Reports

Training Course on the Role of Women in Agricultural Development

I took part in an International Seminar on the Role of Women in Agricultural Development which took place from 4.3 to 1.4.98 at Kibbutz Shefayim. I represented the AMPF NGO (Mauritanian Association for Promoting Women). This NGO has also set up SOS lines to provide moral support to traumatized couples or families.

During the seminar, attended by 25 women from Africa, Asia and Latin America, we dealt with a number of topics relating to improving women's situation. The kibbutz and moshav visits were highly instructive for us in respect of women's mini-ventures in Israel. In this country, women constitute a very prominent source of production.

Women are continuously fighting to play a more conspicuous role in political integration: in Israel's first 50 years, there has been only one woman prime minister (Golda Meir), and there are currently just 11 women Members of Knesset and six women with ministerial rank in the government.

During my time in Israel I visited WIZO, an international organization of Zionist women which works constantly to improve the status of women in Israel, look after the welfare of babies, children, young people and the elderly. To deal with these tasks it has set up kindergartens, grammar schools, colleges and so on.

Rougui Ousmane
Nouakchott, 17.5.1998

Training Course on Modern Irrigation Methods and Extension Work

I would like to tell you that the training course on modern irrigation methods and agricultural extension work, held by CINADCO from 24 June to 12 August 1998, has through its goals positively affected and consolidated my basic knowledge in these areas.

We had two months of intensive training, both at the center at Shefayim and elsewhere in the country, out in the field, at agronomic research stations, in laboratories, factories, at regional agricultural extension centers, seed-manufacturing farms - and the rest.

My successful achievement at the end of this course is primarily a result of the quality and availability of the supervisory staff, both in CINADCO and during the many field visits throughout practically the entire country.

For example, I had the opportunity to visit such important sites as:

- The Mekorot pumping station
- The Shacham factory producing high-pressure pumps
- The Netafim, Plastro and Amiad factories producing irrigation equipment
- The Beit Hashita industrial food-processing plants.

In particular, I would like to refer to the opportunity I had to get to know the Israeli model of organizing life in the countryside, in the form of the kibbutzim, the moshavim and the moshav shitufi, which play an active role in the country's socio-economic development.

I would also like to mention the historical and cultural aspects which further added to our enjoyment of the course. I visited historical and cultural sites such as Jerusalem's Old City, the Holocaust Museum, the Dead Sea and Masada, the Galilee, Nazareth, the excavations of the ancient city of Beit Shean, and more.

I shall always remember my time in Israel. I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the State of Israel, through the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Agriculture and Rural Development, and above all the Center for International Agricultural Development Cooperation (CINADCO).

I cannot conclude my report without expressing my sincerest thanks to all the lecturers, who throughout the entire course put everything into our theoretical and practical training.

Mohamed Salem Ould Moctar
Nouakchott, 15.8.1998

by Roger Yugar Yugar

I am a graduate of the MASHAV course on Integrated Rural Regional Development Planning, which took place at the Development Study Center in Rehovot, from February-June, 1996. After the course we participated in a 9 day workshop on Participatory Visualization Methodologies at DSE Center in Fedalfin, Germany. Immediately after the workshop we started the practical stage which took place in the towns of Trujillo Ascope and Viru, in the Libertad Region, Peru.

Upon my return to Bolivia, I worked implementing programs of Basic Rural Health in Cobija, Department of Pando, situated near the border with Brazil in the middle of the Amazon Jungle. This area has an urban population of 15,000, representing 26% of the total population. The rural population, 74%, is considered "scattered" due to the scarce number of agglomerated settlements.

The people's livelihood is based mainly on harvesting chestnuts and lumber, in fact utilizing only about 30% due to an irrational exploitation of the resources of cutting down trees of different species without replanting. The major problem that the chestnut growers face is shipping the product to the marketing centers: The road infrastructure is very bad, especially during the rainy season, which lasts more than 8 months, with a precipitation of 1900 mm/year. The best way to reach these communities is by air - a way not always accessible to the local population.

The indigenous communities of the area are among others the Yaminaguas and the Chimanes, and the most frequent diseases are diarrhea and malaria, the latter resulting in a high mortality rate.

The policy of the Program of Basic Rural Health is to reach communities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants and implement projects of water for human consumption. The large majority of these communities consume water directly from rivers, lakes and other above-ground water sources, which are contaminated by tree leaves, animals' manure, dead insects and more. What is done in most cases is the excavation of wells to extract water with a manual pump.

At the same time, a training program in sanitation education is being implemented, dealing with issues such as: water use, maintenance and administration of the water system, establishing and organizing water committees. This program has had some positive results, although not as much as expected, due to the many difficulties in its implementation, such as the lack of appropriate teaching material, and the need for more motivation among the trainers and trainees.

I would like to express my thanks for all the support and assistance you offer to developing countries. Thanks to MASHAV and all those who make these courses a reality, we, the graduates, can transfer a whole academic experience of theory and practice. I respectfully ask you to continue sending me Shalom Magazine, which is a tool to remain in contact with all those fighting for development.

Casilla 745
Oruro
BOLIVIA

by Jonathan M. Gasuzuguro

It is high time, I believe, for me to write to Shalom Magazine and reinforce the cooperation between Technical Action for Community Development, ATEDEC, whose director and founder I am, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel.

I regularly receive the Shalom Magazine and I thank you for your contribution of information. The area of interest to me is rural urban hydraulics (water, sanitation and hygiene), and secondly the training of private entrepreneurship in rural settings and for unemployed illiterate women and young people.

