Petronella is 54 years old and lives with her husband in Kativhu village in Zimbabwe. Petronella used to grow maize for a living, using highly priced hybrid seeds and chemical fertilisers. She shunned legumes such as cowpeas and small grains such as Rapoko, Sorghum and Millet, which she and her family perceived as old fashioned, inferior, and of low status for very poor households. Recurrent droughts coupled with the very high cost of fertilisers resulted in their maize productivity declining and Petronella was struggling to provide enough food or income for her family.
In 2015 she was selected by the community as a Lead Farmer. Through Find Your Feet she received training on sustainable farming techniques, and how to grow traditional grains. She was also trained on how to process her crops to create marketable products from them.
Her household is now growing small grains that are drought tolerant and using compost, manure and chicken droppings as organic fertiliser to save them money. The use of natural fertiliser, combined with mulching for the past three seasons, has improved the fertility of their soil, which has improved their yields.
She is now using traditional seeds to make tea leaves, coffee and curry powder. She also makes a sweet potato drink, her own yoghurt, and home made buns from amaranth and sweet potato flour, and dries her own fruits and vegetables such as mangoes and mushrooms. After receiving training on indigenous chicken rearing from Find Your Feet, she even sells her chickens to make a profit.
As a result, the welfare of her family has improved significantly, and she is installing solar panels and electricity in her home. She has bought a television, and deep freezer, and is now much more food and nutrition secure.
If you would like to support incredible women like Petronella to learn sustainable farming techniques to support their families, then why not get involved with Curry for Change this year?
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