Who is Aisha?
Aisha Luka, a 42-year-old woman, mother of two, is married and living in Nzali village in Chilonwa ward in the Chawmino district, Dodoma. Dodoma is a semi-arid region with distinct dry and wet seasons of low rainfall below potential evapotranspiration, but it is not a desert, so farmers can boost productivity and improve soil fertility through agroecological approaches.Aisha had extensive training on proper farming methods like proper spacing, improvement of soil fertility using animal manure, intercropping, and application of mulch after joining the group. This shifted her entire agricultural perspective to a more sustainable one. She also uses quality local seeds in her process. Another thing she managed to do was increase the amount of land she was growing by 133% from 3 acres to 7 acres. She currently harvests 15 bags of maize, 6 bags of Sorghum, and 15 bags of sunflowers which have doubled her income by 200% from 500,000TZS to 1,500,000TZS per year. This was a great success for Aisha as she confessed that she has never harvested such a quantity of products prior to joining the Mapambano group. This increased her household income and ensured food security for her family and community.Aisha’s success in Agriculture and the entrepreneurship training she got from SAT has favored her in that she sees and utilizes any kind of entrepreneurship opportunities that crosses her way. Following few months after her training, Aisha saw an opportunity in her neighborhood and decided to utilize the opportunity to start up a small business making liquid soap and selling baobab fruits to earn some money. She also cultivates and sells tree seedlings to her neighbors as she is interested in afforestation because she knows that this is an important factor when it comes to improving soil fertility and increasing productivity in these dry areas.