Healthier kids, stronger futures

Forty-two-year-old farmer Florence Otyang from Moroto District, Uganda, has her hands full raising her children, including two pairs of energetic twins. Life is not easy, but with support from Farm Africa, Florence has been able to improve her family’s diet, increase her income and build a more secure future.

Florence has long farmed traditional crops like sorghum, beans, cucumbers and pumpkins. Her husband takes on casual labour whenever he can, but money has often been tight, leaving little money to buy food. The couple were not aware of the importance of a balanced diet.

“Before, we mostly ate beans, beans, beans,” Florence recalls. “We never knew that vegetables could better the lives of our children.”

That changed when Florence joined Naukoi Riverside Farm Group, supported by our CASCADE project in partnership with CARE International, funded by the Dutch Government. The project tackles malnutrition by training smallholder farmers in climate-smart agriculture and supporting them to diversify their diets.

The group, made up of 22 members – 13 women and nine men – grows vegetables together on a demonstration plot and runs a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) to support one another financially.

Florence Otyang and other members of the Naukoi Riverside Farm Group working together to grow nutritious vegetables on a demo plot.

Through training, Florence has learnt how to grow a wider variety of nutritious foods such as dark green vegetables, as well as biofortified iron-rich beans and vitamin A maize. She’s also adopted new farming techniques, such as planting in ridges to help retain water in Karamoja’s dry conditions.

“Now I feed my children with different vegetables, and they are doing well,” Florence explains. “Most diseases have reduced. Like diarrhoea: when you over-feed one type of food you find you get diarrhoea. Now, I feed my children iron-rich beans and they are becoming stronger.

“I have also learnt how to improve my cooking, like instead of cooking sorghum alone, I put some butter, eggs and milk in it. Before, I would only serve a one-food meal. My children enjoy the new food.”

Florence preparing a healthy meal for her two-year-old twin daughters Mercy and Mercy Bella and her five-year-old twin boys Ryan and Aloysius.

As well as improving her family’s diet, Florence has been able to boost her income. Her group has switched from selling cowpeas to more marketable crops like sukuma (collard greens), spinach and onions.

Buyers come directly to the farm, as word has got out that the group has good-quality produce for sale. From her earnings, Florence has saved 100,000 Ugandan Shillings. And the VSLA means she’s able to take loans when needed.

“When school fees were needed recently, the group helped me quickly and my children didn’t miss much school. Before, they could miss weeks of school while I had to do petty work to get money. Farm Africa has brought that change,” she says.

Florence Otyang and other members of the Naukoi Riverside Farm Group in Rupa sub-county who are taking part in a VSLA.

Looking ahead, Florence’s ambitions are clear. “My plans are to educate my kids and build a nice house. Right now, we are renting, which is the most painful thing. Sometimes we don’t have the money for the landlady. I want to buy a plot and build our own house. If I continue saving and get profits from our saving, I should be able to do it.”