Ag Training Benefits More Than the Trainee
Hamis, husband and father of seven, has always been a hard-working farmer but, due to lack of knowledge, never enjoyed decent yields. That changed when he joined the Convoy of Hope Agriculture Program.
That’s when he began training in something called “mindset transformation” and learning good agronomic practices. He’d been harvesting just five to eight bags of maize per acre, but this year, after learning best practices and receiving maize seed and fertilizer, he expects to harvest 20-25 bags per acre. “That’ll make me and my family more food secure” he says, “because I’ll be able to sell ten to fifteen of those bags, cover our basic needs, and buy certified seeds and fertilizer to get ready to produce another good crop next harvest.”
The neighbors have been surprised by his crop performance, to the extent that some have said he used witchcraft. But he always tells them there’s no witchcraft and no secret involved: it’s the attitude adjustment and training on context-appropriate farming practices that led to such results. He offers them tips on conservation farming that he counsels them to adopt to get higher yields, too.
He’s not shy about saying that the mindset and ag training have also improved family unity. He and his wife cooperate on all things related to growing crops in the field and uses of the resulting cash.
Hamis credits Convoy of Hope for how his community has honored him for his excellent maize crop and for training other community members on their outlook and farm techniques. He wants everyone to be able to improve their lives socially and economically just as he has.
Tanzania Arusha Program
Led by Convoy of Hope