Ketura Tivafire

Ketura Tivafire, 34, is married with two children, one of whom she and her husband adopted after they were sadly orphaned. Although their family is not big, Ketura wanted to be able to provide her children with financial security, which unfortunately not many parents in her community are able to do. Now, after participating in SEED's horticultural projects, including learning how to grow onions, tomatoes and cabbages, Ketura is in a much more stable position.

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Thanks to Ketura's cabbages, she and her husband were able to pay off the dowry owed to her parents, freeing them of a financial burden that leaves many families in debt.

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However, Ketura soon realised she had been cutting corners, which may have saved her money and time in the short term, but would have begun to cause serious issues in the long term and limited the overall yield of her crops.

One key lesson Ketura learnt was to diversify, by growing subsidiary crops alongside the main one. Doing so can provide a guard against complete crop failure; increase income and help farmers develop their knowledge of a wider variation of fruit and vegetables. For Ketura, it has done all three and therefore improved resilience.

Ketura currently uses the proceeds from the subsidiary crop to pay for the family's day-to-day expenses. Meanwhile, she invests the income she gains from the main crop in bigger projects like expanding the family's homestead or buying cattle.

It should also be noted that Ketura does not tend the farm alone; she and her husband work together: creating a formidable farming team!

"Where l am is where he is and where he is that's where l am. We have no time for community gossip or drama, we are too busy in the garden". 

SEED's training provided Ketura with techniques to not only improve the sustainability of her farm but to expand it. We will continue to work with local experts to disseminate knowledge and support farmers like Ketura to build brighter futures.