Sudan

“This season I was able to grow more than 25 sacks of peanuts for the first time in my whole life,” shared a proud Haram Ahmed. A 55 year-old farmer from a village in Darfur’s Garsilla District, Haram is the mother of 12 children. It is a challenge for her to support her large family, and she has very little time to spare. Through a USAID/OFDA-funded initiative, the Near East Foundation (NEF) is helping Haram and other farmers to restore their agricultural production and earn more income.A new plow is one of the ways NEF assistance has changed farming – and life – in her village.

“Before we had the plow we farmed by hand manually, which is slow and tiring,” Haram said. Now she and her neighbors save time and money by sharing the plow, which is pulled by a donkey – an animal they also share communally.

Encouraging farmers to work together is another way NEF is helping communities recover from conflict and build resilient livelihoods to overcome challenges ranging from destruction of their crops and tools by fighting to prolonged drought.

Haram and others started a “farm learning group” – one of 125 created with support from NEF and OFDA. Learning groups offer farmers opportunities to share both farm implements and best practices that result in increased crop yields. Water harvesting is one of these practices. Participating farmers received training in how to collect rainwater and reduce evaporation. Developing control over water resources has been a game-changer for farmers in an area where rainfall is totally unpredictable.

“The rainy season this year wasn’t good. It is astonishing that I still have moisture left in my fields. My plants are still blooming.”

Through the new learning groups and peer-to-peer extension, a growing network of farmers beyond the direct project participants is also improving livelihoods with these new techniques.

“I consider myself so lucky,” said Haram as she shared how thankful she is for the benefits of her new skills and resources.

With their new production and income, farmers like Haram are better able to support their families and build a more stable future for their region.

More than 4,000 farmers – over half of them women – are utilizing new seeds and implements distributed through a USAID-OFDA funded initiative to restart agricultural production in Darfur. Through the conflict it was nearly impossible for farmers to obtain seeds and, without the ability to grow crops on their land, many people were forced to eat what seed stock they had to survive.

Farmer Abdawahab Khatir Mohamed traveled with others from the Kadlingei Valley, who are all excited to return to work their fields, to participate in a week of project training before the seed distribution. They learned more efficient agricultural production techniques – including how to properly use their seeds and store them for the future.

“We used to think that when you are planting, putting more seeds in one hole can give you more plants. From the training workshop we discovered this is incorrect,” said Abdawahab. Following the training, they received vouchers to exchange for seeds – at no cost – at seed fairs organized by NEF. In total, the project has organized 13 seed fairs for beneficiaries from 23 villages. Through the fairs, 252,400 kilograms of seeds and 2,950 tools have been distributed.

“Every farmer in the seed fair was given the freedom to choose the types of seeds they wanted according to the type of soil they have,” said Abdawahab.

Abdawahab said that giving farmers control over the selection process, and not forcing them to take a particular seed variety regardless of their needs, is just one of things that has already made the project more successful at helping people rebuild than previous recovery efforts in their area.

Whenever possible, the seeds are sourced nearby to help local producers expand their businesses and to put more money into rebuilding the local economy. The seeds are randomly tested and only those with high germination rates are approved for sale.

Most recently, 500 farmers received vouchers valued at SDG 330 each for purchasing certified seeds of vegetable crops including tomatoes, onions and broad beans. This amount is enough to plant an area of 3 feddan. These vegetables are planted during the winter season and are primarily used as cash crops for increasing household income.

To help farmers have the most productive yields possible, the project sends extension experts to the field to provide technical support in planting and harvesting – which the farmers will continue to receive through the next growing season.

“My agricultural product this year is far better than the last year,” said Abdawahab. “I benefitted so much from the methods that we have learned.”

Because they feel engaged and supported in every step of the process, Abdawahab and other farmers believe that this initiative is their opportunity to change their lives for the better today and it is giving them hope for the future.

Zahara Eltreih Adam, a mother of 5, has found a new way to earn an income – and help fellow returnees get back to work in her Central Darfur village.

Zahara is one of 25 people trained to become paraveterinarians through a USAID-OFDA funded initiative, which is contributing to successful early recovery in an area where agriculture is the main source of employment.

The lack of access to veterinarian services during recent conflict resulted in large-scale animal mortality and in many cases eliminated income from livestock such as goats, sheep, and cattle.

Through the project-led trainings, “paravet’s” develop the skills to treat livestock diseases and tickborne illnesses, as well as the ability to provide preventative services such as vaccinations, meat inspection, and guidance in good animal husbandry practices. Participating paravet’s also receive medicines at no cost to use in treating animals.

Immediately after receiving the three-week training, Zahara began diagnosing and treating the animals of her neighbors. Over time she is growing more confident in her abilities, and she has started to charge a small fee for treatment. With the 10-15 SDG fee per animal, she expects to earn an income from her services into the future – and be able to support her family without outside assistance.

