Project 08: Donation Cost US$2500. In Riddeh, Rushan District, UBB assisted in developing a communal vegetable farm – ploughed the arable land, purchased fertilizers, seedlings and manual farm tools.
Funding from: Dhananis
Village of Rid-deh with 9 families
Pre-Project Situation
Riddeh is a new village of 9 displaced families that the Government set up for them after their original village was destroyed by an earthquake or a flood some 3 years ago.
To help them settle down in Riddeh, a German donor paid to build houses for them and the Government donated to them 2 ha of arable land for farming.
However, the village did not have the means to plough the land and develop it into a farm. So, for food, they would go to a nearby village to work as daily labourers and from the money they receive, they would buy vegetables etc. to take back to their own village. But there were days when they did not earn any money and would return with no food items
Towards the end of the 3-year period, the Government noticed that the village still had not made any productive use of the land and mulling over transferring the ownership of the land to to other people.
Arable Land that was not being used
Items Donated (Including)Mechanical Ploughing Service
It just happened that we visited them just a week before the Government was going to transfer the ownership of this land to other people. .
After observing their living conditions, we offered them various types of help and promptly visited the Government Office in the area and assured the Office that HfP would plough their land and also would give the village all the other necessary help to develop a vegetable farm. So HfP’s commitment saved the village from losing their 2 ha land.
HfP then paid for the ploughing mechanically 2400 sq. meters of their 2 ha land, and also purchased for them vegetable seeds, fertilizers and farming tools.
On the HfP’s advice, the Village collectively farms the ploughed area, and grow potatoes, onions, carrots, pumpkins, etc. in enough quantities for their consumption.
They have now realized that farming collectively is much more productive than otherwise. They had never farmed collectively in their original village
Now, they have requested that we help them to 1) fence another part of their land in which they would like to collectively grow fruits for own consumption and also for selling, and 2) purchase for them seedlings for 136 fruit trees.
Hfp has already agreed to their new requests, but to avoid any violations, it is waiting for the land ownership documents from the Government.
Completed Farm
As per our advice, the they work on this farm collectively The have now realized the benefits of a collective farm.
For now, they grow basic items of potatoes, onions, carrots and pumpkins.
Testimonial from Riddeh
Before when we were working in neighboring villages in construction as laborer we bought vegetables from these villages on the money we earned,
We were not able to bring home food all the time because the work that we do is not always available and very hard to do. Now with the big help that you gave us, we have our own land were we can work, harvest vegetables for our consumption and also save for the winter. On your advice, we worked on the land together as a group and it has helped us to achieve better results. This year we harvested potatoes, onion, carrot and pumpkin in our land. We were able to harvest them only because of the help we received from you in form of seeds. Next year we also plan to grow these kinds of vegetables, on the land that we already have. It will be very helpful if you could help us to fence another area of our land for orchards, and to buy plant seedlings for fruits. Fruits will be good to have for our own use and also for selling.
Nobovar Niyozmamadov Head of the Rid Village, Rushan District