By Badylon Kawanda Bakiman
For some time now, the Organisation rurale pour le développement intégral (ORDI), a civil society organization under Congolese law based in the Kwilu province in the south-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been working hard to ensure that its agricultural and environmental work goes smoothly. This work, carried out with great determination and following a pre-established plan of activities, is helping to implement Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 8 and 15, which speak respectively of eradicating poverty, ensuring food security, ensuring economic growth and preserving and restoring the earth’s ecosystems.
This year, says coordinator Myriam Mupepe, activities have largely focused on growing onions of various varieties.
“We work with a group of highly motivated people who understand that working the fields is one of the keys to success. Many people thought that the soil in this part of the country was not suitable for growing onions. But when we tried our hand at the Mazinga group, the experience proved that the soil is suitable for this crop, as we harvested tons of onions, a result that surprised many people. The staff were up to the job”, she declared.
Mupepe believes that the action plan put in place will deliver the expected results.
Last week, ORDI received some resilient seeds of other crops from its partners, in order to take the activities forward in an innovative way.
“In view of the results obtained previously, we have decided to vary the crops. The seeds received from our partners abroad are not just onions. They also include tomatoes, peppers, melons, cucumbers, carrots, sorrel etc.”, she added.
The same source notes that this structure has understood the importance of agriculture in human life. This importance can be summed up as follows:
Food security: Agriculture ensures an adequate food supply for the population.
Source of livelihood: Around 70% of the population depends directly on agriculture for their livelihood.
Economic development: It generates jobs and supports agri-food industries, thus contributing to economic growth.
International trade: Agriculture plays a crucial role in international trade, supplying raw materials and generating marketable surpluses.
Environmental protection: Agriculture also contributes to environmental sustainability by promoting responsible agricultural practices.
These factors underline the fundamental role played by agriculture in modern society.
In order to combat climate change, ORDI is proposing to carry out reforestation: “We have just received good quality seeds for this purpose. There are already sites planned for this reforestation”,
Leave a Reply