“I previously know about dry season gardening but I have been reluctant about putting up one until the CAPECS field facilitators who come to our community talked about it’’

Mary Koni is a resident of Yeleyiri, a community in the Wa West district. Mary is 45 years and has a total household size of 10 persons, of which 5 are young girls, 3 young boys. Mary joined the CAPECS GROW project 3 years ago and has since been the lead farmer of the Tiekando group. Tiekando group was formed by the CAPECS GROW team. Koni was not an exception to idling, as most farmers do around this part of the country during the dry season, until she got the motivation from the GROW team about dry season gardening.

Mary Koni admitted that her prior knowledge of dry season gardening was not what pushed her into putting up a garden, but the message from the GROW team was what really motivated her. According to her, they were told that engaging themselves all year (rainy and dry season) round will bring increase in house-hold income among other benefits. Mary cultivates vegetables like tomatoes, pumpkins leaves, alefo in her dry season garden. She indicated that she doesn’t use fertilizer in her garden however she gets a good harvest from the variety of crops she cultivates. Part of her harvest is consumed at the house hold level, and the other part is sold in the local markets around her community like the Lasia Tuolu market and Vieri market. Koni reported that part of the income from the sale of her garden produce are invested into Guinea fowl production and so she currently can boost of a poultry which will ultimately serve as an alternative source of livelihood for her in the near future. “If the fowl venture stays well, somehow I will overcome my financial challenges because it will add up to my income source’’. Mary thinks that women at the community level are generally confronted with little financial difficulties which would not have been if we have other things doing apart from farming.