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Stories about SAWAP-Projects

April 23rd 2018

Stories about SAWAP-Projects

Innovations for sustainable land and water management in Africa remain unknown due to poor communication. That’s sad. These new techniques do not only save they nature, they also save lives. Time for IUCN PACO, the World Bank and partners to publish stories about Sustainable Land and Water Management, written by the project leaders.

The story below is from Ali Hamid Osman, about the Sustainable Natural Resources Management Project (SS NRMP) in Sudan

Improved Seeds Success Story

Mohammed Gafaer and Ali Hassan are from two different states, but they share their ambition to succeed. Ali Hassan is a hard working farmer, a very serious and intelligent man, forty six years of age. He is from Wad Musa village in Sudan. His land suffers from erosion. Traditional farming practices are not suitable anymore. So the project which introduced improved seeds and new methods, came at the right time. Ali: “In the beginning it was very difficult to accept these new techniques. But now I changed my mind because my family and my land benefited so much.”

Mohammed is a 14 years old, an ambitious guy, with less talk and more action. He lives with his family in El shigig village in umm rimta locality in the white Nile state. Livestock raising and farming are the main livelihood means in the area.

The project targeted areas have semiarid climate. Temperature is high throughout the year. Evaporation exceeds precipitation leading to droughts. Vulnerability and poverty in these areas caused destruction of natural resources and decreased agriculture productivity. Farmers in the targeted areas have poor food culture. They depend on one or two types of food, practice traditional farming and use poor quality seeds. They harvest too little to feed their own families so they exploit natural resources with negative effects on the long run.

The project aimed to enhance resilience of farmers to severe climate change and to enhance food culture. Project staff introduced high quality improved seeds which are drought and temperature tolerant. Also communities awareness was raised and extension packages provided for home gardens. They established demonstration farms under direct supervision of an Agricultural Research corporation.

The project distributed 6.3 tons of improved seeds for 408 farmers in 2016. Because of the success, many requests of farmers to adopt the new sustainable land and water management practices were received, reaching more than 2000 farmers in 2017. The farmers are convinced that the new methods will help them improve their livelihood, and manage their resources effectively.

Ali and Mohammed benefited from distribution of improved seeds. Ali: “the new seeds do not only produce an excellent type of vegetable, but also an abundant production, much more than before”. He continues talking: “my vegetable merchants compete to buy it which encourage me to collect seeds to replant it in the next season”.

Mohammed is not a farmer or herder, he is a school student, he requested the project to give him seeds to plant it and benefit from it, because he believes nothing can stop his ambition to succeed. Mohammed sold his production after harvesting for (2700 SDG) equivalent to $385.7 which is considered a good capital for starting a business journey, and securing income for his family. Mohammed also participated in the collection of seeds that were used for rehabilitation of degraded lands. Mohamed said after his participation: “we tasted the flavor of success, not when we gained money, but by learning how to conserve our environment”.

The communities, after they sww the success achieved by farmers last season, confirmed their willingness to support the interventions aimed at improving livelihoods and fighting climate change. As a result the project succeeded in promoting a wider adoption of community- based sustainable land and water management practices.

So the story continues!

Read two other stories from Sudan:

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