Kitoko Food Farm, DRC

Help for food insecurity in the Democratic Republic of Congo...

"When fully built, KITOKO will farm on nearly 1200 acres of vegetables, fruit trees, fish farming, goats meat and milk farming, nursery for plans and trees, making a significant impact on the availability of fresh, quality food and protein in and around Kinshasa. ...about 70% of the DRC population lacks access to an adequate food supply." Source Kitoko Farm began production in 2013.

The farm program is a joint project operated by the Fleurette Group , AGRIMINING SERVICES LIMITED and The Gertler Family Foundation. The latter is one of the largest charities in the DRC. There are ten more of these farms planned in the DRC, one in each province. The hope is that this will provide much-needed fresh produce and meat in a malnourished country that imported 90% of its food in 2008.  The layout of the farm is a grid with a small family settlement at each crossroad. 

The DRC has seen a constant state of warfare between dozens of militias and government troops since 1996. One of many consequences has been the desertion of farms by families trying to escape danger, or the death of entire families and villages. Another is poor-to-nonexistent transportation and commercial infrastructure. More about this history: Congo's Never Ending War. The article was written in 2012 and the war still rages, with the occasional short break, mainly in the Eastern Congo provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and the mineral-rich Katanga.  

     

More information about these farms and the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kitoko Food

Attachments:

Kitoko Food Farm DRC.kmz (1.75 KB)

Subjugated, enslaved, plundered and let alone forgotten by western "culture"... Always glad to hear something good to happen on the old, black continent! Thanks Diane for this one!

By the occasion of your posting I have taken advantage to take a look around, and so have found some locations that need some explanation.

Question#1:
Opening attached folder, the first marker signs one type of field strips can be found all over the food farm area. On these parcell strips curious circular features can be seen, probably can be connected to some kind of water management processes, but that if these are results of earthwork or some special plantation method is a mistrey for me.

Question#2:
Second marker takes you to the edge of the capital, where strange pattern of plantation settles the view on a cca. 4.5 square miles piece of swamp along Congo river floodplains. Does not seems rice and have doubts about it is grown reed culture. Then what?

3^rd marker is only an urban view of the capital. (doubleclick on placemark, turn off all layers except terrain, hide sidebar and you already have some unique desktop wallpaper / it will not be mine - I cannot prescind from destitution and poverty that emanates)

Any ideas for the two questions would be fine!

Thanks,
g

Congo miscellaneous.kmz (1.16 KB)

Hi, syzygy! 


1. Circles! I can't think of what those are used for. But, I've seen photos of Africans growing trees in big circles that hold water.  No trees in these circles, though. Seems like they are for growing something, because they are grouped together in rough rows.

2. I noticed that swamp a long time ago, too, and wondered if those are farms that are actually growing things. It looks like it became too wet there. To the east there are trees and crops along a canal, then it's swamp again. Truthfully, these people are often too poor to keep the farms going. They go into the city to find a little work, instead. It's the main reason there is a shortage of food. Of course, the rich people can buy the imported European food.

3. Yes, severe poverty in that city, in the whole country. The DRC rarely makes the news in the West, but it's been one big humanitarian crisis and war zone for decades. Still being plundered, one of the worst governments in the world...