For years the Amici di Filippo association supported the farm of the Gambo Mission, a farming and livestock operation essential to making the hospital and the mission self-sufficient in food. With its 40 hectares of crops and livestock, the farm provided vital resources for feeding patients and medical staff, and made a significant contribution to food security in the region.
The farm grows teff (the local cereal), wheat, barley, potatoes, fodder and vegetables cultivated in the irrigated areas. It employs around twenty people; a cow house with dairy cattle and a chicken house provide a steady source of food for the mission and the hospital.
The main work carried out
- Tanker truck for sewer maintenance — a tanker with a pump to empty the mission’s sewers and spread livestock slurry on the fields as natural fertiliser.
- Access to drinking water — new water systems for a safe and steady supply, cutting the time spent collecting water and reducing bacterial load.
- Cow house — a modern, clean and functional cattle shed: healthier, longer-lived cows, better milk and higher productivity.
- Constructed wetland — two large basins collecting the hospital’s wastewater. Analyses confirmed that all legal discharge limits are met and that the water can be reused for irrigation.
- Chicken house — a masonry building for raising hens and collecting eggs, with substantial improvements to the diet of the local population and of patients.
The handover to the Vicariate
After years of growth, management of the farm is passing to the Vicariate, which will ensure its continuity and its integration with the mission’s other activities. The association is supporting this transition with technical and organisational help, sharing the experience it has gained and helping to build a sustainable management model.
We are proud to have helped turn the farm into an efficient and productive operation, able to guarantee food self-sufficiency and improve the quality of life of the Gambo community.