For over a year now, we have made great strides in equipping families in our program with agricultural knowledge and skills through the Strong Families Rotary Global Grant project which has seen 62 families benefit from the Program.
The project has changed the mindset of how families in our program practice agriculture and their approach toward modern agricultural techniques considering most of these families were not well exposed when it came to farming.
The Strong Families Rotary project injected a fresh zest into how families in our program practice agriculture leading to increased productivity in agricultural produce, and betterment of livelihoods through agribusiness.
One such family which has largely benefited from this program is that of Violet, a teacher by profession and a guardian to one student in our university and colleges scholarship program, Antony.
Violet took the responsibility of supporting Antony since he was in high school after his great-grandmother whom he was living with became sick and was not in a position to take care of Antony.
Enter into Violet’s compound and green fields usher you in. The indigenous green leafy vegetables of kunde, sagaa, kandhira, mitoo, mrenda, and sutsa (as locally termed) in addition to capsicum, onions, kales, and spinach, are well spread across her farm bearing an eminent testimony to how good of a farmer she is.
The beautiful scenery is complemented by the welcoming and hardworking Violet who gives us a tour of her farm sharing her journey of how she has made big steps in matters of farming.
“I used to practice horticulture in an amateur way but when I was enrolled in the Rotary Global Grant project, I changed my way of doing agriculture,” Violet opens our conversation.
“I am proud they have taught me very well how to prepare organic manure. I have also learned how to properly distribute vegetables in my farm and plan my farm very well,” she adds.
For Violet, the RGG project has equipped her with skills in different agricultural themes like horticulture, poultry, agro-ecology, livestock, and novel technology among others. These have in the long run seen her grow her skills and knowledge agriculture-wise and increase her agricultural produce considering she has a great interest in indigenous vegetable farming.
The trainings under the project brought a huge impact on her farming. Violet went on field trips where she brought with her quite some good lessons that she implemented. She majored in indigenous vegetable farming to tap into the growing market for the vegetables in the area.
Usually, indigenous vegetables have a special place in the culture of people in Munzatsi area in Hamisi where she lives, due to their rich nutritional value and taste. They are consumed on a daily basis by a vast majority of people in the locality hence their constant demand.
Thanks to the lessons she received under the Strong Families Rotary project, Violet’s production increased. She is able to harvest enough vegetables that not only provide food for home consumption but also enough to sell for livelihood.
Likewise, Violet also embraced dairy farming after receiving advice from a livestock extension officer during one of the project’s training sessions. She upgraded her African Zebu cows to an Ayrshire dairy cow which saw her register improvement in the quantity of milk being produced. From the dairy cow, she gets milk for home consumption and sells some for commercial purposes.
Violet says that the Rotary project has a special place in her heart for its huge impact on her life. She has shifted her focus to agribusiness, and she can provide for her family and better support Antony, who is currently studying at Moi University in Eldoret under scholarship from UKR.
In the project’s implementation phase, Violet was supported with cash to invest in horticulture where her strength lies. From the support, she was able to purchase vegetable seeds, construct a simple fence around her farm, and buy fertilizer, pesticides, and crop boosters to spray on her crops.
Violet was also supported with a watering can to help her sprinkle water to her crops in short rainy season and a Knapsack sprayer to help her spray pesticides on her crops.
This support is key in enabling her to partake in her agribusiness venture and grow vegetables for the next three planting seasons.
“Considering planting indigenous vegetables is shortly seasoned, I plan to be planting three times a year. It will help me put food on the table and sell a part of the harvest. I am also planning to save the money I will get from the business. I am looking forward to buying another dairy cow from the savings to grow my agribusiness venture,” she said.
Violet is one of the many faces of the UKR initiative to help families put food on the table and be food secure and earn more income from their farms. Through the RGG project, UKR aims to raise the living standards of families through agribusiness and create a conducive environment for a happy and healthy family.
