Stories & blogs - Post
07
JunBecause smallholder farmers, like Evelyn Syombua, produce one third of the world’s food they are also the key components in the global transition towards a more sustainable, regenerative way of farming that will boost yields and income.
For women like Evelyn, regenerative agriculture means a future on land she had been on the point of abandoning.
Equipping women farmers with the skills to thrive
Hand in Hand equips women with regenerative agriculture techniques to restore soils damaged by years of monoculture farming, increase their yields and the business skills to scale up their agri-business so they can reach larger and more profitable value chains.
Diversification
Today, Evelyn rotates a variety of crops including sorghum, cow peas, pigeon peas, green grams – even leaving some areas fallow to allow the soil to recover. She’s planted fruit trees that yield fruit and enhance the local biodiversity, prevent soil erosion and provide shade for the animals.
She’s also learned to collect the rain when it comes and then use it for irrigation during dry periods.
Farming with intent
Moreover, everything on the farm has a purpose. Low growing crops such as sweet potato, reduce water loss. The fodder feeds the 15 goats and 10 chickens, the animal waste provides the basis for the fertiliser. Fruit trees provide food for the family and shade for the animals. Even old milk cartons provide the perfect ‘home’ in which to germinate seedlings.
As a result, Evelyn has noticed a real increase in the harvest from two bags of beans to at least four. It means there’s more food on the table and even some to sell at the market – earning more from the beans alone from KES 2,500 (US $16) to KES 4,500 (US $30) each harvest.
“The revival of the farm business has also given me hope and a direction on choices to make,” says Evelyn.
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