A New Dawn for African Youths in Congo D.R.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, specifically in South Kivu in Bukavu, New Day Afrika Youth Association, founded in 2015 has developed the project Initiation to Farming Practice’ to encourage youth involvement in the agricultural sector. This project aims to improve students’ knowledge by practicing channel in order to get them to become familiar with agriculture, to have a positive attitude to farm life and be prepared to appreciate the agricultural value chain.

In the demonstration fields, students learn new farming practice techniques, methods of fertilization and fight against plant diseases, observation of cropping parameters, the management of an agricultural policy. Within the school, the following crops such as amaranth, cabbage, onions, carrots, beans, corn, soybeans and peanuts are sown in the demonstration fields. At harvest students learn to save seeds they can use the following season and generate in this way a seed stock.

Besides seed saving, students also learn the processing of products harvested in other by-products such as corn flour and biscuit; soy oil, milk, cheese, biscuit and donut; groundnut oil and butter.
During the same period of harvest, an activity called Field Day is organized in schools to allow students in agricultural section to show their know-how to other sections and teachers students. So during the day, the crops of vegetables, vegetable crops and various by-products from the processing are sold to teachers, students and even the surrounding markets.

Having created within the school the New Day Club, seasonal profits from these sales are shared between students via a deposit to their name on the savings account Club New Day School and this account is blocked until the end of high school.

Today, the project ‘Initiation to Farming Practice’ led by New Day Afrika is operational in 10 agricultural technical schools and directly benefit 1650 students. Thanks to the technical support from Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network(CSAYN), D.R. Congo chapter, in the fields of educational demonstrations, field day and training workshops, students continue to improve their knowledge not only in entrepreneurship and agricultural technology but also in agricultural processing, fertilization, fight against disease, the selection of good varieties, the fight against erosion, fishery, etc.

Through public programs with local radio stations and documentary produced by New Day Afrika broadcast on Youtube and the channels of local television, students inform the general public the various knowledge gained in this project.