FARMER, ELIAS PHIRI

Elias Phiri is a vibrant and young passionate farmer who grows different kinds of vegetables, such as tomatoes, onion, impwa, cabbage, egg plant and sugar cane next to these vegetables he grows in the rainy season maize, sunflower, soya beans and groundnuts. He struggled to grow most vegetables in the dry season, because his scoop hole dried up.

Elias is one of the AFAS farmers who wants to become a champion farmer and he dedicated a lima (50x50m) to test and try new agriculture methods and grow new kind of vegetables. Through this project he got a sponsored pump that gives him the opportunity to do his garden all year round. Now he does not carry water canes anymore.   

About Elias Phiri

Elias Phiri is a farmer born in 1988, who lives in Sabani Village. He is married and has 4 children of whom 3 girls and 1 boy. Elias Phiri started his garden in 2019. Elias Phiri grows different types of vegetables. Elias Phiri likes to try growing new vegetables to see which ones are more profitable and the project gives him the opportunity to do so.

Elias, wife and one child

Donor

Elias Phiri is supported by AFAS.

Jacana’s role

Jacana will provides Elias with the following support:

    • Business and financial training
    • A borehole and a solar pump
    • Agro support and guidance
    • Bookkeeping guidance.

Provided training

You can also download the manuals for these trainings:

Agro training

Download

Guidance and monitoring

August 2024

Elias Phiri was trained in Sustainable Organic Production and Organic Vegetable production. This was in line to reduce the expenditure made during the production of garden produce. Elias learned theory why he should transfer to organic farming. They learned also to make a permanent vegetable bed and the basics of pest management. It was a full week training and hands on.

July 2024

Elias Phiri was visited by the Agro-officer to check on one of the high valued crops he is growing. He was growing broccoli. He did very well, it was his first time to grow it.

May 2024

Elias Phiri came out as the best farmer in bookkeeping and won a prize of K 5,000 at the AFAS award day in Chipata.

April 2024

AFAS conducted a Farmers Visitation to evaluate the progress of farmers. This evaluation was done by farmers with the help of staff from jacana. Elias Phiri was one of the farmers who was evaluated by his fellow farmers.  

March 2024

Elias Phiri was guided in a how to mulch his vegetables. It will help him conserve more moisture during this hot season to come.

March 2024

In March Jacana visited Elias Phiri to check on progress of the crops planted in deep bed, this time impwa and fresh maize.

February 2024

In February, Elias Phiri started to add another line of deep bed after seeing the good harvest using this technique. These deep beds helps in conservation of water in the soil. It is not needed water every day. He also added organic materials in the deep bed like; grass, crop residues, manure and other materials. It helps to improve the soil profile and soil fertility.

December 2023

Thinking about Climate change and how best he would respond, Elias Phiri thought of planting trees in his garden, the focus is on trees that can enhance soil quality, act as windbreakers and be beneficial for making pesticides and organic fertilizers. In his garden he has also included some fruit tress that he has never planted before such as apple and the English mangoes. A guidance was given on how he can plant these tress.

November 2023

In November, Elias Phiri was guided on how to make Lab Serum. Elias Phiri learnt this so he can maximize the profit by making his own fertilizers and reduce on buying. And also improve his soils by enriching them with organic fertilizers.

October 2023

In October, 2023 Elias Phiri Utilized the 60% – 40% partially sponsored hosepipe to assist him in watering his vegetables. 60% will paid by the project and Elias pays 40% up to an amount of 8,000 Kwacha.

October 2023

In October 2023, Agro officer checked on Elias Phiri. The visit was to check on how the tomatoes were doing in the deep bed technique, and also to guide him on the handling of the harvested product. When crops are not well handled well, it will lead to a great loss. Below are baskets of tomatoes harvested from the deep bed farming technique.

August 2023

Agro officer visited Elias Phiri to check on the progress of tomatoes in the deep bed to see how they are doing and also how best the deep beds are working, The tomatoes were doing really great, proving the technique has a great impact.

July 2023

Elias Phiri was guided in Deep bed making. This was to help him utilize the water and maintain the moisture contain in the soil during the dry season. Deep beds are good because they keep moisture. And in this deep bed he tried planting tomatoes

April 2023

In April Elias Phiri tried to grow some high valued crops which he learned during the training. He was successfull in growing hot peppers and new variety of cabbage.

February 2023

In February Elias Phiri was invited to a training to attend a compost-making workshop, he learned how to create different types of compost that will help him improve his soils. Elias goal is to start using organic fertilizers for a reason of improving the profit and health.

October 2023

In October a visit was made to Elias Phiri, to help him create a layout of his garden of 50m*50m plot as part of the program. This layout will act as a guide for experimenting with new farming methods, different types of vegetables and more.  

August 2022

Elias learned to do the booking keeping sheet in order to improve on the accountability of his income, to know what goes in and out of his garden production. A layout of his garden plan was developed for his 50x50m plot which he will use for his trials, as he is transforming from Auto Pilot to Champion farmer, this layout will act as a guide for experiment with new farming methods and ideas.  

June 2022

Elias learned to do the booking keeping sheet in order to improve on the accountability of his income, to know what goes in and out of his garden production. A layout of his garden plan was developed for his 50x50m plot which he will use for his trials, as he is transforming from Auto Pilot to Champion farmer, this layout will act as a guide for experiment with new farming methods and ideas.  

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