MaximsNewsNetwork: SUDAN FOOD AND HUNGER UNMIS

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MaximsNewsNetwork
November 03, 2009

MaximsNewsNetwork: 03 November 2009 - UNMIS: The lack of rainfall in Southern Sudan has left farmers a very small harvest in the region. An estimated half a million people in the south are currently short of food. Bangladeshi peacekeepers are providing the IDPs in one of Maridi's villages the opportunity to cultivate their land and train them in planting and irrigation.

The lack of rainfall in Southern Sudan has left farmers and the people a very small harvest in the region. An estimated half a million people in the south are currently food insecure.
But it is not only the rainfall that has left the people insecure of food. Maridi, in the State of Western Equatoria is an area that has been plagued the Lords Resistance Army, or the LRA, for many years, some of Maridis village are now Internally Displaced People (IDPs) from other parts of the region.
Howa is a mother of six, her village of Nzumara was attacked by the LRA in December 2008. Howa and her family had to flee on foot some 10 kilometers to Maridi. They are now living here as IDPs.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic), Howa, IDP
When the LRA came they looted everything. The second time they came, they killed many people in our village. We were scared and left our home. It was then we decided to run
Maridi is 250 kilometers square and home to some 926,000 people. It is an area where the Bangladeshi Battalion provide logistical support to the five states of Western Equatoria.
Now as well as this support one of the Bangladeshi companies, BANBAT 4, a company of 106 military personnel, has provided the IDPs in one of Maridis villages Itra which means flowing stream, the opportunity to cultivate their land. They have trained them how to plant seeds, irrigate the land and store water for irrigation. Now, the people can look forward to a good harvest and reap the benefits of the vegetables and fruits they are growing.
SOUNDBITE (English) Alfred Peter Jamada, Inspector of the Country Agricultural Department (CARD):
They are assisting us, like you see here. It is a very good place to work. I am really really pleased with them. Of course, it is finding security for the farmers and the farmers are the beneficiaries, so they are going to gain from the product ad in the future they are going, the outside farmers, are going to copy the practice because with the agriculture, when you are planting nice, like this, you get more production.
BANBAT, after meetings with the local ministry of agriculture and forestry and a local NGO, RAAH, the Rural Action Against Hunger, were told there should be a quick impact site close to the BANBAT team site within 5 kilometers of the base, close to a water source. The land was total bush area. It took one and a half months to prepare the land for farming and by July this year, the land was ready for the farmers. Its a win-win project for everyone in the village.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Frazier Thomas, Chairman of the Farmers Community:
I think this project has shown the farmers the way and we are now requesting another tractor so that we can expand the land on which to farm
The $5,000 US Dollar project is funded by UNMIS. Initially, though, when the land was ready and BANBAT appealed to the residents to come and farm the land, there was resistance from the people. So BANBAT came up with the idea of making the land look attractive. They placed colourful flags around the outskirts of the land. It worked and the people came.
SOUNDBITE (English) Major Muktado, Rifle Company 1, BANBAT 4/UNMIS:
The motto that we have used for this project is from the Maridi team site is no more fighting only farming that has created a positive impact. The women, they learn because they are fed up with the war. So the women, they have said: instead of AK47 you should have a spade, instead of bullets, you should have seeds, so they like this thing and really, really they were hesitating, but now they are fully aware that if they work, they will get something in cash in the market, so that is our achievement I should say from BANBAT 4 and UNMIS.
So for the people who are tending the farm they can now sell their products in the market or they can enjoy a good healthy meal at home.

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