Farming and Funding

Photo: celebrating a successful farmer group meeting with a bit of dancing!

Farming and Funding

These two f-words are proving to be huge barriers. I didn’t think that funds would be an issue for AAB, because the program doesn’t require any additional funding from MoFA and only needs participation from AEAs (basically just AEAs doing their job). However, it keeps coming back, this funds thing, crushing my goals like a sledgehammer. It is because of lack of funds that my main AEA, Sumaila (I’ve mentioned him many times, he’s the AEA for Sandema) has no moto or bicycle and hence cannot travel to meet his groups. We had been meeting a group that comes to the office, but they’ve stopped meeting for the rainy season; it’s much easier for groups to meet in their own communities, because the meeting won’t take as much time out of their busy day.

I wanted to get as many groups as possible, especially in the Sandema area because it’s most feasible for me to meet them, so I asked Sumaila if there are other groups we could meet. He said yes, there are plenty, but because he has no means of transport he cannot meet them. I find this incredibly frustrating – when I first arrived in the district, I asked the director how many groups each AEA should have. He said at least 6. Sumaila has one.

The problem is, he doesn’t actually seem overly concerned about this, I think that since no one has been pushing him to meet groups, he’s slacked off. The Kandema group that we’re supposed to meet ON SUNDAY (if it doesn’t happen this week I’m going to be very upset) is only being taken on because I’m here, I feel. We were actually supposed to meet them Tuesday, had confirmed on Tuesday morning that in fact we would go, but when I asked where Sumaila was at around 1:30 someone informed me that he had gone to the rice valleys. So I went alone, and ended up just meeting the chairwoman to tell her that we’re coming Sunday and will be starting AAB with their group.

The other F-word, farming, is the reason farmers aren’t meeting. One AEA told me that he meets groups quite regularly in the dry season, but the majority of them do not meet for the rainy season, and if we try to call them for a meeting only about half will come – unless of course there is some kind of handout involved, then they’ll come by the masses.
So since the farming thing is keeping everyone so busy, I’ve been thinking more about the livestock side, after the livestock as a business workshop we did a few weeks ago. This was part of the Livestock Development Program, which, it turns out, started in 2004 and this is its final year. Initially, the program gave farmers money to buy animals, and they had to pay it back after two years – I’m sure you can imagine the issues there. So this year, they switched to credit-in-kind, and that will continue after the program officially ends.

All program activities are very clearly defined and have certain funds allocated for them (i.e. funds for a training session would be transport, snacks, water); however, the allocations do not allow most effective use of funds. It would be much better for farmers to have training in their own communities, in smaller groups so they could participate more. And instead of one training session, several sessions over a period of time would be more effective. The training needs to be given by veterinary staff, of which there are only two at the office – fortunately, there are Community Livestock Workers (CLWs), volunteers who help farmers with livestock. I want to organize training for CLWs, so they can meet with the livestock farmers and help them with record-keeping, feeding, housing, vaccinations etc – this could be done by vet staff who attended my AAB training. Again, funds have knocked me down. It would take only a small amount to have these people come to the office, but the district apparently has absolutely NO money right now, not even enough to pay for transport and food for 10 people. It’s also slightly frustrating that as I’m talking to the director about these ideas, he’s only half listening – he started writing a “request for...” letter while we were talking. Wonderful.

Things at Ajabuiyede have remained fabulous, of course. I made my curried rice salad on Sunday, they actually really liked it. See photo of massive vat of rice and Ghanaian-size serving (that is Clementia in the picture - she never cooks, but found the idea of Canadian food exciting, so she decided to help. Also note random chicken hanging around to catch scraps. Very normal). We’ve also lately been enjoying this incredibly heavy bean flour cake item, which they tend to drench with oil and salt (hold the oil for me please) – turns out this food is great for unhappy stomachs. I’d argue that it even tops plain rice or saltines as a clogger.

I’ve also taught my 15 year old sister Laadi how to make those embroidery-cotton bracelets that kids (and me) make in Canada. She loves it. That girl is incredible, she is one of the first to get up in the morning and is busy from the moment she wakes to the time she sleeps; by the time I get up (5:30), she has already been to the borehole, probably twice, and has started a fire in the kitchen to reheat yesterday’s leftovers. She goes to school, comes home to do more chores (washing, cleaning pots, fetching water), makes the stew and tz for her mother and brothers and sisters (that wife has only 3 children), and serves everyone – at many points throughout a typical evening, I’ll hear “LAADI!” belted out from someone looking for her help. After dark, while everyone else is relaxing, she’ll do her homework or reading for school. I think of myself at 15 and the comparison is laughable. I wish for Laadi that she will achieve all that she dreams for, big or small, because she deserves it.

Anne