“I am very happy to receive this training and gain skills that no women have received in my area,” said Zahara in expressing appreciation for her newfound skills.

Paravet’s like Zahara are helping livestock producers throughout their area get back to business by providing services animals need.

Unlike private veterinarian clinics, which are expensive and located a distance away in large towns, the paraveterinarians offer more affordable prices and have flexibility to travel to tend to animals in the field.

Most of the paravet’s have a nomadic background, and all have certificates of a secondary education. They receive coaching in skills to manage their finances and operate veterinary businesses, so they can achieve self-sufficiency while helping rebuild their communities.

This season Mudathir’s harvest was five times larger than his last crop.

He was able to achieve this extraordinary increase by implementing the new IPM techniques that he learned through the USAID-OFDA funded initiative, which is helping communities successfully transition from receiving relief to early recovery in Darfur.

Through the project, farmers like Mudathir are learning to fight common pests – such as grasshoppers, locusts that destroy germinated plants – as they resume agricultural production in their villages.

Mudathir grows millet on a 6.5 Feddan farm in Khor Ramlah village. When grasshoppers began to infest his millet this season, he was prepared to respond with the IPM techniques he learned in training.

First he applied a mechanical control practice of removing harmful weeds that harbor grasshoppers - including parasitic species like striga hermanthica, commonly known as “budda.” At the same time, he applied practices for natural protection – which include the early sowing of crops.

As a result of these combined efforts, he was able to nearly eliminate the locusts. The impact on Mudathir’s harvest was dramatic. This season he produced 10 sacks – or 400 kilograms – of millet per feddan, as compared to 2 sacks per feddan last season.

While farmers are often skeptical of new techniques, they learn from experimenting and from the success of others in their community. Mudathir’s neighbor produced only 3 sacks per feddan and hopes to adopt the IPM techniques next season after seeing positive results.

Farmers like Mudathir are also receiving training in a variety of skills to resume and improve production, including best practices in irrigation and seed germination.

“I am grateful for the many new techniques I am using from the training,” said Mudathir. “I hope many other farmers can learn the same ways and become more self-sufficient too.”

Saba is one of 44 at-risk refugee women in Sudan who received business training and start-up grants from NEF to build a new life after war last year. Saba started a small restaurant outside Khartoum two months ago and has already earned enough income to pay for school fees, medicine, better food, and a larger place to live.




She makes almost $100 in profits per week, but says that equally as important is the respect that she now has in a community that once shunned her. In South Kordofan and Darfur, NEF is working with several hundred women ex-combatants, smallholder farmers, and rural women to help them gain skills and access resources to improve and sustain their income.

For many of his 58 years, Mahdi Abu Alhassan Ibrahim has farmed gum arabic in Alodiat Alshargia, a village in the Um Ruwaba locality of Sudan’s North Kordofan State. Until recently, Mahdi Abu had never received formal training in gum arabic production. Instead, he used traditional harvesting techniques, which in many cases damage Sudan's gum forests.

“I did not know how to protect gum arabic trees,” Mahdi Abu said. “The tools I used for tapping actually destroyed my trees. My family would cut trees for wood. I also stored my gum arabic in plastic bags—which changed its color, smell, and texture, lowering its price at market.”

In 2011, Mahdi Abu participated in the Near East Foundation’s Sustainable Gum Arabic Production project. He benefitted from trainings offered to the gum arabic producer association to which he belongs. The trainings provided him with new techniques and skills for harvesting and selling gum arabic.

Mahdi Abu now uses improved tools for tapping which leave smaller cuts in his trees—preventing infestation by bugs and the early death of this valuable resource. He learned how to collect, clean, sort, dry, and store gum arabic seeds for future planting.

By improving the way he stores harvested gum, Mahdi Abu is now collecting a higher price at market--which has increased his family’s income.

The semi-arid Sahelian region of Sudan is highly vulnerable to drought, land degradation, and famine. The new skills and increased revenues resulting from NEF trainings are having a significant impact on families in the region. The project also encourages planting of new gum arabic trees, which provide an important barrier to the encroaching desert in places like Mahdi Abu’s village of Alodiat Alshargia.

“With the support of the Near East Foundation, I have learned new ways to increase my income and improve my family’s well-being through gum arabic, agriculture, and micro-credit projects,” Mahdi Abu said. “We have also learned the value of gum arabic trees and the importance of protecting this resource.”

Hosna Abker Ahmed Ismail, 34, is a farmer in Abu Hamra, a village in Sudan’s Um Ruwaba locality of North Kordofan. Until last year, she tended a small garden and helped in gum arabic cultivation—tapping trees to produce this marketable gum. Like many women in this poverty-stricken rural area, she struggled to find fuel for cooking and the resources to feed her family of eight.

