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Growing soya beans in Tanzania

Farming is the main source of income for Siseha, who lives with her two grown-up children, and her grandchildren, in Tanzania’s Morogoro region.

The family use their five-acre plot of land to grow food crops like sweet potatoes, pigeon peas and sunflowers. However, unable to access good-quality seeds and unaware of the best farming techniques, Siseha didn’t harvest enough to earn a good income when she sold her produce at market.

As a result, Siseha’s children missed out on a secondary school education as she couldn’t afford the school fees.

Now Siseha’s grandchildren are reaching secondary school age. She is hoping to increase her income enough to give them the education her own children couldn’t have.

Earning more from her harvest

Siseha recently joined the Mkulima Silk Group, a collective of hard-working farmers that Farm Africa is helping to start growing soya seeds. At a demonstration plot in their village, members have been learning all about how to plant this lucrative crop. But, our support doesn't stop here - Siseha and other farmers have also been trained in how to earn a good income from processing these crops, so that they can better provide for their families.

Siseha and her fellow soya farmers been shown how to process their beans into soya milk, soya coffee and chicken feed, all of which can be sold for a good price and bring in extra income for their families.

With her new knowledge and income, Siseha hopes to expand the size of her farm from five to eight acres. This will allow her to start up a small business, and eventually keep livestock. She also wants to build a better house for her family, and proudly take her grandchildren to their first day of secondary school.

A gift from you could help provide another farmer with the tools and training they need to improve their harvest and sell it for the best possible price.

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