The Holy Trinity Peace Village

Hard work Transparency Trust

Agriculture

The Agriculture department can be considered as the oldest Department of the Kuron Peace Village. In 1999 Bishop Taban started Kuron with an agricultural demonstration farm, which was to be situated near the bridge over the Kuron River.

Today the Agriculture Department has two sections. There is a demonstration part which is working to improve the livelihood of the people in the surrounding villages. The intention is to reduce the over-dependency of the local pastoralists on their cattle or on emergency food and to lead them to a more sustainable mode of production by introducing to them improved farming techniques and to encourage them to plant different varieties of crops. Traditionally farming is mostly done by the women and the main crop is sorghum, pumpkins, and okra during the raining season. Many of the surrounding villagers are encouraged to work in the farm where people experience different farming techniques and get to know different kinds of crops, fruits and vegetables. Seeds and tools distributions are to assist that farmers plant new types of crops on their own farms. The agriculture officer aim to introduce short maturing crops for the often short rain seasons and farmers are enhanced, to keep their own seed stock for the following year. Also men are encouraged to increasingly take part in farming to ensure a better yield. Kuron agricultural officers come to advise and monitor the farmers in their fields, demonstrate how to plant newly introduced seeds and how to use new tools. While it is definitely not easy to change the habits of people, slow changes in behaviour can be observed over the years. Some farmers are starting to plant maize and other crops, they come to ask for seedlings and men assist their wives.

Secondly, the agriculture department is aiming to improve the food security in the area. Peace Village is aiming at being self-sufficient as possible by producing a large part of its own food. In the area there are no markets and fresh produce is very difficult to bring over due to bad roads. For many months during the raining season a year Kuron is not reachable by land. During this time when supplies are rare, the Kuron production farm and an orchard are supplying the inhabitants with various kinds of vegetables, greens and fruits. During the dry season when agricultural production becomes a challenge as there is hardly any rain and the sun is threatening to burn most plants, a drip irrigation system and a green-house enable a steady supply of fresh vegetables. Tomatoes, sukuma wiki, maize, egg plants and cucumbers can grow here almost throughout the year and contribute to a healthier diet in the peace Village and in the surrounding communities. The agricultural produce is increasingly bought by the people from the surrounding villages and slowly but surely they are diversifying their own field crops.

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