The Mercy Corps Blog

Blog Post Posted July 7, 2009, 3:55 am by Jameson Gadzirai

Renewing Sudan's farmlands

Untold acres of farmland are unusable because of land mines, remnants from the long Sudanese civil war. Some organizations are working to clear these fields — and protect citizens and their livestock from harm — and Mercy Corps works with farming families to reclaim their livelihoods. Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

“It’s the demining guys,” I say to Hakim as we both look ahead to find the road barricaded by a rope with signs that read “Stay on the tracks.”

“It’s those of NPA,” Hakim responds, referring to an organization called Norwegian People’s Aid. NPA has been making lands arable again in southern Sudan's Central Equatoria state through their efforts to remove land mines from fields where crops once grew. The mines are remnants of decades of civil war here — no one is quite sure how many there are.

We both know that it might be a while before the road opens again to allow vehicles to pass. “The last time we waited for three hours in Lainya,” I tell Hakim as we both undo our safety belts, open our doors and step out into the sun.

I am greeted by the sight of men and women working farm fields on either side of the road. The fields are studded by white-topped sticks that jut about one meter from the ground.

“These areas are now safe for farming,” Hakim observes as I continue looking at one woman clearing the land.

More land will be cleared after NPA is done today. I look up and down the line of cars in search of the radio operator who gives the signal that the mine is cleared, after which time we can continue with our journey.

A part of me does not want to be near him when NPA operatives make the countdown to detonation.

I wipe the sweat from my palms on my jean trousers and try not to think about balloons. I have hated balloons ever since I can remember. My friends and brothers used to tease me by filling them up with air and popping them right before my eyes.

I will not pop a champagne cork unless I absolutely have to. So, naturally, I hate counting down to detonation each time I am near a demining exercise.

But my discomfort is temporary. Hundreds of people have suffered a much worse fate in Sudan as a result of the war: stepping on a mine has resulted in mutilation and death, for people and animals.

“Many people have lost goats to landmines in this area,” Hakim says.

For every landmine cleared by organizations like NPA, there is an piece of land now available for agriculture. When that happens, our agriculture and other programs can come and help people take those next few steps toward a better life.