FROM THE FIELD. OYSTER MUSHROOMS: A TANZANIAN PEARL Autumn 2016 YOUR AUTUMN NEWS FROM FARM AFRICA SAFEGUARDING FUTURES, WHATEVER THE WEATHER

Transcription

1 im agriculture is not only futures are no longer completely dictated by the Shillings (around 67) every year. Their people than ever before - a huge illion! with in every being spent on E: W:

2 COFFEE IS LIFE - FARM AFRICA SUPPORTERS RAISE OVER 81,000 Earlier this year we launched our 'Coffee is Life' appeal. Raising over 81,000, we have been overwhelmed by Thank you. Our appeal told the story of Munaja, a mother and coffee farmer living in Ethiopia. Poor quality harvests can mean that many farmers in Oromia struggle to get by on less than $1 per day. This wouldn t buy a cup of coffee in the UK, and it doesn t buy Munaja enough to provide for her family. This year, thanks to the generosity of Farm Africa supporters, the harvest will be different. With Farm Africa s support, Munaja and her fellow coffee farmers have been working hard to build a new storage house with a cement floor. They used to have no choice but to dry their beans on the ground. But this new building offers life-changing protection. The new storage house will dramatically reduce the amount of moisture that the coffee soaks up. It will also protect the crops from pests. Both of these ruin flavours, drive down prices and destroy livelihoods. MARTIN CONSTANTINE: THE FARMER OF INVENTION AQUACULTURE: A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS Thanks to Farm Africa supporters, Munaja and her fellow coffee farmers are looking forward to earning more from their next coffee harvest. Building work is set to be complete in time for the next coffee harvest in October. Soon Munaja and the other farmers will have a clean and dry space to store their beans ready for sale. Not only will their coffee be of the highest quality, the group can also combine their produce and sell in bulk. This gives them bargaining power. And with the Farm Africa team providing training and support, we can make sure that their coffee is sold for the best price. The next time you go for a cup of coffee, stop for a second. Ask yourself where it came from, and be proud that you are helping coffee farmers like Munaja to lift themselves out of poverty. Go on, have another cup. Fish is an essential source of protein in the Kenyan diet, but local stocks are falling dangerously low. Aquaculture, or fish farming, is a great way to earn a living and to restock supplies. The Kenyan Government is investing in aquaculture, and with the Farm Africa team on hand to help, fish farming is an industry on the up. Recognising the potential of fish farming to improve local livelihoods, the Kenyan Government is supporting would-be fish farmers like Ann to set up their own ponds. The new farmers are given free fingerlings (baby fish) to start them off. But a lack of training and specialist equipment means that too many farms have been failing. Ann s first harvest earnt her just 29. Discouraged and disheartened, she almost gave up. Farm Africa believes that fish farming is an effective way to generate income and to provide families with an important source of protein. That s why we set up a network of Aqua shops to sell essential supplies and offer support to fish farmers. When Ann reached out to the Farm Africa team, we encouraged her to try fish farming again. This time we made sure that she attended specialist training. More than 1,200 sesame farmers are saving precious time thanks to Martin s invention. Rose can now support her grandchildren s schooling. Sesame is a small seed with big potential. It s in high demand across the world, and it s this demand that led Martin, a Tanzanian farmer, to a groundbreaking invention. Ann is now a successful fish farmer. She was also given access to good quality fish food and fingerlings to restock her pond. The team from the Aqua shop visited her regularly, and sure enough, Ann s second harvest earnt her 77. Inspired, she used the money to build a second pond - with her next harvest raising 430. That s 15 times more than her first attempt! Aquaculture has transformed Ann s life. Her children eat a balanced diet, and a new freezer means that she can sell her fish between harvests. There s already a team of hoteliers and fishmongers on her books. And with four more ponds and a fingerling hatchery in the pipeline, her sights are set on national markets. Not bad for a beginner. 