Changing life’s with Training of Mapambano Composite Manure.

Sophia Mrindoko is among Female Headed Household lives in mountain village called Vudee. She has 3 children and is sore bread winner of her family since her husband passed away 3 years ago. She and her family are depending on agriculture, especially on onion and potato farming. She generated her small income by selling her harvest on local markets in Vudee.

When she got the chance to join a training of best farming practices by SMECAO she decided to take this chance and join the training. Sophia was among 8 Champion Farmers from Vudee Ward trained on making and using of Mapambano Composite Manure, intercropping, water conservation agriculture through the use of mulching or growing of grasses on the edge of terraces, use of drought resistant seed crops and quality declared seed production.

After the training Sophia used the skills acquired by developing her own Mapambano Composite Manure pit and made the manure as trained. During the exercise digging and filling up of Mapambano Composite Manure pit she involved her other 5 women who came from Female Headed Household to learn what she was trained.

During the November 2015 to late January 2016 short rain season Sophia for the first time applied the use of all skills trained including using of Mapambano Composite manure. By doing so she was able to increase her harvest from 5 bags with 100kg per 20 terraces to 18 bags with 100kg per 30 terraces.

According to Sophia this was the first time she harvested 1 grade onions which are of high quality, which she sold to the market for 130,000 Tshs to earn 2,340,000 Tshs. Through this change she earned enough money to buy food for her family and pay exams fee for her child to repeat form four exams after she failed last year exams.

All in all the SMECAO Training of Mapambano qualified her to change the life of herself and her whole family.