Meet Isaac and Peninah

Farm Africa first met Isaac and his wife Peninah in 2015 when they joined the Growing Futures project in Trans-Nzoia East. Back then, they were growing maize to eat and sell, but were struggling to provide for their two children. Maize takes a long time to mature and doesn't fetch a good price at market; so Isaac and Peninah had to supplement their income by doing casual labour on other people's farms. 

Their earnings were low and they could only afford to eat two meals a day. Their poor diet meant their children often became sick, but Isaac and Peninah couldn't afford to pay for medical care or medicine. Understandably they were extremely concerned about their family's future. 

But with the help of Growing Futures, the couple soon began to change their family's life.

Isaac told us:

“One of the greatest things Farm Africa has taught us is about new crops and the best way to grow them. They have given us lots of training and helped us to begin our business by giving us high-quality seeds which means we can produce better harvests. We have also learned about farming a variety of crops at the same time to provide different sources of income.

“We have learnt about French beans, before I didn’t even know that there was something called French beans!

“Since Peninah and I started working with Farm Africa, we have been able to expand our farming, cultivate more land, and improve our home. Growing French beans means we have a steadier income, our earnings have been boosted and our resources are greater. French beans are good because they only take a few months to grow so we can earn money quickly from selling them."

In fact, since they began growing new crops, the family's income has tripled, and their diet has vastly improved.

 “Now we can have different types of beans with rice, and we have meat once a week and eggs twice a week. Because we are eating well we are no longer getting sick, I cannot remember the last time one of us was sick!"

Growing Futures

Growing Futures is not only about good farming techniques or introducing new varieties of crops; it's about the bigger picture. During training, participants are also taught about the standards required for exporting produce, about how to handle their harvested crops to maintain their quality and about finance. We also help young farmers work together in groups, so they can coordinate their harvests and sell in bulk. Then we help them to form links so they can sell to the international export market.

Through Growing Futures, we're building a new generation of entrepreneurs who are improving their own lives.

Help us grow more futures

A gift today could help more young farmers in eastern Africa establish successful businesses that can be handed down to future generations. 

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