Angolans return to the land
2004-04-02 09:36
Huambo - A town in waiting.
Everywhere, in every spot of shadow cast by trees or ruins, hundreds have been sitting since early morning, waiting for the arrival of the truck from Bailundo, about 100km from Huambo in central Angola.
The area's 27 000 inhabitants survive on food aid and on this particular day four non-governmental organisations, including World Vision (WV) and Concern, are to hand out cooking oil and maize.
The next day they move in other directions in Huambo province, where they are to repeat the process.
"Some people will walk as far as 90 km to collect the food. They burn more kilojoules to get the food than what the food provides," says John Yale, WV chief in Angola.
The war not only destroyed the infrastructure and left landmines in its wake. It also brought agricultural activity to a virtual standstill. Severe malnutrition is evident all over.
In an emergency nutrition ward in the Huambo hospital Kwelina Ngeve, 33, is holding her emaciated baby boy, Antonio, 13 months. He cries silently.
"My milk is no good." Ngeve and her five children have a small meal of casava (a tuberous vegetable), pumpkin and bean leaves once a day.
Juliana Nacadodo, 30, is sitting with nine-month-old Luciano further down. The skeletal baby appears deceptively big, bundled up in rags. His mother also suffers from malnutrition and elephantiasis, and her feet are badly deformed.
"Mothers bring their dying children to hospital on a daily basis," says sister Eunice Shoconbogue.
"Many are too late. We lose up to four children a month."
The tide will turn
Institute of Security Studies (ISS) research shows that 43% of Angolans suffer from malnutrition and 42% of children under five years are much too thin.
The situation appears wretched, however, the NGOs believe they can turn it around.
"Things will improve. There is no reason why is should remain static or deteriorate," says Yale. "Angolans are proud and handouts are degrading. They want to work and we intend putting them back on their feet."
Before the war Angola had been practically self supporting thanks to sound agricultural production. But currently only three percent of the land is under cultivation says the ISS report.
Critical shortages of usable seed are among the most pressing needs and World Vision's Pro-Planato Programme intends addressing it says Yale. "Years of war has wiped out seed supplies."
The little that remains is of very bad quality.
On the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) fields outside Huambo varieties of sweet potatoes, maize, potatoes, soy beans and peanuts are being planted.
Some crops are given more water than others. Some are given fertilisers, while other seedlings have to survive on what is in the soil. "We want to determine which crops grow best and then distribute the seed among farmers," WV field worker Antonio Cassina notes.
Half of the harvest returned
The best seeds are distributed among selected farming communities to establish a seed bank. In the Bailundo area 13 fields are cultivated with this sole purpose in mind.
About 100 families here are given seed and fertiliser, on condition they return half of their harvest to WV. A seed bank is being built up in this way for redistribution among other farmers.
"By March next year we intend producing 3 500 tons of useful seed," says José Fernandes of WV in Huambo. This would help establish 150 000 subsistence farmers and their families.
WV also has a training programme for prospective farmers. "Many farmers are so conditioned to bad seed that they will put up to ten seeds in one hole to ensure something grows. Their planting is also much too crowded," Fernandes notes.
Technicians plant WV seed according to their methods, then invite farmers to plant their seed in the traditional way.
At the Tewa-Tewa community, 10km outside Bailundo, the difference is clear. WV maize is lush - in sharp contrast to the puny plants produced by local seed. Seeing is believing and local farmers have started adopting WV techniques, says Fernandes.
Yale adds that in addition to seed WV also distributes basic agricultural implements and food parcels. The food is provided to ensure farmers have sufficient energy to work and maintain their land and to stop them from eating the seed when hunger pangs overpower them.
Former soldiers are farming
The crisis has been warded off, WV believes, once farmers produce successful harvests two years in a row. Only then, Yale holds, can subsistence farmers become commercial farmers.
A WV registration point for agricultural aid to former soldiers is located among the food queues in Bailundo.
Here they line-up meekly. You don't ask them where or for whom they had fought, since they desperately want to be assimilated in the local community.
Naschimento Patice, 30, is one of 2 620 former soldiers who has returned to Bailundo. The former farmer is finally able to return home following ten years of war and demilitarisation camps.
He presses a thumb dipped in ink next to his name on the registration form. Rows upon rows of thumb marks next to hundreds of names show that most former soldiers are illiterate.
Patice is given a panga, ploughshare, planer, bag of maize, bag of beans and small packets of tomato, onion, pumpkin and cabbage seed and he puts all of these in a hessian bag.
"Now I am a farmer once again," he proudly declares before boldly walking down the derelict main road bearing that which distinguishes him as a farmer over his shoulder.