When Esther left Dar es Salaam to care for her elderlymother in Moshi, maize farming was the only income-earning project she knew. "I would harvest only four bags, reserve two for my family, and sell the rest from half an acre I had rented," Esther recalls.
Upon attending various workshops facilitated by ELCT -Northern Diocese, Esther built a modern chicken coop outside her rented homestead and rears 100 Saso chicks per batch. "When the chickens are three months old, I sell my chicken to big hotels in Moshi and earn between USD 650 and 700 from chicken sales", Esther confirms. Herbiggest client is Lutheran Uhuru Hotel in Moshi and her neighbors that crave chicken meat.
In the small village of Kiyungi, in Moshi, Kilimanjaro Region, Esther is cutting weeds harvested from her neighbor's small farm. The weeds are to feed her second batch of Saso chicken, an improved organic breed of poultry. "The breed performs well in hot and humid climates and is disease resistant," says Esther Mohamed, a climate-smart poultry farmer.
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Long Term Benefits
Esther invested some of the money into strawberry farming from the first batch's sale of Saso chicken, and from the two projects, Esther can pay for my child's education and cater to the mother's medical needs. "After I sell the current batch I have, I plan on expanding the coop to accommodate more chicken," says Esther of her future plans.
Lessons Learnt
- Program has helped capacity building, equiping the beneficiaries with new skills, Esther only knew Maize farming but currently she practices poultry.
- The program helps in mitigating poverty as Esther can now pay school fees for her child and buy medicine for her mother.
- Practicing Saso Chicken gives assurance in selling and the breed performs well in hot and humid climates and is disease resistant which reduces cost of production.