It is already eight years since I was trained in Israel, having done a leadership course in March 1990 at the Afro-Asian Institute. I remember Zvi Galor and Mama Raymond. The training I had in Israel has enabled me to set up a Rwandan NGO with the help of my experience and colleagues.

We have been in existence for four years now, and carry out specific activities in the field in the area of water. As an example of what we have so far, there are 173 small springs which have been fitted out for water supply purposes in the countryside, and two water pumping conveyance systems have been laid over 4 and 7 kilometers respectively, as well as three gravity-fed water conveyance systems. All of this work was carried out by ATEDEC in Rwanda's four prefectures (Gitarama, Buare, Kigali-Rural and Kibungo). The financing is from a number of sponsors: the World Bank, the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees), ICCO (a Dutch organization).

The same applies to rapid-impact activities to assist vulnerable and repatriated people, but we are focusing on activities designed to help people help themselves at a grassroots level, and which will generate income.

We would like to have some information (training, publications, grants for studying in Israel and elsewhere) relating to this area. ATEDEC's staff and myself need training and we would like to take part in any of these exchange, study and other workshops which the Ministry may organize. Thanking you in advance and wishing sincerely to collaborate with you,

Technical Action for Community Development
POB 209
Kigali
RWANDA

by Shimeles Tadesse

This paper comes to you from a former participant in the course Soil, Plants & Water Analysis and Laboratory Equipments Operation, held at the Central Laboratory of Soil and Water Survey of the Ministry of Agriculture at Ruppin Institute, Israel, given by CINADCO in 1991.

I am now working as a Senior Laboratory Technician in the Soils, Plants and Water Analytical Laboratory of Research Services of the Metahara Sugar Estate - Ethiopia. I graduated with a diploma from Addis Ababa University - College of Agriculture in Plant Sciences at Alemaya in 1985, and thereafter was assigned and served for more than 11 years as a technician at a Salinity Laboratory owned by the former Institute of Agricultural Research - IAR. I also had a chance to deal with acidic soils analysis as a guest technician to Holeta and Kulumsa Research Centers of the same organization at different times.

I have learned a lot from the researchers of soil science, irrigation engineers, chemists and FAO experts who worked with me at various times. Although my academic qualifications are limited to a college diploma, I feel I have been contributing to my country.

Metahara Sugar Estate grows sugar cane and supplies its own sugar factory. The Estate is supported by an Agricultural Research Division of its own. This sugar cane producing area contains soils of an alkaline nature with potential salinity problems and iron chlorosis. It is situated in a semi-arid area with a tropical climate whose irrigation source is the Awash River, which needs quality monitoring. It is, therefore, these characteristics of the Metahara area which made me able to participate actively in the establishment of a new research laboratory.

During my training in Israel I had the opportunity to analyze soil samples with acidic pH. The samples were supplied, then, by a Nigerian doing research as part of his post-graduate study program. My work was supervised by David Ules (a senior soil chemist) in the training program of CINADCO.

During my stay in Israel, I was engaged in different activities such as:

* analyzing soils, plants and water samples for physical and chemical characteristics,
* learning the principles of operating laboratory instruments and their servicing and maintenance,
* seeking theoretical andpractical solutions from the trainers and the staff of the laboratory,
* discussing scientific with David Ules and Dr. Eyouram (an irrigation engineer),
* presenting the data obtained by me to David Ules for approval.

After returning home, I had many opportunities to use the knowledge gained from the training to solve problems I faced at my place of work in Ethiopia. My work at Metahara has included giving personal suggestions during the building of the structural facilities of the laboratory. I stressed the following:

* Air conditioning, refrigeration and cleaning systems to bring the inside environmental condition of the laboratory to the acceptable recommended ranges,
* Reliability of water, gas supply and electric power supply systems,
* Unpacking and identification of the newly purchased instruments and lab equipment,
* Checking for manufacturing errors and missing parts of instruments, relaying the information to decision-making personnel and initiating communication with manufacturers abroad to remedy the situation,
* Making sure that the rooms of the laboratory have been fitted to acceptable standards,
* Estimating the type, grade and amount of chemicals to be purchased from companies and checking the quotations provided by different companies to make sure they fit the requirements of the laboratory in type, grade and affordable price.

Most of my contributions mentioned above were extracted mainly from the knowledge gained from the training and exposure to similar laboratories in Israel.

I have been able to keep costs down by:

* training junior technicians and laboratory assistants in rudimentary methods of analysis and lab techniques,
* implementing procedures suitable and specific to the type of sample supplied to us,
* preparing control samples to be included in every batch of replicated samples to avoid unnecessary repetition of analysis,
* joining a laboratories network within the country, and so on.

In the future our team has a plan to start technical cooperation with laboratories in and outside the country especially through an exchange program and communication with chemical societies. This may help us keep up-to-date with the modern technology available so as to maintain the quality of our analytical results.

The laboratory is new, but contains basic instruments, accessories, spares and other lab equipment. It has been established to generate reliable data to support the researchers in sugar cane crop and irrigation technology. The ultimate objective is to make the Estate sustainable, productive and profitable. This productivity plan gives me satisfaction because my personal contributions help the development of the Ethiopian economy.

Recently a number of professionals visited us. They were impressed by the availability and potential service plan of such a laboratory in this area and they gave me encouraging suggestions. I will try to keep in touch with you about the progress of my activities in this interesting field. "Lehitraot" and Shalom.

Metahara Sugar Estate
Research Services
P.O.Box 33
Merti
ETHIOPIA