An easier and tastier way to fight hunger
This simple training led not only to having enough food to eat, but tastier food too, and more time for her family!
Urman Nekere and her family faced the challenges of eroded, unproductive land leading to chronic hunger.
Coming from a long line of farmers, Urman Nekere and her husband have a special love for the land. They have always been farmers and fondly remember the stories their grandparents’ used to tell them of the land. But farming on the slopey hills of Southern Ethiopia has been increasingly difficult since her grandparents’ day.
Farming on a hill has never been easy, and after generations of traditional farming methods, the land has been over-tilled. It is sandy, dry, and has become eroded by strong winds. Urman laments, “our land has totally lost its fertility and become unproductive.”
So, what does one do when the only livelihood they’ve ever known ceases to be usable? For Urman and her family of 7, external handouts were the only available option. Sadly, this is the case for the majority of families in Zala, Ethiopia, as they continue to battle chronic hunger.
To change the situation and support the community of Zala, the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church (our local partners) began a project promoting a new type of farming called Conservation Agriculture (CA). This aims to improve soil fertility and increase crop yield through minimum tillage, soil coverage, and regular crop rotations.
Urman and her husband knew they had to make a change, so after a lengthy discussion, they participated in the training. At first, they were nervous about dedicating much of their land to CA. They were afraid they’d lose even the small amount they’d been able to harvest in the past, but with some persuasion from the church staff, they settled on a 50/50 split so they could easily measure the difference at harvest time.
The results were astonishing!
At the end of the first season using Conservation Agriculture, Urman and her husband harvested more maize than ever before — and it was tastier, too! They were so encouraged by the results that they decided together to increase the CA plot size for the next harvest, and found even better results to follow.
Urman began to see other improvements. The soil quality started to improve and, therefore, the time and labour that went into weeding reduced, leaving more time and energy for her 5 children. The family has begun intercropping to further increase soil fertility and is now able to grow enough to satisfy their stomachs with leftovers to sell at the market.
Urman and her family have a promising future because of your generosity. Your gifts are changing the Zala community for the better. Urman shares, “In general, my food availability is improving from previous years, thanks to God. In the future, I will change all my land to conservation agriculture.” Join us in providing an easier and tastier way to fight hunger.
