Guinean farmers celebrate Trias partner's birthday
RGTA-DI, a Guinean partner of Trias, celebrated its twentieth birthday. This organisation has come to play an indispensable part in the agricultural development in Guinea over the years.
© Trias
RGTA-DI has always encouraged animal traction in Guinea. It has been sixty years since this technique was last used in our communities. In southern countries however, animal traction can still prove to be advantageous for farmers. “Thanks to this technique, it is now possible to double the revenue of one hectare in Guinea,” says the Trias regional coordinator, Bert Snoek. “Animal traction allows farmers to work on surfaces that are twice as large, which doubles their production. This rise in production is largely enough to earn back their investments in oxen, ploughs and harrows after the first year.”
In addition to animal traction, RGTA-DI focuses on sustainable agriculture in all its aspects. So the Trias partner also takes part in composting, landscape management, irrigation and better relations between cultivators and cattle farmers. “One of the most important lessons to be learned here, is that these projects can only succeed when the beneficiary villagers are actively involved,” says Snoek.
A beautiful example of cooperation between the locals and RGTA-DI are the cultivation works taking place in the small village of Barabara. The villagers requested that large parts of swampy territory would be impoldered. This task was fulfilled with the help of those same villagers. An already existing washing area was also redesigned, which pleased the women enormously. People are coming from far to see if this can also be realised in their villages.
Trias puts an emphasis on the RGTA-DI's twentieth birthday by organising a conference in Guinea for all the major players in agricultural development. In the build-up to this event Trias has written a brochure about landscape management and animal traction. It describes RGTA-DI's expertise in detail.
Guinea is almost at the bottom of the Human Development Index, an instrument which allows the United Nations to gauge poverty on a global scale. Trias and their local partners are cooperating to deploy an entire stock of resources in this West-African country to help small farmers and entrepreneurs, such as council in agriculture, micro-credit and guidance in the processing of agricultural products.
More information: Brochure 'Gestion intégrée des terroirs et traction animale pour la sécurité alimentaire en Guinée-Conakry'
www.rgta-di.org