Embracing farming as a business

Evelyn Nwaru, (first left) lives in the Aniri local government area in south-eastern Nigeria’s Enugu State. Rice farming has been Evelyn’s livelihood for more than 15 years, although she also grows other crops. She suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and was relieved when VCDP entered the community in 2021 with much-needed support and its SDG 1 mandate of eliminating poverty.

With VCDP support, Evelyn established a demonstration plot for the 17 members of the Chimeremma Women’s Cooperative Society. Evelyn uses the plot to train the women in good agronomic practices, helping them increase their productivity. For example, instead of broadcasting seed, they have learned to grow and transplant seedlings for better results. VCDP provided each of the group’s members with enough Faro 44 certified rice seed, fertilizer and agrochemicals to cultivate a 1-hectare plot and helped them prepare the land for planting.

“The difference in yield we get using the new practices cannot be compared to the old practices. I used to harvest about 2.1 tons of rice per hectare. Now I get about 5.2 tons or more per hectare. The additional income has been life-changing for my family. Paying school tuition for my children is no longer a burden, and I’ve even bought a car.”

VCDP’s support extended cultivation into the dry season by providing water pumps, boosting yearly production and income. Previously focused on subsistence farming, Evelyn learned from VCDP that farming is a business, revolutionizing her approach.

 “Today, I can boast about what VCDP has done in my life and marvel at the improvements in my family’s well-being and my farm conditions.”