It costs peanuts - 4th March 2022

Peanut farming is the key to survival for inhabitants of Paoua in the Central African Republic. But for many growers life is a daily battle to make a living and feed their families even when the harvest is good.

Civil war has divided the country since 2013 and Paoua in the northwest of the CAR is surrounded by rebels and pro-government forces locked in conflict.

To get their peanuts to markets in the major towns, the growers have to overcome theft, extortion or worse, not just from the fighting forces, but also groups of bandits.

Jean-Paul Ndopaye is the manager of a peanut stock supported by Oxfam.

Jean-Paul Ndopaye: "What is preventing us from developing further peanut farming in Paoua is insecurity. When we want to send our goods to Bangui, to Berberati or even to Bouar, we might run into road bandits."

If they can't get their peanuts to market, growers are forced to sell at much lower prices, around a third of what they would receive in the major towns. Célestine Inforo is a groundnut farmer.

Célestine Inforo: "This year, with the insecurity, there have been too many threats and thefts. We had to sell the production very quickly and at low prices. Now, there is a shortage of seeds to replant."

The CAR is one of the poorest countries in the world. The World Food Programme reports that in this area of the country, malnutrition is an unprecedented crisis. Most of the population are in phase four of a food emergency, which means there is acute malnutrition and high levels of excess mortality.

Whilst it remains treacherous to get the peanuts to market, the solution could be to process the nuts into oils or pastes. However, without the infrastructure and machinery, this remains on an artisanal and labour intensive basis mainly performed by the women.

Moussa Issoufou is a food security officer for Oxfam. He believes it is vital to support this area of production to provide both work and food for the people of the CAR.

Moussa Issoufou: "The transformation is still at an artisanal stage. We really must try to support the chain and the sector to develop this transformation, and try to create outlets for the flow problems, and create value in the chain of the peanut sector at the level of Paoua which constitutes a large pool of peanut production in the Central African Republic."

So, whilst the peanut farming industry brings hope, there is much to be done to remove the threat of malnutrition.