Vietnamese peacekeepers self-sufficient in greens in Central African Republic

PANO – Three Vietnamese officers, undertaking tasks in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), have harvested their first green vegetable crop in a fallow garden borrowed from the hostess.

It is encouraging that Uncle Ho’s soldiers could conquer the harsh weather and different soil in the "Dark Continent” to produce a green vegetable garden. This result has won the Vietnamese officers the respect from international colleagues living in the same residential quarter.

From seriously lacking greens…

Lacking green vegetables is one of the tough challenges facing the Vietnamese officers in their first days in this Central African country where they are performing the UN peacekeeping operations. Vegetables are scarce and rarely appear in local people’s daily meals due to the region’s extremely hot weather with scorching sun. It is so hot that even at weekends they have to come to the MINUSCA’s headquarters because almost all residential areas have no power in the daytime.

Vietnamese peacekeeping officers in their garden.

Moreover, the soil, mixed with basalts, sand and gravels, is not suitable for farming and local people usually grow fruit trees like bananas and mangos, instead of green vegetables. Many families have left their gardens fallow.

In the capital city of Bangui, four supermarkets managed by foreigners only sell a very small amount of greens. Most of them are imported and their prices are very high. For instance, one kilogram of cabbage costs XAF 3,000 (equivalent to VND 130,000 or nearly US$ 6). More over, UN staff are warned to avoid being present at supermarkets because of security reasons. Thus, it is more difficult for them to find sources of vegetables.

Once, seeing a kind of vegetable that has a trunk and leaves like katuk in their hostess’ flower garden, the Vietnamese officers picked and boiled the leaves but the taste was so bitter that their Peruvian colleague Daniel refused to try it. They had to throw the food away and joked that luckily this vegetable does not belong to the family of Gelsemium elegans Benth though the name in Vietnamese language is quite similar.

The residential quarter, rented by UN peacekeepers and staff, including Vietnamese officers, has high walls with barbed wires and an anti-machine gun gate. The MINUSCA employs guards to ensure its security round the clock. The price for an apartment is very high but there is no choice for the UN staff. However, Vietnamese officers accepted to rent more willingly than their international co-workers as they saw a fallow garden. Seeing that, they immediately thought of a green garden with many kinds of vegetables right on this plot of unfertile garden.

… to being self-sufficient in greens

Vegetable seeds are one of the most important items in the luggage of the Vietnamese officers before going to the MINUSCA as they had been determined to become self-sufficient in vegetables.

Green vegetables play a great role in the meals of Vietnamese people as being without vegetables for a long period of time can cause many diseases. Even Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister of National Defence, and Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, stressed at a meeting before they took the mission in MINUSCA that Vietnamese officers should be self-sufficient in vegetables by all means.

Although it is a fallow garden, the hostess only agreed to allow them to use it on condition that they keep it clean and share the vegetables with her later on.

It took them two days at the weekend to clear the ground and prepare the soil despite the doubt of many persons in the area, including the hostess.

The Vietnamese officers made eight beds and exposed them to the scorching sun in order to remove the harmful insects for their crop. Like other cadres and soldiers of the Vietnam People’s Army, the Vietnamese peacekeepers had experiences in planting vegetables so they were quite confident with their plan. They used nets sent from Vietnam to protect their vegetables from being destroyed by the hostess’ chickens, because there is no net shop in Bangui.

In the first test, they grew four beds of ipomoea aquatica, three beds of brassica integrifolia and one bed of amaranth, peperomia pellucida and sweet potato buds as well as cultivated saplings of basella alba, chilli, ginger and papaya while waiting for other crops.

After a working day, they spent time tending their vegetables, considering it a daily duty and at the same time a relaxation. Because of the lack of fresh water, it is very necessary to recycle used water for watering. In addition, they also used the water that was used to wash rice as the main nutritious source to rouse the growth of vegetables.

Their efforts have paid off. That plot of land could provide enough green vegetables for eight people. They were so happy at the first meal with boiled cabbage grown by themselves. They all chewed slowly to enjoy the result of their own labor.

Their Zambian co-worker Major Kunda admired the Vietnamese officers and held that they could do a great thing in the land despite severe weather conditions. She shared with them that she has lived here for six months and found it difficult to have vegetables before. Many people, including locals, asked for vegetable seeds and cultivation instructions from the Vietnamese peacekeepers after visiting their garden.

The Vietnamese officers are very touched and proud when receiving praise like “The vegetables are grown by Vietnamese officers. They did a great thing!” by their international friends.

Moreover, the green garden will contribute to helping them enrich meals and protect their health so that they could successfully complete missions assigned by the UN and the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence.

Translated by Van Hieu