Saving Okapi Habitat One Farmer at a Time

Constructing the nursery in Niania.

Supporting farmers’ transition to more sustainable crops and the mastering of soil improvement techniques is a long-term investment that protects okapi habitat. Once farmers are producing their own seeds and crops, OCP need only store their seeds and occasionally provide Lucerne seedlings – a tree that puts nitrogen back into the soil to nourish crops. Farmers give back seeds from their first crop and OCP agronomists distribute those seeds to new farmers joining the program. OCP maintains a seed bank that serves a large area as farmers have no way of storing seeds and purchasing them is too expensive.  New farmers join the program as farmers move on to become self-sufficient, with OCP supporting about 500 farmers at any given time. In areas OCP has been working without interruption, agricultural zones support the needs of the communities without the need to encroach into primary forest habitat.  To read more, click here.