20 could help ensure more fish farmers like Ann can access the essential supplies and support they need to make their ponds a success. Traditional farming techniques for sesame are tough and time consuming. Painstakingly planting by hand, farmers like Martin cover vast distances, bending over repeatedly to dig small holes for each seed. It is a back-breaking process. Farm Africa is working s Babati district to help 2,000 farmers grow bigger and better sesame harvests. Martin is one of them. As part of his training, Martin was shown how to speed up his planting by using a stick to carve a furrow. But this technique planted more than just seeds. It planted an idea. Martin welded three metal prongs together to create a tool that carved three planting lines at once. The design has even evolved to include small containers for a mix of seeds and soil. Dubbed the Costa Planter, seeds are dropped every 15 centimetres and covered by the planter with soil. The result is a revelation. SEEDS OF CHANGE Rose is 80 years old. Like many her age, she is a grandparent. But to her four grandchildren, she is much more than that. She is their future. Thanks to his increased harvests and the money he makes from selling and renting out his machines, Martin s income has climbed from 95 to,888 a year, a 20 fold increase! His farm is thriving with goats, cattle, chickens and fish. His family eats three meals a day, and he can afford to send his children to school. He has even helped his wife to set up her own business. Sesame is the seed that will see Martin outgrow poverty. And as a Farm Africa cooperative member, he is keen to support others: I share what I have learnt with others and so far have provided training for almost 500 farmers. Up to now around 1,200 farmers are using my rake planter and 90 are using the Costa Planter. A gift of 60 could help provide training for more farmers like Martin, allowing them to increase their incomes and unlock their potential. After the death of her two sons, Rose took on the care of their young families. She is determined to give them the best chance to build their own futures. And that plan starts with education. But Rose lives in the Kitui region of Kenya. Here, weather meant her family was living hand-to-mouth. If the rains didn t fall, she would struggle to harvest enough food. With no surplus crops to sell, she couldn t afford to support her grandchildren s schooling. In Rose became involved in Farm Africa s project and joined the Kathivo farmers group. Our team taught the farmers all about water and soil conservation. They also showed them how to grow drought-tolerant crops. It was then that Rose s situation began to change. Rose and the Kathivo farmers group worked so well together that Farm Africa chose them to become seed suppliers. This meant that they would learn how to produce high-quality seeds suitable for sale - giving farmers across the region the best chance of a good harvest. When Farm Africa linked the group with a local seed company, Rose knew she had an income she could rely on. Today Rose is safe in the knowledge that she can now earn enough to meet her family s needs. She doesn t need to worry about her grandchildren s future any more. They re living it. I am putting lots of effort into making sure they go to school. I look forward to them becoming more educated so they can stand on their own. They will be able to get good jobs and our family will be recognised and respected in the community. 32 could help more farmers like Rose learn how to produce high-quality seeds, so they can earn a reliable income.

