Comlan Houessou, head of the network of people living with HIV/AIDS in Benin, was fascinated to learn about projects by the Songhaï Centre in the capital, Porto Novo, to develop inexpensive agricultural production systems based on agrobiology.
"We are realising that it's not necessary to have a large area of land to be able to farm," said Houessou, a 42-year-old farmer. He visited the centre as part of a conference on mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on agriculture and food security in West Africa, held in early October in Cotonou.
Songhaï, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) set up in 1985, is a centre for training on sustainable farming production, research and development. Its goal is to allow rural African communities to improve their living conditions by using traditional and modern methods of farming and animal breeding, by making the most of local resources and by creating viable agricultural businesses.
The Songhaï Centre's activities are aimed at all farmers and breeders, not just those living with HIV/AIDS, but Houessou could see immediately what the farming methods could mean to farmers weakened by the virus.
Some techniques require less energy by using short-cycle crops and seed varieties that are resistant to difficult climatic conditions, and require less use of pesticides or other chemical products - which are particularly harmful to people who are HIV-positive.
"Even people living with HIV can [keep up] with this level [of work] without needing to expend a huge amount of energy," Houessou said. "This is good news for us. These extra-early crops, such as cowpea and corn, could be a great help to us."
"We do all we can to develop the crops in their natural environment", said Brother Ubeti Godfrey Nzamujo, Songhaï's founder, during the visit. "Nothing is wasted here, everything is useful to us."
He noted that nutrition is paramount for people infected with HIV. "You need to eat a lot when your immune system is weakened. I eat a lot of pasta [made from corn], and there are many different varieties of corn here."Songhaï Centre founder Nzamujo designed the centre to be "a system for integrated development", by combining the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors. He said the centre's strength lies in its ability to process agricultural products on site; this in turn supports the distribution process.
In just over two decades, the NGO has supported the development of 500 farms across the country and has trained thousands of young farmers on its four sites, thanks to revenue from production and support from international organisations.
IRIN