Food Crisis at CFC Averted (part 2)
Background
Chipembi Farm College (CFC) is a private agricultural college in southern Zambia near the capital of Lusaka. I had the good fortune of spending two months at the college as part of iLEAP’s Taking the LEAP program in summer of 2009. CFC principally serves around 120 students each academic year who complete a two year course in general agriculture.
According to Paul Samba, the principal of Chipembi Farm College and my good friend, encouraged by forecasts of early rains, the college invested heavily in maize seed and planted early. Unfortunately, one month into the rainy season, the rains stopped and the crops began to wither in the field. After one month of drought, exceedingly heavy rains returned, further damaging the crop that had managed to survive. As a result, Mr. Samba estimates that 25% of the crop will be lost come harvest time. This is a dire situation, since the college must grow nearly all of the food needed to sustain everyone who lives or works there.
The college asked for $2,000 to buy enough grain from northern Zambia to make up for the losses. Better Futures was able to raise $2,100, which has been sent in two separate payments to the farm college.
Image credit: NASA
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