You’re Never Too Old to Transform Your Life
Elizaphan joined the hands-on Farmer Field School as soon as it was introduced in his village by local partner Anglican Development Services – Mt. Kenya East. At 60, he’s learned a number of skills that he wishes he had known about when he was a bit younger, but “better late than never.”
At the Farmer Field School, farmers like Elizaphan practiced a lot of conservation agriculture techniques to help them grow crops no matter the weather. He mulched a 10’ x 10’ piece of his own land to test the benefits of soil cover, such as moisture retention, and harvested 66 pounds of maize while the crops on other parts of his farm dried up. He noticed that the leaves of the mulched maize stayed green even though, elsewhere, they turned yellow. And there was minimal sprouting of weeds compared to previous years. So he planted and mulched a quarter of an acre during the March 2025 season.
After going on an exchange visit to another farm, Elizaphan learned about making organic pesticides from local shrubs and trees. He said, “I never bought pesticides the whole season, and my crops were very healthy.” This helped reduce his overall production costs, and the organic pesticides actually did a better job of controlling the fall armyworm in maize than chemical treatments. His success has made him a consultant in the village, and he is often invited to sensitize others on the same practices.
He also started raising rabbits and improved chickens and recently sold six chickens to pay for his daughter’s school fees. Currently, he has 21 birds in his flock, and believes that his family will not lack meat or eggs throughout the year.
And the learning hasn’t stopped. Elizaphan constructed a pit latrine and bathroom after he went through home hygiene training. He only used local materials and plans to enhance these facilities as his income increases. He excavated a water pond with the goal of irrigating his vegetables and banana trees, and his family now gets safe drinking water from a storage tank close to their home. In short, Elizaphan is impressed by and grateful for all the knowledge the program has shared with him, and he plans to keep on upgrading his operations and home. “Thank you for helping me,” he says.
Kenya Igembe Program
Led by World Renew and Local Partner Anglican Development Services – Mt. Kenya East