Support Female Farmers
Donate to this Project
1% Raised
Goal: $50000.00
Raised: $525.00
The Need
Cecelia Lazaro’s story is one of strength and survival.
Cecelia Lazaro has a chronically ill husband who is unable to work, and five children. Her two oldest are attending Awet Secondary School, (she has a boy in Form 1 and a girl in Form 2); she also has two children in primary school, Standard 6 and Standard 4; and her lastborn is at home.
As an active member of one of CPAR’s Farmer Field Schools (FFS) in Karatu District, Tanzania, Cecilia is taking positive steps towards boosting her farming outputs and raising her income in order to provide for her family. Simply put, Cecelia is working with CPAR-Tanzania to change her life.
Cecelia farms on her family’s 1 ½ acre plot and grows maize, beans and pigeon peas. Her production level per acre is 4-6 bags of maize, 1-2 bags of pigeon peas and less than one bag of beans. Her only source of income is selling her harvest to the middlemen who arrive in the village during harvest. She also sells to other farmers.
Cecelia uses a rented ox plough to plough and cultivate her farm. She weeds by hand using a hand hoe. Her big challenge as a farmer is low production of crops due to lack of agricultural implements and inputs like improved seeds. Another big challenge is her low income which she attributes to low production of crops and lack of other income-generating activities.
“It’s difficult for me to pay school feels and purchase school supplies for my children so I rely on help from relatives. As of this year, I have two children in secondary school and haven’t yet been able to pay the school fees for the second child…”
Cecelia is a FFS facilitator. She was chosen by her community to attend CPAR-Tanzania's Training of Trainers workshop in Conservation Agriculture and FFS in Babati in September 2009, and after returning to her community was active in encouraging farmers to join FFS. By November, her FFS group, called 'Neema' (which means grace), was firmly established.
“I’ve learned a lot in CPAR's FFS -- the whole concept of conservation agriculture, soil cover to prevent moisture loss, proper spacing so that crops have enough space to grow, planting and weeding on time and timely application of manure. I believe these practices will help me a lot this farming season…”
Now, with CPAR-Tanzania’s support, Cecelia has access to an ox plough to help cultivate her land, she has also received improved seeds, and has papaya seedlings which she has planted near her household.
Cecelia is one of many farmers in rural Africa who need your help. By providing much needed farming tools, training, seeds and other agricultural equipment you can help give African farming families a fighting chance.
Project
Critical farming tools and seeds help farmers like Cecelia to generate enough income through farming. Sufficient tools and seeds can be the difference between putting food on the table and sending children to school.
The Cost
$50000.00 - Provide farmers like Cecelia with ploughs, seeds and other critical agricultural equipment.
There are no memebrs supporting this project.
Provide access to 100 household handwashing stands to reduce the risk of cholera and hepatitis-E for at-risk communities in Northern Uganda.
Help us reach our goal to provide 300 households with energy saving stoves. Constructing Energy Saving Stoves in Jarso, Ethiopia
Critical farming tools and seeds help farmers like Cecelia to generate enough income through farming. Sufficient tools and seeds can be the difference between putting food on the table and sending children to school.
Copyright 2009 Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief