Helping the Village to become self-sufficent by growing coffee and sugarcane
The SOS Children’s Village in Jimma, Ethiopia, have introduced a farming project to reduce the amount of food SOS families have to purchase.
Miftah Ahmed is the farmer at the Village, where he has tended to the agricultural fields for the past three years. Miftah Ahmed served in Ethiopia’s national army before he decided to find work closer to his wife and four children. Today, he grows coffee, sugarcane and various vegetables for the Village.
Coffee is central to Ethiopian culture. It plays a vital role in terms of diet, and is regarded as a source of nutrition for adults. The green berries on the trees ripen between November and January when they are harvested.
“Sugarcane is a low maintenance plant,” he says. “I only need to water it three weeks after planting. Then I put manure occasionally and look out for diseases and pests. I also keep weeds away between spaces in the cane to prevent yield loss. We harvest once a year.”
Ebisa Jaleta, the Family Based Care Coordinator at the Village, is the one who started the agricultural project at the Village. He explains that the idea came from looking at the unused space in the Village, and the need to provide innovative support to SOS families.
“So we thought why not plant our own crops and be self-sufficient. The other aim is to use the farm as a teaching tool for the children. They learn about the food they eat and how to care for crops. It is important for them to understand farming practices. The last objective is to make the Village look more green and clean.”
Ebisa organized a training session with the local university to teach SOS mothers and aunts how to make compost. Most of the produce is consumed by the Village, but last year they sold some of the sugarcane as yields were high.
“Harvest time especially for sugarcane is very exciting;” said Jaleta. “Seeing the thrill in the children as they enjoy the sweetness in the cane is very satisfying.”
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