ASSOCIATED VOLUNTEER experts

What agricultural project for the Ito agro-pastoral center (2,000 ha), located near Bandundu?

	Daniel, AVe expert and Stany, in charge of the agropastoral center waiting for the ferry on the Kwilu river at the exit of Bandundu		the staff of the agro-pastoral center in front of a water point for market gardening		farm equipment and buildings exist, but they are in in very poor condition

The first observation is that the center is notoriously under-exploited. A very small area is cultivated, the vast majority of the surface is fallow (grassy or shrubby savannah), part of it is exploited by villagers. There are a few cattle that live freely in large areas. The buildings and agricultural equipment are in poor condition and require major overhauls, the lack of agricultural skills is obvious.

As the days go by, thanks to the numerous exchanges with all the people we met, the history of the center is told: it has known its hour of glory in the past. Originally, at the time of colonization, the Ito center was created by a congregation of Belgian missionaries. Then it was handed over to the Kenge diocese and in the early 2000s it benefited from a development program financed by the European Union which allowed it to acquire agricultural equipment: two tractors and cultivation equipment...

Relaunching an agricultural activity based on this observation is an ambitious challenge. Market gardening can be developed with a good potential on some plots. Daniel has proposed an action plan that starts from the existing situation and allows to progress by stages. He evaluated the financial means necessary to start on a good basis. Steps to bring agricultural expertise and financing will be taken following the mission.