جمعية المهندسين الصحراوية من أجل التنمية
Association of Saharawi Engineers for
Development (ASED)
ARTICLES AND STADIES
The challenge of boosting the agricultural
sector in the camps of Saharawi refugee’s.
The Saharawi people struggle from 32 years to return to its homeland which is under military occupation by the Moroccan kingdom since the withdrawal of Spanish colonialism.
National farm of "ENJELA" Camel had been used in traditional agriculture
2008-12 : Smara Refugee Camp : Small family garden with plastic greenhouse to protect tomatoes and zucchinis against desert winds. Outside the greenhouse different vegetables grow splendidly.
Saharawi refugees live in a desert plateau in the region of Tindouf (between the meridians of 8° East and 9° West, and the latitudes of 28° North and 27° South) which is characterized by a very dry climate, very high temperatures and an increase disrupted, with an intense light, scarce rainfall and high evaporation.
The average annual temperature in this region is 27°C. The highest temperatures (in July) is 45°C, the average of the lowest (in January) is 6°C.
The daily temperature in the shade reaches 50°C and it’s freezing at night in December and January.
With rains for 5 to 10 days per year of an annual average of 20mm, this region suffers from the lack of rain, and humidity is generally 40 percent low.
The soil is very poor in organic matter, sandy and very salty. Furthermore, the region is invaded by sand storms that cover agricultural crops.
The state of the land and the critical climate conditions in the refugee camps haven’t deterred the Saharawis from developing a strategy for economic and social development related to their political project.
Saharawis have therefore made efforts in different areas of development especially in agriculture and livestock breeding, education and eradication of illiteracy, public health and the promotion of women. Also, many initiatives had been undertaken through collaboration between the Sahrawi people and friendship organizations and associations in some countries especially Algeria, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, France...
The fact that the Saharawi refugee camps depend for their sustainability on foreign aid, has made it necessary for them to start some development projects such as breeding livestock, agriculture,… etc.
Applying the principle of the priority of food and the right of peoples to acquire food products, a special attention was given to this field so that the production is a continuation of food aid and also to enable the citizens to gain technical expertise in the management of farms and pilot cooperatives.
Local development depends, above all, on the following:
1-The creation of farms in the provinces and cooperatives in the camps in order to produce vegetables for local consumption.
2- Breeding camel cattle to preserve livestock wealth and provide animal meat and milk for hospitals and care centres for the elderly.
Breeding camel in Aiun Refugee Camp
3-The seasonal crop after the rains.
4-The establishment of poultry and egg production.
5 -The formation of personnel.
6- The rational use of products and water resources.
7- Training staff on veterinary monitoring, vaccination and management.
8- Strengthening agriculture and development in the liberated areas and promoting agriculture.
9-Digging wells and exploring water in the liberated areas.
10-Organising veterinary vaccination campaigns in the Saharawi refugee camps and in the liberated areas.
livestock breeding in Refugee Camp Dakla
For the advancement of agricultural development, which has for objective to improve the living standards of citizens, provide jobs and spread the spirit of production in society, in order to realize self-sufficiency, there is a need to focus on:
1-
Create an office of studies in the field of agriculture and livestock
breeding.
2 - Train and equip a water research unit and establish irrigation canals.
3 -Create a plantation unit and equip it with a nursery for the production of
forest trees.
4 - Train and equip a mobile veterinary unit.
5 - Create a unit for combatting the locusts.
6 -Pay
attention to the production centers of white meat and chicken and provide
them with drugs and chicken food.
7-Pay attention to the farms in the provinces and the camps and to
encourage their employees.
8-Organize an annual meeting or seminars days of study on agriculture and
livestock breeding.
9- Work to develop expertise in the field of Saharawi agriculture and cattle
breeding, through exchange of experiences, views, collective research and
national and international meetings.
Other Articles
- Plunder and pillaging of the Saharawi phosphate by morocco.
-Illiteracy in the Saharawi society