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Stories about home, the land where it resides, and the struggles to keep it sustainable.

A Farmer’s Land Brings Prosperity and Hope

Halima, 40 Kenya

No one values their relationship with the land more than farmers. But when repeated cycles of drought and flooding devastate the land, it can be so disheartening. Halima is part of a 20-member farmers group in Kenya, mentored and supported by Islamic Relief. She’s the sole breadwinner in her family, and that means she’s had to lead her family through difficult times. She often had to rely on food aid to make ends meet when conditions were really tough.

Previously, Halima was surviving on subsistence farming. That meant she was only producing enough food to feed her own family through her land, with not much if anything left over to make an income. Not only that, the watering methods were extremely labour intensive and demanded a lot of water - which was already scarce in the region. Kenya is extremely vulnerable to climate-dependent factors like rainfall, fluctuating temperatures, and extreme weather events like tropical storms. Consecutive years of drought, famine, and tropical storms have devastated the livestock in countries across the region. The numbers are devastating – 3.4 million people are still food insecure in Kenya.

Halima was struggling to produce enough food to keep her family fed throughout the year. In an area stricken with drought, the yield was often disappointingly low. She couldn’t even dream of selling any surplus harvest and sending her children to school. As the sole earner in her family, she knew she had to turn this adversity into an opportunity.

Farmers like Halima, who look to the future, are trying out new methods and techniques that can cut down

the water usage and related water pump fuel costs that will help them grow more crops. The new methods cut down water usage by 80% while delivering more than 100% increase in crop yield.

Halima was dedicated to creating positive change. She joined Islamic Relief’s farmer group, which would pool their resources to introduce new technologies. The technology allowed them to produce higher-valued crops at much larger yields. Through her willingness to learn, she is now a business farmer with high value crops.

She has also been able to add other sources of income from herding cattle, making mats and even selling groceries from the farm at a small table outside her house, in order to provide for her five children. Her life and that of her family has changed as they are now generating income at very minimal costs and low water consumption.

Halima is now the most resilient and determined member of the farmers group. “I want to change my life and that of my children by farming using the new technology. With commitment, determination and hard work, I believe I will start a new page in my life and can see a prosperous life ahead, despite my age,” said the enthusiastic Halima.