Biakoye District

We are working in communities affected by extreme weather events in the Biakoye District  to adapt their farming practices to climate change. Farmers replace corn and wheat crops with forgotten varieties of cereals and native potatoes. These crops are more resistant to climatic hazards; they need two to three times less water; and they provide more nutrition for families.

FHI is assisting the local communities in the Biakoye District to learn new agricultural, water, and food storage techniques, as well as to develop construction skills to better prepare for disasters. Peter Ahoezi, a 48-year-old father of five, is concerned by the impact of the increasingly unpredictable weather on her family’s lives. As part of FHI’s community-based adaptation approach, Peter is sharing her newfound knowledge with the wider communities, discussing with a small group of other community members how to address some of the impacts they are already experiencing due to the changing climate.

In Biakoye District, irregular rainfalls and higher temperatures threaten farmers’ livelihoods, agricultural productivity, and food security. Local communities in the district are highly vulnerable because of poor soils, limited access to water, infrastructure, and transport, reduced fish stocks, and shortened fishing and farming seasons. FHI is using Farmer Field Schools to strengthen farmers’ resilience and build their capacities in sustainable agriculture techniques. In these field schools, farmers meet on a weekly basis to learn about improving soil fertility and the importance of crop variety and to experiment with different farming techniques. This allows them to observe and analyze how and why different outcomes are generated to be able to make informed decisions about farming techniques.