CEFA — Gamboula, Central African Republic

From 2012 through 2019, proceeds from Sharing the Harvest supported the Center for Experimentation and Training in Agriculture (CEFA) in Gamboula, in the Central African Republic.

What was CEFA?

CEFA conducted agricultural research and extension for small farmers facing food insecurity — trialing staple crops, vegetables, beans, fruit, animal husbandry, and fish culture to find what suited local conditions.

Successful varieties were introduced to communities through farmer cooperatives and farmer-to-farmer training across the under-served country. CEFA was supported by Covenant World Relief and Growing Hope Globally.

Group of women walking single file between planted rows on a hillside demonstration plot.

A place of hope

CEFA brought hope to a beautiful country that has faced more than its share of hardship. During the years of the project:

  • Top 10

    among the world’s least-developed nations.

  • ~35%

    of the population facing food insecurity

  • 48 years

    one of the lowest life expectancies on earth

Meet the farmers

  • Women in patterned dresses standing among the planted rows of a hillside demonstration plot.

    Women getting training

    At CEFA, women trained alongside men — touring the pilot plots to see how each crop is grown.
  • Cluster of glossy red Malay water apples hanging from a branch.

    Tropical fruits researched

    The pilot farms doubled as a research center, finding varieties that flourish in the CAR climate — like the Malay water apple.
  • Instructor in a white shirt talking to a group of men gathered at the edge of a green field.

    Touring the test plots

    Seeing is believing: instructors walked students through the wide variety of crops grown on the farm.
  • Durian split open on the ground, showing the pale flesh inside its spiked husk.

    Durian, king of fruits

    Even durian was trialed — pungent but prized — in the search for crops suited to the region.

The Harvest Kept Going

From 2020 through 2025, proceeds empowered women and girls through Jitokeze Wamama Wafrika in West Pokot, Kenya.

Read the Jitokeze Story