Susan winnowing her produce following a successful harvest. Photo: ActionAid

Susan Nduku is a 36-year old mother with four children aged between six and 14 years. She is a smallholder farmer in Mbondoni village in the Eastern Province of Kenya [external website].

Susan is a member of Ndikomaa Farmer Field School which constitutes 20 women and five men. In February 2012, she was identified by the community as one of the women farmers who were highly vulnerable to hunger.

Susan speaks about the change in her life since joining the farmer field school.

The benefits of being a member of Ndikomaa Farmer Field School are many. 'Key among them is the training we have received on appropriate dry-land farming technologies. The training is practical and covers areas such as land preparation, good crop management, enterprise selection and utilization of produce from different crops,' explains Susan.

'Last season would have been bad had it not been for the seeds and skills support that we received from ActionAid. We had been experiencing a lengthy dry spell and total crop failure that wiped out our stocks of traditional seeds. We did not have food to eat, let alone seeds to plant. Group members received seeds of various drought tolerant crops including green grams, cowpeas, dolichos, sorghum and millet, which we managed to plant before the onset of rains.

'I prepared my land early enough and planted before the onset of rains as learned at the field school. I practiced timely weeding and controlled pests and diseases and the results of these efforts are good. For instance, from the two kilograms of green gram seed I planted, I harvested 120kgs. This has encouraged me so much and my husband really appreciates the role I am playing in food security and in increasing our household income.

'Other training such as water harvesting technologies and other production skills has benefited the entire group. With facilitation from ActionAid, extension officers have been visiting us in Farmer Field schools and offering us training tailor made to suit our needs. I am now able to feed my family and have enough seeds stored for next season. I will sell some of the produce once the prices improve to take care of some of the family needs.'

Australia Africa Community Engagement Scheme Annual Report 2011–12