Agricultural ChallengesMost community members are subsistence farmers who raise corn, rice, yam, and peanuts for their families. Unfortunately, changing rainfall patterns, declining soil health, and global food and economic issues are all contributing to rising food insecurity. Women are responsible for much of the farming and often work very long hours under difficult conditions. In addition, most farm work is done by hand and access to modern farm equipment, such as tractors, is rare.
To help reduce malnutrition, which most frequently impacts young children, we have supported distribution of emergency food to mothers of children under the age of five during the dry season. Mothers are provided with corn, rice, and peanut oil for their families. |
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Pilot Agriculture ProjectThe women's group selected four women to pilot an agricultural enhancement project. Each participant was provided with a rented tractor to plough one acre of land, seeds, and other supplies. The women also received introductory training from a local agricultural expert. With these additional inputs and support, the women improved their yield and diversified their crops. In the future, we hope to expand the program to include many more women and more extensive agricultural training. We also plan to provide grants for women who are interested in processing locally farmed and collected peanuts and shea nuts into butters that can be sold in local markets, as seen in the photo on the left.
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Reducing Food Loss with King MotosOne challenge for women farmers in this region is transporting supplies and water to the farms, and harvested produce from the farms back to their homes. Farms are located several kilometers from each village and women must carry most of the food themselves. As a result, a great deal of food is lost to rotting and infestation before it can be harvested.
To address this challenge, the women's group requested that we purchase King Motos so that they would have a motorized method for transporting goods more quickly and safely. These vehicles can drive through the sandy soil and can be used for repeated trips to the farms. We have purchased two Motos which are being tested in two villages. If they successfully increase yields and can be maintained through the season, then we hope to purchase additional vehicles. |
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AfishetuAfishetu shared that she would like to join this program because, "I want to get the opportunity of owning my own farm so that I can grow the crops of my choice and also because of easy access to farm tools and other supplies."
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Sharatu"I want to be part of this project so that I can also get the opportunity to support my family with food shortages and also this will help increase our house hold income."
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Ayisha"I want to participate so that I can support my children. I wish to send my remaining children to school and I think this will help me. I also think the support will help me support my family."
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