chemicals, the use of artificial fertilizer or irrigation in the potato production: Vossen knows a lot about it. Fertilization is one of the bigger issues he will discuss, during his visit. He’s going to help a horticulture farm to become a mixed farm, this way the farmer can produce his own fertilizer.

Vossen sees what is necessary in the field, instead of books. “I don’t want to travel with a lot of paperwork, to find out in the field there are other issues”, he says. “To give you an example: in the office you can get the idea farmers should measure their fields. When you arrive in the field, you find out this didn’t happened. The reason? They have no tape measure, the farmers tell you. The most easy and practical solution is to make a stick with a length of one meter to measure the field. The point of this story: work directly with the farmers, and ask till you have an answer. There are plenty of solutions made in the office, but often those solutions don´t make it in the field.”

According to Vossen it’s important to get to know the farmers well, so you can help to solve their problems. “This way you will reach maybe a few farmers at the beginning, but they can share their knowledge to other farmers in the area.” The AgriPooler visited six small villages in August. “That’s where it has to happen, by the local farmer.” That’s the added value of these missions.

In the last four years an area as big as the Noordoostpolder (a polder in Holland) changed from agriculture farming to mixed farming. “That’s a big revolution”, according to Vossen, because the profits of the farmers were raised.

“These farmers do have the money and opportunity now to send their children to school, buy medicines or invest in buildings. We’re speaking of big changes, on economic, social en technical aspect”, Vossen tells with proud.

Vossen visited Congo several times before, he is no longer a stranger in the area. “I made a lot of friends here.” That made his visit also very pleasant. “In the evening we first evaluate the day, but after that we have very nice conversation about other things  than work.” His recent visit wasn’t his last one. “There is still a lot of work to do. In the Netherlands every potato farmer gets a ‘production guide’, it would be great if I could be a kind of guide, to support those farmers with their production.”

Fenneke Wiepkema
Agriterra