Let the Soil Decide
A conservation agriculture farming experiment that changed everything
When we face crossroads, do we cling to what’s familiar, or take a risk on something new?
For Kavugho Mbahimba, a mother of ten in Lubero, DRC, this choice wasn’t just theoretical—it was about survival.
Faced with dwindling harvests and an unpredictable climate, she knew something had to change. That’s when she heard about a farming technique called conservation agriculture (CA). Eager to find a better way of life, she was ready to take action.
But when Kavugho brought this up to her husband, the pastor of their own church, he was opposed to the idea. Some of the farming techniques contradicted their traditional practices, making it difficult to reconcile with the practices they had always done. In order for Kavugho and her husband to settle their dispute, they set up a challenge:
They decided to let the soil speak for itself.
They planted one kilogram of maize in different plots, using conservation agriculture techniques on one and standard farming on the other. The results? The conservation agriculture farm produced 150kg of maize, while the traditional only yielded 26kg—that’s a 477% increase with CA techniques!
Kavugho’s husband was immediately persuaded. “I am convinced by the agronomist techniques and I am ready to use them on the whole plot to increase our production and improve our livelihood,” the pastor concluded. He regretted the loss of what they could have harvested if they had used conservation techniques from the beginning, but is now excited to tell others about this good news.
Kavugho hosts training groups now and often attends peer learning sessions to improve her knowledge. Thanks to donors like you, Kavugho and other women like her are able to learn and grow and care for their families in sustainable ways. Your generosity allows us to continue training others in farming techniques, transforming lives in unimaginable ways.