The Agricultural Agency for Rural Development (AARD) operates in Gabu Guinea Bissau, Africa, educating local people on modern farming techniques and teaching them to grow crops to help sustain them throughout the year.
Guinea Bissau is one of the poorest countries in Africa with an estimated population of two million people, 80% of which are farmers. The rainy season in Guinea Bissau lasts around four and a half months. At the moment, virtually no crops are grown
in the remaining months of the year. This is primarily due to the lack of education in modern farming techniques and in crops that can grow in this region during the dry season.
This lack of knowledge on how to grow things for seven to eight months of the year results in massive poverty and starvation throughout Guinea Bissau during the dry season.
The AARD currently works with three local groups in Gabu, Dara, and Lugajoli respectivley. We help educate the local people in what crops will grow well in these regions during the dry season and how to grow them. We also experiment with new crops that have never been grown here before to see if they can be grown in this region.