VINPAZ
Confédération Internationale de la
Société de Saint-Vincent de Paul
O Z A N A M F A R M
Development of a self-sufficient Farm in Chisamba, near
General
Remarks and Objectives
The Superior Council of Zambia
owns 50 hectares of land about 25km from
The main
objective was to develop with the support of trained VinPaz volunteers an
effective farming system on the Ozanam Farm and train the Society members and
others who are interested in establishing such a farm in other places in
The Mixed Management Board
(National Council and VinPaz Commission) has to establish good management practices
to enable the farm to become self-sufficient within 5 years and independent of
outside support. Such a model could be capable of being extended by the local
Society to other parts of
VinPaz is convinced that
local employment (this is important in view of the very high rate of
unemployment in
Management
and Volunteers
The personal efforts of the
Farm Management Board (Thomas Kangwa and Jane F. Mbaluku from the Superior
Council, John S Phiri and Larry Tuomey from VinPaz) and the Farm Advisory Board
with the support of some agricultural experts like Joseph Musukwa, have
contributed to this. They use an office in
They have planted the crops
for the current season. They live in a
small house near the Farm. Two other
Volunteers and also employees for specific works (machines, specialised
gardening, marketing) will soon join the team. Two
workers live for the moment with their families on the Farm area in a small
village near to one of the Waterholes and cultivate in the not yet cleared area
their own maize and vegetables. 46 field workers, coming daily from the
villages around the farm, were working in the fields where the beans are
growing.
Formation and Training
Without Volunteers the Model
Farm idea could not be realised. They need a good foundation for their
activities. This encouragement is
given by formation in Vincentian and Christian spirituality and knowledge. The
formation of 5 Farm Volunteers was given last December at
Field Crops and Farm Equipment
30 hectares of the land has
been cleared and ploughed. A crop of groundnuts and beans are currently being
harvested (44,000 kg expected). 2 boreholes have been drilled indicating a good
supply of water. Electricity is currently being installed. This will facilitate
the laying down of an irrigation system, which will enable two crops to be
grown each year.
The public authorities issued
the “Certificate of Title” for the land in the name of the Society. The architect can now immediately prepare
the plans for constructing a farm house
for 4 Volunteers, a small office, stores, garages for cars, trucks and
repairing machines etc. (The Volunteers
started by bicycles, very common transportation in the area). The farm needs a place for drying the fruit, water reservoir and access roads. The geological service
found water enough in the area. Two boreholes are producing water; two others
will be dug in the next weeks. At the same time the Volunteers prepare the
place for the 1 Million Litre water reservoirs and the irrigation system, which
is essential for crop growing outside the rainy season.
A broad pattern of farm
production is needed. In 2002 the first crop were Soya
beans. The harvest in May 2003 was good, the result after costs about
US$5,000. The Management Board decided
in March 2003 to plant the crops of several fruits for the year 2003/2004. 16
hectares were prepared for Groundnuts, 11 hectares for Beans and 3 hectares for
Maize. A second crop was planted in June 2004.
It is necessary to have a
higher output from the Farm. The presence of the Volunteers and the other
workers give the possibility to the Management Board to have other and more lucrative branches of farming and gardening. The Board
decided to plan to have chicken (for meat and eggs), sheep (for meat and wool),
goats (for milk and meat) and later cows (for milk and meat). A smaller part of
the not yet cultivated 20 hectares of land will be used for the domestic
animals, for the farm buildings and for, in due course, a small housing project
for holidays for poor town families from
Reporting and Finance
Most of the funds needed for the first year were
obtained from
Additional funds will be
required in 2004/5 to finance certain essential items of capital expenditure
e.g.: fencing ($10,000); tractor ($22,000); light utility vehicle ($11,000); buildings
($40,000); water reservoir ($10,000).
July
2004
Erich
Schmitz M.A., Coordinator of the VinPaz Commission
Larry
Tuomey, Speaker of the Sub Commission