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PRESERVE International

817.233.3431

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Anzo Women's farm Group

Background Information

The Anzo Women's Farm Group is a group of 35 small-scale farmers residing in the Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement serving a community of several hundred people. Originally from the Nimule area in South Sudan, renewed fighting forced them from their homes 2016. Anzo means "thanks" in Mahdi and this group of women are incredibly excited to begin building their agro-business with Preserve International!


The group was introduced to us by our current partners, the Berean Women’s Group, and Betty met with them in November before she went on leave for her pregnancy. The group is really motivated and they have actually managed to lease some very fertile land outside of the refugee camp for farming. The only catch is that it’s about an 8km walk (almost 5 miles). 


Currently the farm is inaccessible by vehicle as getting there requires crossing a stream with a rather steep slope on the bank side. This means that during harvest season the women and their community must carry the entire harvest 5 miles on their heads to get back to their homes and local market. Betty’s husband Paul is working with another boda driver to see if they can find a different way to get to the farm via car or bike to make transportation during harvest season easier. 

Anzo women's group -INitial Survey - november 2021

Current Food Sources

Challenges During Cultivation Period

Challenges During Cultivation Period

  • 5-10% from substance farming
  • 90-95%  from the World Food Program

Challenges During Cultivation Period

Challenges During Cultivation Period

Challenges During Cultivation Period

  • Lack of farm tools, quality seeds and access to land. 
  • Require more training on how to start and transplant seedlings to increase yields. 
  • Difficulty getting to and from farm land due to distant and physical barriers.

Challenges During the Harvest Period

Challenges During Cultivation Period

Current Method of Food Preservation & Challenges

  • Difficulty transporting produce 8 km from farm back to BidiBidi. 
  • Produce spoiling in the field before they are able to harvest due to distance. 
  • Problems with pests and rodents of harvested crops. 
  • Spoilage of vegetables and grains due to inadequate storage. 

Current Method of Food Preservation & Challenges

Current Method of Food Preservation & Challenges

Current Method of Food Preservation & Challenges

  • Sundrying - destruction by wind; domestic animals eat or destroy food laid out on the ground

Percentage of Harvest Currently Going to Waste

Current Method of Food Preservation & Challenges

Percentage of Harvest Currently Going to Waste

  • 80% of Vegetables - especially egg plants, tomatoes, okra and greens
  • 50% of Grains

Reasons for Food Waste

Current Method of Food Preservation & Challenges

Percentage of Harvest Currently Going to Waste

  • Unreliable preservation methods
  • Not enough labor to harvest
  • Too much distance between farm and home/market
  • Pests and contamination by mold and aflatoxin 

Outreach log

November 2021

Introduction and tour of farm

Event Details

November 2021

Introduction and tour of farm

Betty was introduced to the Anzo Women's Farm Group by the leader of our current partners, the Berean Women's Group. 


Betty went with the gro...

Event Details

April 2022

Group meeting and program outline

Event Details

April 2022

Group meeting and program outline

Betty and Paul met with the group in Bidi Bidi to discuss the program timeline, sign the contract and understand their goals. 


They have sche...

Event Details

April 2022

Dryer and Agricultural Training at the Preserve International compound

Event Details

April 2022

Dryer and Agricultural Training at the Preserve International compound

The Anzo Women's Group came to the Preserve International compound for 2 days to complete initial training on the Sparky Dryer and stage on ...

Event Details

May 2022

Follow up visit and shelter construction request

Event Details

May 2022

Follow up visit and shelter construction request

Betty visited the group to discuss seed requests and answer any additional questions from the recent trainings. The group requested Preserve...

Event Details

May 2022

Seed Distribution

Event Details

May 2022

Seed Distribution

Betty distributed additional vegetable seeds and checked in on the farm's progress so far. Everything looking good. 

Photo Gallery

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