Congo Update 9 March 2013

Greeting from the Congo

People are asking me if its safe here and the answer is yes.  The country is really calm.  They had their "incident" as they call it in the mid 90's when there was a contested Presidential election that resulted in a civil war.  That's over, though when you travel  though the Poole region there is a armed army presence. In the news there are stories of problems in the Democratic Rep of Congo, but that's another country and its problems are way over by Rwanda.   Not much crime here and in the countyside the doors of most houses are just curtains.  I live pretty comfortable in my apartment in the capital here is in the rich center part of town and I live pretty comfortable.  Out in the county things are more rustic. 

Just got recently back from a visit though the southern farms.  There are more people in the south, but Congo just doesn't have a lot of people.  There is only 4 1/2 million people in the whole country.  In the very North end of the country is one of the most undeveloped parts of the world and the heart of Africa as they called it.

Town of Bounzee

The south farms were stated a few years ago and they have been growing corn and now soybeans.  As opposed to the north farms that are virgin grasslands now.  The soils are more clay and much less organic matter and pH around 4 so pretty acid.  The corn does good on virgin ground, but is dramatically worse the 2nd year.  

Corn with phosphorus deficiency symptoms

Soybeans with phosphorus and magnesium deficiency symptoms.  All of this is tied to the aluminum toxicity burning the roots and leading to other problems

We got the first of the US potato seed planted on the south farm.  It was a battle with my broken french.  Only a little bit (10 Ha) will be there.  Mostly as a check to prove they won't work there to push more farming development in the North I hope.  It was a battle to get 4 inches of cover on the seed as they like to work the ground to death here.  There are these beastly tractors from Belarus and disks and disk plows that they like to use.  What I used to call recreational tillage in the US.  Up North will be easier as I'll set the pattern as opposed to teaching an old dog new tricks.  Its hotter in these southern farms and just no wind ever and the sun seams to come straight down.  I wouldn't last if I only had to stay at this heat all the time.

Other notes.  There are very few domestic animals here.  Only a few small chickens and a fair amount of these short legged goats grazing.  There are very few cows and I guess they won't eat the tall grass everywhere, just when its young so it must develop a poison when it grows tall.  Wild animal there are some antelope and wild pigs.  Used to be elephants years ago. 

There are now horses of beasts of burden and very few cars so people end up carrying things everywhere on there backs with these cone shaped baskets.  Imagine bringing in the harvest that way.

 

On the way down to the coast the road passes though a forested region.  Congo gets its money from Oil and timber sales and there is a steady procession of trucks carrying these huge logs of tropical hardwood to the coast.  The pallets here are made of this tropical hardwood and are so heavy you need two people to carry them.  Must be like 300 lbs.  

Here I am by a big Baobob tree.  I've heard they were big, but wow.

Went to the coastal city of Pointe Noire where the petroleum industry is just offshore.  Its the richest city and has a lot of expats living there so there is western style restaurants,stores and the like.  The beaches are nice with white sand and a nice ocean breeze in the town.  Went there to see the first potato seed released after spending like a month in customs.  At least the containers are plugged in for the refrigeration. 



People are really friendly.  Out in teh country the kids run out and say Mondeli  which is white guy in the local language.  So French is there second language like its my 4th.  

Village kids

Kids make their own toys here, like this car to push around