Farmers Review Africa July/Aug 2017 Farmers Review Africa July/Aug 2017 | Page 16

Insights
Orange-fleshed sweetpotato farmer in Rwanda.
This is her story...
My name is Marie Claire Mukakimenyi. I am 57
that I could increase my income with orange-
electricity in my house. I bought a TV and my
years old and I have been a farmer here in eshed sweetpotato. I also saw that other family and I can now watch the news each day and
Rwanda all my life. I am a widow with 5 children farmers in the community were interested in know what is happening in the world. e local
to care for – 3 girls and 2 boys. I was one of the nding out about OFSP and were willing to pay farmers have seen my achievements over the last
rst people here to receive orange- eshed a little extra for the crop. Once I realized this, I few years and so it has been easy to convince them
learnt everything I could about OFSP . of the bene ts of farming OFSP.
sweetpotato (OFSP) vines from the International
Potato Center through the SASHA (Sweetpotato
Action for Security and Health in Africa) project, I decided to mobilize a group of farmers in the We are also very glad to know that OFSP is rich in
w h i c h w a s b e i ng i mp l e m e nt e d by t h e local area to grow OFSP. We quickly realized that Vitamin A. I eat OFSP every day to improve my
International Potato Center here in Rwanda. I there was a strong interest in OFSP among the sight. I am also diabetic. I need these vitamins to
was given OFSP vines for planting and I also w ider far ming communit y and at t he keep me strong and healthy. I always make sure
received training on how to farm OFSP and marketplace. At the start they (the other that I include OFSP as part of my diet and my
multiply the vines.
farmers) used to think I was silly for growing family's diet. We like to boil them, fry them and
OFSP as it was a new and unknown crop and the roast them. Because I know how good OFSP is for
When I received the OFSP vines, I decided that I farmers were not sure what to think about it. But your health I make sure that we have OFSP on our
would plant them on my farm. e CIP now they can see how well I have done from plates every day.
agronomist who visited my farm taught me all OFSP farming and now they want to learn from about OFSP - how to improve my farming me and farm OFSP. Now that there are a group of OFSP farmers in the
ey also told me all about the nutritional Since I started farming OFSP I have been able to OFSP and sell them to the local factory in town,
bene ts of eating OFSP. I realized very quickly make more money – I have been able to install which makes commercial products from the
area, we work together to sell OFSP. We harvest
practices, how to plant and take care of OFSP.
July - August 2017
[16] FARMERS
REVIEW AFRICA
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