Moses Nyirenda, Farmer & Beekeeper
Moses Nyirenda is a farmer, beekeeper, and someone who enjoys making things on his own. He lives on a family farm in the Msekera area of Chipata. On his farm, he grows maize, groundnuts, and soybeans, and he also takes care of bees. In the AFAS project he gets a sponsored pump and this gives him the opportunity to grow vegetables in the dry season. He likes to learn how to grow all kind of vegetables.
Next to that Moses has a dream of having a small pond to raise fish, but there are some challenges. He doesn’t have enough knowledge about fish farming, and he also lacks money and the right equipment to get water from his well efficiently.
Watch Moses Nyirenda’s pre-Jacana support introduction video.
About Moses Nyirenda
Moses Nyirenda lives on a big family farm with his wife and 10 family members. The farm is huge, covering 880 acres with a nice forest.
Moses is a farmer and really loves taking care of bees. When it rains, he grows maize, soya beans, groundnuts, and sunflowers. When he’s not farming, he’s busy with his bees. He makes his own bee houses, collects honey, and processes it. Other beekeepers ask him to help them collect honey too. He uses his homemade wax to attract bees to their homes.
Moses has plans to plant trees with fruits near his bee area and wants to make a small pond for fish. Besides bees, he also takes care of rabbits, goats, cows, chickens, and doves. Moses is very hardworking and likes also to grow new varieties of vegetables.
Below is a picture of Moses’ wife (far right) and some of his children and grandchildren.
Donor
Moses Nyirenda is supported by AFAS.
Jacana’s role
Jacana will provide Moses with the following support:
- Business, financial and marketing planning training
- A mobile solar pump
- Agro support (materials & inputs) and guidance
- Bookkeeping guidance
Provided training
You can also download the manuals for these trainings:
Guidance and monitoring
November 2023
Jacana’s field officer, Chongo, helped Moses learn how to plant Neem trees, which he received through the project. All farmers supported by AFAS, with Jacana’s assistance, are encouraged to plant various types of trees. The focus is on trees that can enhance soil quality, act as windbreakers, and be beneficial for making pesticides and organic fertilizers.
October 2023
In October 2023, it was great to see that Moses had made good progress with the fishpond he was digging – it was almost 70% done. Chongo suggested that he compact the dykes to make sure they don’t collapse.
September 2023
In September, Moses began to dig the fishpond.
August 2023
In August, Chongo paid a visit to Moses to help him with constructing a fishpond. He shared information about the basics of pond design, including the recommended pond shape, depth, dike construction, and other important features.
July 2023
In July, Moses Nyirenda moved his tomato plants to a different spot and planted additional crops like cabbage and okra. He utilized Bocashi compost, a type of bio-fertilizer compost which he learned from the compost-making workshop at Jacana.
June 2023
In June, Moses got a partially sponsored hosepipe to assist him in watering his vegetable garden. Additionally, he received a box file for keeping his bookkeeping sheets.
December 2022
Later on, Chongo visited Moses to create a layout plan for his 50 x 50m plot as part of the “From Auto Pilot to Champion Farmer” project sponsored by AFAS. This layout will act as a guide for experimenting with new farming methods, different types of crops, and more.
In December 2022, Moses attended a compost-making workshop at the Jacana Foundation. During the workshop, he learned how to create different types of compost. Moses intends to use bio-fertilizers in his vegetable garden based on what he learned.
September 2022
In September 2022, Moses took part in a two-day training workshop where he gained knowledge on creating business, financial, and marketing plans.
