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WORKSHOP URBAN MICRO-FARMING AND HIV-AIDS Johannesburg/Cape Town, South Africa 15-26 August 2005

URBAN AGRICULTURE PROGRAMME OF THE DIOBASS PLATFORM

By Innocent Balagizi Karhagomba DIOBASS PLATFORM Bakuvu, DR Congo

July 2005

INTRODUCTION TO DIOBASS PLATFORM AND ITS PROGRAMME The Diobass Platform is a local NGO operating since 1992 in the rural and peri-urban areas of the Kivu province in the eastern part of DR Congo. The Diobass Platform was established by local resource persons for the survival of the community since the local government is still unable to provide adequate support to the zens. The Diobass Platform brings farmers and scientists together for sustainable development research and action, with the aims: To develop a permanent linkage among peasant researchers and other development workers through free and mutual sharing of information and experiences To collect local farmers knowledge and to create a databank of indigenous practices and knowledge available in the Kivu; To develop participatory research and experimentation involving professional and peasant researchers on indigenous knowledge as a basis for local innovation and sustainable development The Diobass Platform intends to develop research and innovation into a social and community process through which knowledge is generated for action. The Diobass Platform creates spaces for exchange of experiences and training where researchers farmers and development workers (of both genders) meet to share and learn from each other. This, in order to learn from and to encourage local farmers innovations and community development. Most farmers are searching solutions, both on individual and community level, to their multiple problems to which official or professional institutions have, up to now, simply failed to respond. The Diobass Platform emphasizes the logical thoughts of the farmers towards adequate response to the different problems affecting livestocks and fields productivity and the management of the soil and other resources. Diobass Platform receives support from donor organisations in Switzerland and Belgium. Since 1996, the number of people affected by HIV-AIDS in the Eastern DR.Congo is rapidly growing and AIDS is becoming a serious public health problem, amongst others due to: Poverty (leading to prostitution) Armed conflicts that lead to diverse sex abuses mostly in women. Polygamous life style and lack of information concerning HIV-AIDS As a result of HIV-AIDS infection of the socially active family members, the families loose income earning capacity leading to Reduction of food availability in the families and increase of malnutrition When payment for health care and medicines is required, often an animal or other asset has to be sold, reducing familys economic resources Premature deaths linked to HIV-AIDS are almost due to Malnutrition Lack of effective medicines against the multiple opportunistic ailments Stress linked to negative social attitudes in their community Organisations participating in the DIOBASS PLATFORM are; committed to find better and immediate solutions to the problems of HIV-AIDS affected families in the rural and peri-urban areas of the Kivu province.

Therefore, since 2002, the Diobass Platform, in cooperation with the Centre de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles (CRSN) are implementing the project titled Promotion of Best Farming Practices in Peri-Urban and Urban areas within the Kivu province, Eastern D.R.Congo. The project aims at promoting food security and nutrition of marginalized people and families affected by HIV-AIDS and creation a better living environment for the PLWHA. The project is based on the principle: Let your Food be Medicine and let your Medicine be Food The project involves 130 People living with HIV-AIDS (PLHWA) through the cultivation of community gardens that are located Katwa hospital (peri-urban) Goma (urban) and Buvaku (urban) as well in Lwiro research station (this garden is just to multiply and provide seeds to other gardens). PLWHAs are organized into active working groups operating their own garden plots as a way to solve nutritional problems and medicines supplies. Participants receive training in positive living with AIDS, organic farming methods, production and use of medicinal plants and nutrition The project stimulates local farmers innovations through exchange of experiences, local experimentation and diffusion of results to the wider community. A participatory research-in-action approach is applied involving urban farmers, scientists and community development workers (who need to acquire some new skills (e.g. for participatory analysis and communication).