Over 2011, Hosna Abker has participated in the Near East Foundation’s Sustainable Gum Arabic Production project—a project that has changed her life. She joined in trainings, participated in discussions, and benefited from the project’s microcredit funds.

“Before the trainings, I did not care about gum arabic trees,” Hosna Abker said. “I cut the trees for wood. I used very bad tools for tapping. I stored the gum in plastic bags, which changed its color, smell, and shape— and reduced the market price.”

Through trainings, Hosna Abker learned how to use better tools for tapping (the sonki). She learned how to properly collect, clean, and store gum to retain its highest value; she also learned how to sort, dry, and store seeds for future planting. She learned the environmental importance of the gum arabic forests.

Based on her new knowledge, Hosna Abker no longer wanted to have to cut gum arabic trees for fuel. She applied for a microcredit grant to purchase a butane gas cooker. This cooker lasts for several months, and allows her a number of extra hours each day – time she previously spent collecting wood. She now spends more time with her children, and more time helping with other income generating activities – tapping trees, working in her garden, and improving her family’s livelihood.

With her new knowledge and resources, Hosna Abker’s outlook has changed. She has more hope for the future.

“Before the trainings, I just cared for my garden,” she said. “Now I will improve my life through agriculture, gum arabic, and micro credit projects. I will do more to increase my activities in the future, so as to improve my life, increase my family income, and achieve my hopes.

Fatma is 22 years old and lives in Ramallah, one of the older settled villages in the Dar El Salaam El Rabwa area. She is originally from the El Fasher area of Darfur, and has been married twice. She has one child by a first marriage and two children by a second. Her eldest is seven.

Fatma’s first husband, a painter, died unexpectedly while working – presumably of a stroke or heart attack. Now remarried, she gave birth to her next two children at home, assisted by a local midwife.

When she became pregnant with her second child, Fatma began attending the Community Health Center’s ante-natal program. Her eldest daughter - now seven years - attended the program with her. She received regular examinations and periodic treatment for minor illnesses.

Fatma wanted to have her last child in the center’s new delivery room but things didn’t work out exactly as planned. She went into labor on a Friday and arrived with her family and friends at the delivery room only to find it closed for the weekend. Unable to travel further, Fatma sought out the center’s midwife and she delivered her baby at home under the midwife’s careful supervision.

Fatma is happy with the attention and services she receives at the center. Her kids get vaccinations and basic medicines when they need them – either for free or a nominal fee. Regular examinations and periodic treatments for minor illnesses keep the children well and help her to feel more secure. Nurses from the center make regular visits and help Fatma understand how she can take the best possible care of her children.

She is concerned, however, that she can’t always afford to follow the advice of the medical staff. This is particularly true when it comes to feeding herself and her children. The nurses recommend that she give her children milk. Even powdered milk would cost Fatma over $9 a week – which is much more than she can afford.

She looks forward to the day when she can give her kids everything they need. Fatma is an entrepreneur at heart - she would like to have a small home-based income-generating project of her own. This way she would be able to increase her income and provide more of the basics her children require.

Huwayda was born in Gadarif in eastern Sudan and moved to Khartoum as a young girl. Two years ago, she relocated to Dar El Salaam and began regular visits to the health center. Her husband works as a day laborer in Khartoum.

At age 33, Hawaya has six children; her eldest is 14. A seventh died at 18 months from severe diarrhea and vomiting. Hawaya is now pregnant again, and a regular participant in the clinic’s ante-natal care program.

She first came to the center back in 2003—when it first opened—because she was pregnant, sick, and concerned for her child. After she was treated her symptoms gradually subsided. Later, she agreed on regular visits from health workers and volunteers to help her through her pregnancy. She now encourages her friends and neighbors to visit the clinic and to join the ante-natal program, but says they often don’t come because they are afraid of the cost. Others feel that they would not be able to afford to follow the advice given. According to Hawaya, they simply don’t realize how much they and their kids could benefit.

Hawaya takes advantage of the full range of health services, attends health education and nutrition classes, brings her kids when they are sick, and volunteers time to help others. She has learned that simple preventive measures and basic hygiene help prevent more serious illness and offset potentially greater costs – as well as family tragedies. Hawaya is convinced that if she had only known then what she does now, she would not have lost her young daughter. She plans to have her new baby in the center’s delivery room under the care of a doctor and trained midwife.

Information and education are important for Hawaya. Like most of the women visiting the clinic, she is illiterate and has few opportunities for learning. She particularly values what she has learned about taking care of her children growth monitoring has helped her understand the need for proper nutrition, and she is careful to ensure that all of her children are vaccinated. The presence of a laboratory and a pharmacy in the center are critical for her

Hawaya wants people to understand the importance of the health center in the life of the community. She encourages improvements and wants to help the center to expand its services. She is particularly concerned about the need for evening hours (when the working men can attend) and for 24/7 services for the maternity ward.