PROMOTING FOOD SECURITY AND POVERTY REDUCTION IN AFRICA
Hunger remains a major daily problem for around 795 million people worldwide. 780 million of them live in developing regions (FAO, 2015). Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest prevalence of undernourishment. To contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to explore the appropriate strategies to fight against poverty and food insecurity in Africa, PAX ROMANA ICMICA launched a project entitled “Promoting food security and poverty reduction in Africa” and engaged its partners and members from different countries to find strategic responses to address issues. The project intervention was designed to support the mission of Pax Romana to serve the less privileged in the community and live through its action the motto “Preferential Option for the poor” (prioritizing meeting their needs). The intervention focused on strengthening community capacities, improving food productivity, diversifying food sources, and improving income.
This project benefited 110 families: 30 from IRFA Azaguie Cote d’Ivoire, 30 from Bubanza Province Burundi, and 50 from Mbalizi Mbeya Tanzania.
- Capacity building and climate mitigation
110 beneficiaries were trained in climate-smart and organic farming techniques such as compositing, adoption of biopesticides, balanced food and food hygiene, and vegetable gardening (horticulture). They also learned about the technical itineraries of their respective crops. Beneficiaries from Cote d’Ivoire cultivated chili, eggplant, bananas, and cassava. For Burundi, they did green vegetables (lenga lenga), tomatoes, watermelon, rice, and soya beans. For Tanzania, they focused on horticulture including vegetables, fruits, maize and beans.
Lenga Lenga and Rice cultivated by the beneficiaries
- Equipment support
Sometimes, a lack of farm equipment and inputs prevented the poor farmers from performing and building their livelihoods. Pax Romana ICMICA Africa supported them with basic farming tools such as water cans, spades, sprayers, and pumps.
Beneficiaries in Cote d’Ivoire with the farming equipment
Beneficiaries in Burundi with the rice seeds and farming equipment
In Tanzania, Pax Romana ICMICA Africa with its partners (Rikolto, Simusolar, and Minor Seminary of Mbalizi) set up a solar-powered demo site to train small-scale farmers on climate-smart horticulture. In 2024, ICMICA managed to train around 50 students from the Minor Seminary of Mbalizi Mbeya Tanzania and 50 farmers from from the community around. The project also supports the minor seminary in supplying water to the school that has 200 pupils.
Solar pump installed at the Minor Seminary Mbalizi Mbeya Tanzania
Our demo site with the participants weeding the tomatoes
Students learning to plant tomatoes with drips
Training on drips and mulching techniques with the households at the demo site of Mbalizi