LCRC Farm Attendant

Naturally I love farming. On my farm I have many different crops, like cassava, bananas, sweet potatoes, all kinds of vegetables, avocados, and arrow roots. Also I have fish farming with fish ponds that are 20mx20m and in total 2 fish ponds. Not only do I practice farming, but also practice keeping local poultry.

From the centre, it is true that I have learned a lot. Not only just for me, but for the entire community and the country at large. As a farmer, I have been taught how I can improve the soil fertility by using organic or inorganic fertilizers. Generally I now know between the organic and inorganic fertilizer which is best. And now I have discovered that inorganic fertilizer should only be used depending on the condition of the soil. You have to first test the soil pH to know what kind of fertilizer you can use on the farm. Apart from soil maintenance, I have also learned how to harvest water using different methods. Not only that, I have also learned poultry keeping and more about local poultry. I have been taught the best conditions for hens that are laying, how to maintain their eggs, hatching and maintaining chicks from day one. I have also been taught livestock and now can keep domestic animals like dairy cows, beef animals, dual-purpose animals, and other animals that are kept at home. Generally I have learned how to take agriculture as a business at large and now have the sense of planting short-term crops instead of long-term crops that lead to low yields.

My 5 year vision as a youth is to have an improved farming system. For example, improve the way of irrigation, mobilizing the youth and young farmers on how they can keep themselves busy and know the importance of farming. I would also like to start keeping livestock and dairy cows and dairy goats since their milk is under high demand. Apart from that, I would also like to keep rabbits since they seem to be profitable if taken seriously as a project. If I can manage to get enough capital, I’m planning to buy some land. I plan to mobilize youth and interested farmers to show off their skills in farming and maintaining the community in food production for I hope I will have been a role model and demonstrated practically.

By the time I was leaving high school, one of my teachers and friends, called me. “Dominic, you are going back home. What are you going to do?” I had nothing to offer him. Around a minute and half of silence. “Do you have any land with water?” I looked him in the eyes. “Yes.” He said, “Make something out of that land. Keep yourself busy.”

The next day, I started digging the farm. After I was digging, I took small jobs to make enough money to buy cowpea seeds for 70 shillings. I made 150 shillings from selling the cowpeas and came up with a solution. I bought sukumawiki seeds and planted. From there, I grew my farm and am now able to support myself.

I really want to continue my learning, but funds are the problem. Farming has been able to pay my brother and sister’s school fees. I am hoping to earn enough from farming to continue my education.

In my role as farm attendant, I’ve been able to act as a role model to my friends. It’s out of my commitment to my small farm that I have gotten this chance. Now my friends that I have been working with have also been motivated that anything you do, do like it’s as if you’re the only person in the field and you will get success in what you do. They are struggling because they don’t think you can make something out of nothing, but I’ve shown them that self-commitment can get you what you want.

I want to thank the centre. It is helping the farmers. I am improving my farming skills every day by working at the centre. I hope that in 5 years time the centre may be able to sustain itself.