Mt Kilimanjaro, TZ – Family increases income, reduces expenses with organic vegetables – 16 Sep 2015

The CPM family is reducing expenses and increasing income by maintaining a productive vegetable garden. The net impact on their monthly income has increased their income from 70,000 TZS (US $35) per month to 86,000 TZS (US $43) per month.

The parents of the CPM family have two school age children at home. The father is a farmer and sometimes works as a day laborer on construction sites. The mother is a farmer and is very well-respected in the community for her knowledge of local best-practices farming bananas, coffee, corn, and beans.

The family also runs a small pub selling locally made “banana brew” – a thick, traditional alcohol made from fermented bananas. Their pub gave them a ready place to sell vegetables. Since starting their garden the family has increased their monthly income by an average of 12,000 TZS (US $6.00) by selling vegetables. They have reduced expenses by 4,000 TZS (US $2.00) per month.

They have put this money towards their children’s school fees as well as investing in small goat and chicken-rearing projects.