In our gardens we grow three categories of plants (see also table 1): Plants which are exclusively medicines: Aloe, Artemisia annua, Vernonia amygdalina Plants which are food and medicines: Moringa, Chinese spinach, capucin, cabbage, okra, onion, garlic, lemongrass, hibiscus, rosmarin, amaranth Plants which bear edible fruits : Lemon, avocado and grapefruit

Table 1. List of plants are grown in the gardens and highly used by PLWHA Plant species Aloe vera Amaranth Artemisia annua Basella alba Cabbage Capsicum frutescens Garlic Harungana madagascariensis Honey bees (+ Propolis) Moringa oleifera Okra Tropaeolum majus (capucin) Vernonia amygdalina Mushrooms Lemon tree Grapefruit tree Avocado tree Characteristic medicinal Food Medicinal Food & medicinal Food & medicinal Food & medicinal Food & medicinal Medicinal Food & medicinal Food & medicinal Food & medicinal Food & medicinal Medicinal Food & medicinal Food & medicinal Food & medicinal Food For What purpose Immune system stimulation Immune system stimulation, loss of appetite Immune system stimulation, prevent gastric ulcers Prevent gastric ulcers Prevent candidosis Prevent candidosis, Immune system stimulation, prevent stress effects Immune system stimulation Prevent candidosis Immune system stimulation Prevent gastric ulcers Immune system stimulation Immune system stimulation, Loss of appetite Immune system stimulation Improve health ( pectin) Improve health and stimulate Immune system Vitamins and grease Rhythm of uses Often Some times Often Thrice a 15days period Some times Often in food Often Twice a week Twice a week Often Some times Together with Moringa Often Twice a week Thrice a week Thrice a 15days Twice a week Cost on local market 3 $ /plant 1 $ / kg 40 $/ kg 10 $/kg 0,4 $/ 2 plants 10 $ / kg 10 $/kg 15 $/kg 4 $/kg 25 $/kg 5 $/kg 10 $/ kg 15 $/kg 10 $/kg 1 $ / 10 fruits 1 $ / 20 fruits 1 $ / 15 fruits

Since many PLHWA do not have sufficient space for food production, ones who have no space for food production, use movable gardens in containers and bags. From the garden, families get their organic food. Seeds and part of the harvests are sold to local agricultural organizations and the income raised is used to pay needed modern drugs for the HIV-AIDS patients and to assist families in need. The project seeks to developing a honeybee project just for producing honey containing propolis that is helpful in case of HIV-AIDS. RESULTS OBTAINED The impacts of the project are as follows: People living with HIV/AIDS are economically and socially re-integrated in their community; The PLWHA develop permanent linkages among themselves and with healthy community members and development workers through free and mutual share of information and experiences. Regularly new members join the groups who can benefit from the experiences from others PLWHA are becoming socio-economically active again and continue to maintain their family as in past. Since people are organized into groups, they can share their problems and find immediate solutions within the group from experiences. This improves their quality of life and reduces illness and mortality Through the gardens the PLHWA have access to valuable food and alternative medicines. The combination of food with medicinal plants together helps to

