Consolata Anyango earns a living from cotton growing in Kenya, Joyce Akelo from growing ginger in Uganda.

The two women have much in common, not least, the fact that they earn a living to support themselves from the small parcels of land that they have available to farm.  For both, they count on the commercial return from their small farming business to earn a living – to support themselves and their families.

Despite the many challenges created by Covid-19, Self Help Africa’s work with women like Consolata and Joyce has remained undimmed – and with our support they have continued to produce, to earn, and to fulfil their roles as family providers. 

Consolata says that the money she used to earn from cotton wasn’t enough, until she was introduced to new farming practices and better markets for her cotton, thanks to Self Help Africa’s AgriFI Kenya Challenge Fund.

Now, she’s earning a steady income from cotton, and is also spending less time transporting her bales to market, thanks to the establishment of a cotton collection and buying centre nearby. 

“Working together is making a positive effect on the lives of every youth in our group at Atiira parish” says Joyce Akelo, a member of a Self Help Africa young farmers’ group in Northeast Uganda. For Joyce, and the 24 other young people in the group, ginger was a crop they were not familiar with but it’s now one that they can rely on. 

With our support, the group secured a contract to sell their crop, for a fair price, to one of Uganda’s leading ginger processors. Joyce and the group now earn between €150-220 each for their ginger crop, and look forward to firmly establishing ginger growing into their small farms. The group sells 70% of what’s harvested, and keep the remainder to plant for the new season. 

You can read more about our work with women like Consolata and Joyce in the latest edition of our digital newsletter: Snapshots from the Field Newsletter.