‘Lead farmers’ play a vital role in promoting new approaches and transferring know-how in the remote regions where Self Help Africa carries out its work. 

Bridging a gap between Government extension services and research centres, lead farmers act as trainers and mentors within local communities, hosting training events and demonstrations, and helping to ensure that best practices, new crops and other valuable information is shared in communities, in a sustainable and cost effective way.

Across our projects, thousands of locally-based ‘lead farmers’ are operating in villages and rural communities. In one recent project in Malawi a farmer fields-schools model of agricultural education through lead farmers was established, to disseminate knowledge about climate-adaptation to over 400,000 households.

Zeddy Chelanga is a member of Kimiren Women’s Group in Kenya. She’s also a lead farmer, a role that she took on when Self Help Africa first began to work in her area.   She now has a role in introducing and promoting new farming methods and crop varieties. At present, she grows nutrient-rich orange fleshed sweet potatoes on a demonstration plot that she’s established on her small-farm.

Householders from across the area have visited Zeddy’s demonstration plot in northern Kenya, learning from watching, about sweet-potato production. Many have also received vine cuttings from her, enabling them to introduce sweet potato to their own farms.

Zeddy’s an innovator, an inspiration and a teacher. She’s proud of the role that she’s able to play in her local community.