In rural Sierra Leone subsistence farming is, for many, a necessary way of life. At the Mbao Mi Mother's home RHCI is fortunate enough to have land to farm that helps generate the food needed to provide three meals a day for the women who stay there. 

RHCI is fortunate to have Patrick farming the land. He is the son of a master farmer and learned most of what he knows from his father, who was tragically killed during the civil war. Here you can see him preparing the land for planting. RHCI has a power tiller but there are so many roots and stumps in the ground that he says he will need to hand till the ground for at least a couple of seasons before he can use the power tiller.

Even though we visited during the dry season, a time of year when very little is growing, Patrick took advantage of shady spots to plant casava, beans, and peppers. He would water twice a day. Getting his water from a nearby swamp, he would dig a hole three or four feet deep, allow it to fill with water, and then use that to fill watering cans over and over and over again. It is hard manual labor but it is making a difference in the community.

There are many other crops that are growing and will produce during the rainy season, oranges, pears, peanuts, papya, and mango. In 3-5 years coconut should be available and we are already seeing crops of banana and pineapple.

Food security is a major issue in developing nations. In Tikonko, the planting season begins in May and the harvest in September. During the months of July and August access to an adequate food supply is a challenge for many people and hunger becomes a reality they have to face. It doesn't have to be this way. We live in a world with an abundance of resources. The problem is in distribution.