Moshi, TZ – Family creates two daily income streams

The PJM has used income from their successful organic vegetable garden to invest in a small chicken business. This has given them two daily food and income sources to supplement their seasonal harvest income.

The father of the PJM has Pare heritage and grew up in the Pare Mountains. In the early 1980’s he moved to Rau River village to find work as a casual laborer constructing a new irrigation scheme with a Japanese company. Soon after moving to Rau River he got married and had four kids who have all grown up and moved away from Kahe.

Now, the father lives with his wife, four grandchildren, and his mother who is 85 years old. The family survives off harvests from their 3 acre farm. In September 2014 they decided to start an organic vegetable garden with Tupendane’s Food Always In The Home (FAITH) gardening program. Since starting their garden the family the family has steadily improved their knowledge of organic gardening and their ability to deal with pests and seasonal weather changes.

The knowledge and skills the family has learned has benefitted them by enabling them to produce a daily supply of organic vegetables for their meals. The vegetables have improved the family’s nutrition by contributing valuable vitamins, minerals, and proteins to their diets. The family’s health has also been improved because the organic vegetables do not cause the stomach problems that many chemically-grown vegetables cause.

Excess vegetables have been sold to neighbors and through Tupendane’s new vegetable marketing and distribution program. Vegetable sales have increased the family’s income by 90,000 TZS (US $42.86) since starting their garden one year ago. The family has reinvested by buying seven chickens. The chickens produce at least two eggs per day which can be sold for 300 TZS (US $0.14).

In the future, the family hopes to continue growing their chicken business to provide even more eggs for nutrition and income. They believe the project could grow into a very profitable business.