Minoru Kamata, doctor and writer
A farm in northern Iraq, located at 30 minutes drive away from the city of Erbil, is growing big broccolis in a greenhouse. For about two years, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has been offering technical assistance to the farm during the fall and winter fallow periods to grow broccolis.
In the beginning of this year, I visited the farm to get broccolis to give to refugees whom I would meet when I give a lecture at a refugee camp. Since broccolis are not so commonly eaten in Iraq, I was worried if the refugees would help themselves to the vegetable. However, they appreciated tomato soup with broccolis and broccoli pizza, saying they are delicious.
Harsh life in refugee camps
The nonprofit organization which I represent is currently working on supporting people in refugee camps in northern Iraq. Syrian refugees who fled from the internal conflict and ISIS terror as well as Iraqi people displaced inside the country are living harsh lives in tents and buildings under construction. Due to prolonged evacuation, more people are suffering from health problems caused by stress, poor diet and lack of exercise.
What is the most effective way to help refugees? Instead of just giving them food and medicine, we decided to help them maintain their health under the slogan of “Let’s go back home healthy.”
I suggested four tips for staying healthy: try not to eat too much salt, eat lots of vegetables, take a 15-minute walk every day and have something to live for. Serving them broccolis was one of my efforts to let them eat more vegetables.
Creating a farm to give refugees a purpose in life
In order to promote refugees’ health, we came up with a plan to create a farm inside refugee camps so that refugees can work there. They can become healthy by eating vegetables they grow and have a purpose in life through engaging in farming. A young local farmer who learned of our plan offered to help, and some refugees are expected to start working at his farm.
We also found that there are stalls — just like oden (Japanese-style stew) stalls – in Iraq which serve food including turnip soup and stewed horse beans. In the future, we hope that refugees will create dishes using vegetables they harvest and sell them at stalls. We have already prepared two stalls and plan to create eight more.
Because refugees are not sure how long they will stay in refugee camps, maintaining good health is vital for them. And agriculture plays a significant role in protecting their health. You cannot continue farming unless peace is secured. Peace is built by cherishing lives and health of people with different religions and beliefs in the same way as you cherish your own life and health. Health, agriculture and peace are all connected.
<Profile> Born in Tokyo in 1948, Minoru Kamata currently serves as honorary director of Suwa Central Hospital in Nagano Prefecture. He also works on providing medical support to refugee camps in Iraq and Chernobyl, Ukraine.
(March 7, 2016)