One of the Conference days was reserved for a field trip to Kolumsa, the national agricultural research station for wheat. Getting out of Addis takes a while - very spread out - we passed a brand new light industrial zone built by the Chinese and then you enter an almost European countryside. Wide vistas of mellow, green plains surrounded by hills. The teff (local grain) fields are turned into handsome waves by the wind. We stopped by a farmer, with his two hectares of wheat, to learn how he was doing, wheat-wise. He held his own, surrounded by two busloads of agricultural researchers. At Kolumsa, we were given a good show, which included the presentation of a small mechanisation project funded by the German Government. Apparently, once you get to 2 hectares, oxen & plough won't do anymore and a small tractor would come in handy, to save time, labour and livestock maintenance costs. The drive back provided a good dose of Addis traffic jams. All in all, a lovely trip!
Select topics from the world of culture and politics, for a non-select audience, compiled and written by Victor Kommerell
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Addis to Kolumsa
One of the Conference days was reserved for a field trip to Kolumsa, the national agricultural research station for wheat. Getting out of Addis takes a while - very spread out - we passed a brand new light industrial zone built by the Chinese and then you enter an almost European countryside. Wide vistas of mellow, green plains surrounded by hills. The teff (local grain) fields are turned into handsome waves by the wind. We stopped by a farmer, with his two hectares of wheat, to learn how he was doing, wheat-wise. He held his own, surrounded by two busloads of agricultural researchers. At Kolumsa, we were given a good show, which included the presentation of a small mechanisation project funded by the German Government. Apparently, once you get to 2 hectares, oxen & plough won't do anymore and a small tractor would come in handy, to save time, labour and livestock maintenance costs. The drive back provided a good dose of Addis traffic jams. All in all, a lovely trip!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment