In the garden: Azaka Mede, Kouzen Zaka, Oko
Agriculture is the source of our food supply.
Arguably the most crucial aspect of agriculture is that it's the source of the world's food supply.
No matter where or what you are eating, the ingredients in your meals come from somewhere. All roads lead to agriculture.
Good farmers produce an abundance of healthy food and many other valuable goods.
Farmers take care of the soil, conserve water resources and wildlife, and they're the caretakers of mother nature.
Farmers play a significant role in community life.
Minis Azaka (Minister of Agriculture) is a praise name and aspect of the Lwa (Vodou spirit/energy) Azaka Mede, an agricultural spirit known for his folk wisdom and "country" dialect.
Very popular throughout Haiti, Kouzen Zaka, or Azaka, is the lwa of harvest and agriculture.
He is responsible for protecting the fields and the work there and promoting harvests and livestock.
He is a very good-natured man in the mountains, gentle and respected by all for being a hard worker; he enjoys the most simple things in life.
Kouzen Zaka is a master in treating diseases with leaves and herbs and is known for keeping his most essential herbs in his djakout (straw bag).
In some ways, he is also the living memory of Haiti; he carries the weight and knowledge of subsistence farming and how to survive with very little.
He is the reminder of where many Haitians come from and what Haiti used to be: a more rural island where farming and agriculture ruled over most other businesses.
He is often referred to as a lwa travay/work lwa for his unwavering work ethic.
Kouzen knows what it is to be hungry and to suffer, so he works all the time to make sure he never has to suffer again and that his family and those that he loves don’t suffer either.
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