enhance the immune systems and PLWHA remain physically unrecognizable as HIV affected. Table 2 shows the effects of the combination of organic agriculture and medicinal plants in micro-farming system on 9 PLHWA that we have been observing since September 2004 until June 2005.
N 01 SexAge F 27 Clinical signs before joining the team group Sedimentation: 78 mm/h WBC: 2300 /mm3 Weight: 48 kgs Loss of appetite, fatigue, vaginal candidosis Sedimentation: 78 mm/h 3 WBC: 3300 /mm Weight: 51 kgs Vaginal candidosis Sedimentation: 25 mm/h 3 GB: 4500 /mm Poids: 60 kgs Skin eruptions Sedimentation: 79 mm/h WBC: 3700 /mm3 Weight: 45 kgs Skin eruptions Sedimentation: 78 mm/h 3 WBC: 4900 /mm Weight: 37 kgs Chronic diarrhoea, cough, zona, dysphagia, loss of appetite Sedimentation: 102 mm/h WBC: 2400 /mm3 Weight: 45 kgs Fever, cough, chronic diarrhoea, V.S: 72 mm/h GB: 1900 /mm3 Poids: 45 kgs Cough, zona, vaginal candidosis Sedimentation: 106 mm/h 3 WBC: 2200 / mm Weight: 36 Kgs Fatigue, Fever Clinical signs after harvest (10 months later) Sedimentation: 12 mm/h WBC: 7200/ mm3 Weight: 68 kgs No sign Sedimentation: 28 mm/h 3 WBC: 6200/ mm Weight: 65 kgs No sign Sedimentation: 9 mm/h 3 GB: 8100/ mm Poids: 67 kgs Clean skin Sedimentation: 32 mm/h WBC: 5700/ mm3 Weight: 58 kgs Clean skin Sedimentation: 24 mm/h 3 WBC: 7400/ mm Weight: 58 kgs No sign Received treatment *Art/ Vern/ Phyllant * Aloes + Honey * Garlic / Ginger * Capucin/ moringa as food supplement * Lebrunia oil/ Garlic *Art/ Vern/ Phyllant * Aloes + Honey * Garlic/ Ginger * capucin/ moringa as food supplement * Lebrunia oil/ Garlic *Art/ Vern/ Phyllant/ * Aloes + Honey * Garlic/ Ginger * Capucin/ moringa as food supplement * Lebrunia oil/ Garlic *Art/ Vern/ Phyllant * Aloes + Honey * Garlic/ Ginger * Capucin/ moringa as food supplement * Lebrunia oil/ Garlic *Art/ Vern/ Phyllant/ * Aloe vera + Honey * Garlic/ Ginger * capucin/ moringa as food supplement * Lebrunia oil/ Garlic * Art/ Vern/ Phyllant * Aloe vera + Honey * Garlic/ Ginger * Capucin/ moringa as food supplement * Lebrunia oil/ Garlic *Art/ Vern/ Phyllant * Aloes + Honey * Garlic/ Ginger * Capucin/ moringa as food supplement * Lebrunia oil/garlic *Art/ Vern/ Phyllant * Aloes + Honey * Garlic/ Ginger * Capucin/ moringa as food supplement * Lebrunia oil/ Garlic

02

F - 35

03

F - 31

05

M- 26

06

F - 52

07

M -32

Sedimentation: 42 mm/h WBC: 8200/ mm3 Weight: 61 kgs No sign Sedimentation: 30 mm/h WBC: 4800/ mm3 Weight: 65 kgs No sign Sedimentation: 25 mm/h WBC: 5500 mm Weight: 65 kgs No sign

08

F -45

09

F - 39

In future, we are planning to organize the mushroom breeding at a large scale. Such project should not only generate money for PLHWA but also it is of great help for health in PLWHA. Also a pond with Spirullina (algae) is planned.
References BALAGIZI K, 2001. La culture du Moringa oleifera peut-elle aider la population dAfrique se prendre en charge pour la nutrition? Recheches africaines. CERDAF. Bukavu DHARMANANDA S, 1996. Garlic as the central herb therapy for AIDS., Institut for Traditional medicine, Portland, Oregon. FLUGLIE L, 1999. Moringa oleifera: Natural nutrition for the tropics. CWS, Dakar, Sngal FLUGLIE L, 2002. Larbre de la vie: les multiples usages du Moringa. CWS, Dakar, Sngal FOIDL N., MAKKAR H.P.S., & BECKER K., 2001. The potential of Moringa oleifera for Agricultural and industrial uses. Symposium. What development potential for Moringa Products? October 20 November 2, Dar-es Saalam.

HIRT H.M, LINDSEY K & BALAGIZI I.K, 2003. AIDS and natural Medicine. A resource book for carers of AIDS patients. Anamed. LEONARDO Co, 1989. Common medicinal plants of the Cordillera Region. CHESTCORE, Banguio City. LUANNE EPSTEIN, 1995. Food for people living with HIV/AIDs. NAP, Hope productions, Cape Town. MUELLER M. & MECHLER E., 2003. Medicinal Plants in Tropical Countries. Traditional: uses, Experience, Facts. DIFM, Tbingen. PAMPLONA R., 1999. Guide des plantes mdicinales. Encyclopdie Vie et Sant. Volume 1. POUSSET J.L., 1989. Plantes mdicinales africaines. Usages pratiques. Ellipses, ACCT, Paris. SCHNEIDER E., 1973. Des plantes pour votre sant, Ed. SdT, Dammarie les Lys, France. STAMETS P. & YAO C.D.W., 1999. Mycomedicinals. An information Booklet on Medicinal Mushrooms. MycoMedia. Olympia. www.gaiaresearch.co.za/garlic.html

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