3 COFFEE IS LIFE - FARM AFRICA SUPPORTERS RAISE OVER 81,000 Earlier this year we launched our 'Coffee is Life' appeal. Raising over 81,000, we have been overwhelmed by Thank you. Our appeal told the story of Munaja, a mother and coffee farmer living in Ethiopia. Poor quality harvests can mean that many farmers in Oromia struggle to get by on less than $1 per day. This wouldn t buy a cup of coffee in the UK, and it doesn t buy Munaja enough to provide for her family. This year, thanks to the generosity of Farm Africa supporters, the harvest will be different. With Farm Africa s support, Munaja and her fellow coffee farmers have been working hard to build a new storage house with a cement floor. They used to have no choice but to dry their beans on the ground. But this new building offers life-changing protection. The new storage house will dramatically reduce the amount of moisture that the coffee soaks up. It will also protect the crops from pests. Both of these ruin flavours, drive down prices and destroy livelihoods. MARTIN CONSTANTINE: THE FARMER OF INVENTION AQUACULTURE: A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS Thanks to Farm Africa supporters, Munaja and her fellow coffee farmers are looking forward to earning more from their next coffee harvest. Building work is set to be complete in time for the next coffee harvest in October. Soon Munaja and the other farmers will have a clean and dry space to store their beans ready for sale. Not only will their coffee be of the highest quality, the group can also combine their produce and sell in bulk. This gives them bargaining power. And with the Farm Africa team providing training and support, we can make sure that their coffee is sold for the best price. The next time you go for a cup of coffee, stop for a second. Ask yourself where it came from, and be proud that you are helping coffee farmers like Munaja to lift themselves out of poverty. Go on, have another cup. Fish is an essential source of protein in the Kenyan diet, but local stocks are falling dangerously low. Aquaculture, or fish farming, is a great way to earn a living and to restock supplies. The Kenyan Government is investing in aquaculture, and with the Farm Africa team on hand to help, fish farming is an industry on the up. Recognising the potential of fish farming to improve local livelihoods, the Kenyan Government is supporting would-be fish farmers like Ann to set up their own ponds. The new farmers are given free fingerlings (baby fish) to start them off. But a lack of training and specialist equipment means that too many farms have been failing. Ann s first harvest earnt her just 29. Discouraged and disheartened, she almost gave up. Farm Africa believes that fish farming is an effective way to generate income and to provide families with an important source of protein. That s why we set up a network of Aqua shops to sell essential supplies and offer support to fish farmers. When Ann reached out to the Farm Africa team, we encouraged her to try fish farming again. This time we made sure that she attended specialist training. More than 1,200 sesame farmers are saving precious time thanks to Martin s invention. Rose can now support her grandchildren s schooling. Sesame is a small seed with big potential. It s in high demand across the world, and it s this demand that led Martin, a Tanzanian farmer, to a groundbreaking invention. Ann is now a successful fish farmer. She was also given access to good quality fish food and fingerlings to restock her pond. The team from the Aqua shop visited her regularly, and sure enough, Ann s second harvest earnt her 77. Inspired, she used the money to build a second pond - with her next harvest raising 430. That s 15 times more than her first attempt! Aquaculture has transformed Ann s life. Her children eat a balanced diet, and a new freezer means that she can sell her fish between harvests. There s already a team of hoteliers and fishmongers on her books. And with four more ponds and a fingerling hatchery in the pipeline, her sights are set on national markets. Not bad for a beginner. 20 could help ensure more fish farmers like Ann can access the essential supplies and support they need to make their ponds a success. Traditional farming techniques for sesame are tough and time consuming. Painstakingly planting by hand, farmers like Martin cover vast distances, bending over repeatedly to dig small holes for each seed. It is a back-breaking process. Farm Africa is working s Babati district to help 2,000 farmers grow bigger and better sesame harvests. Martin is one of them. As part of his training, Martin was shown how to speed up his planting by using a stick to carve a furrow. But this technique planted more than just seeds. It planted an idea. Martin welded three metal prongs together to create a tool that carved three planting lines at once. The design has even evolved to include small containers for a mix of seeds and soil. Dubbed the Costa Planter, seeds are dropped every 15 centimetres and covered by the planter with soil. The result is a revelation. SEEDS OF CHANGE Rose is 80 years old. Like many her age, she is a grandparent. But to her four grandchildren, she is much more than that. She is their future. Thanks to his increased harvests and the money he makes from selling and renting out his machines, Martin s income has climbed from 95 to,888 a year, a 20 fold increase! His farm is thriving with goats, cattle, chickens and fish. His family eats three meals a day, and he can afford to send his children to school. He has even helped his wife to set up her own business. Sesame is the seed that will see Martin outgrow poverty. And as a Farm Africa cooperative member, he is keen to support others: I share what I have learnt with others and so far have provided training for almost 500 farmers. Up to now around 1,200 farmers are using my rake planter and 90 are using the Costa Planter. A gift of 60 could help provide training for more farmers like Martin, allowing them to increase their incomes and unlock their potential. After the death of her two sons, Rose took on the care of their young families. She is determined to give them the best chance to build their own futures. And that plan starts with education. But Rose lives in the Kitui region of Kenya. Here, weather meant her family was living hand-to-mouth. If the rains didn t fall, she would struggle to harvest enough food. With no surplus crops to sell, she couldn t afford to support her grandchildren s schooling. In Rose became involved in Farm Africa s project and joined the Kathivo farmers group. Our team taught the farmers all about water and soil conservation. They also showed them how to grow drought-tolerant crops. It was then that Rose s situation began to change. Rose and the Kathivo farmers group worked so well together that Farm Africa chose them to become seed suppliers. This meant that they would learn how to produce high-quality seeds suitable for sale - giving farmers across the region the best chance of a good harvest. When Farm Africa linked the group with a local seed company, Rose knew she had an income she could rely on. Today Rose is safe in the knowledge that she can now earn enough to meet her family s needs. She doesn t need to worry about her grandchildren s future any more. They re living it. I am putting lots of effort into making sure they go to school. I look forward to them becoming more educated so they can stand on their own. They will be able to get good jobs and our family will be recognised and respected in the community. 32 could help more farmers like Rose learn how to produce high-quality seeds, so they can earn a reliable income.

4 im agriculture is not only futures are no longer completely dictated by the Shillings (around 67) every year. Their people than ever before - a huge illion! with in every being spent on E: W:

5 im agriculture is not only futures are no longer completely dictated by the Shillings (around 67) every year. Their people than ever before - a huge illion! with in every being spent on E: W: