Farmer, Velano Tembo
Velano Tembo has been farming for many years growing field crops and vegetables in Benje village, Mwami area in the Eastern part of Chipata.
Growing vegetables, especially, has many challenges. Access to reliable water has been the most challenging issue for him. However, this has not deterred him from his passion of running a garden year after year using rains and sometimes drawing water from scoop holes near a “dambo” area (wetland) near his garden.
About Velano Tembo
Velano Tembo is married and has seven children and lives in Benje village, Chipata district. All his children are married and live away from home, so he and his wife are taking care of three of their grandchildren.
He grows various vegetables like tomatoes, cabbage, rape, and onions. His water source used to be a stream near his garden, but it dries up during the hot season in October. Velano uses manure in his garden and is exploring ways to improve farming without using fertilizers.
He was selected as a farmer to be part of the AFAS project. He received a partially sponsored pump, allowing him to access water all year-round. He dedicates one Lima (50x50m) to test new vegetables and learning new farming techniques.
Donor
VELANO TEMBO is supported by AFAS.
Jacana has provided Velano Tembo with the following support:
- Business and financial training.
- A borehole and a solar pump.
- Agro support (partly sponsored agro supplies and inputs) and guidance
- Bookkeeping guidance.
Guidance and monitoring
August 2024
The farmers had the opportunity to assess each other and see how well they were doing. They were evaluated in four key areas:
Implementation: How well they applied what they were learning.
Garden layout: The arrangement and organization of their gardens.
Innovation: Their creativity and problem-solving when facing challenges.
Bookkeeping: How well they kept records and managed their finances.
The ratings in these four areas were used to determine who would be the best farmer for the period. Farmers also benefited by exchanging ideas, discussing challenges, and learning new techniques to improve their farms. The visit allowed them to see how others were working, which inspired them to try new approaches on their own farms.
March 2024
The high cost of farming supplies like fertilizer and pesticides is still the biggest challenge for African smallholder farmers trying to expand. Velano Tembo attended training on Sustainable Organic Agriculture (SOA) and Organic Vegetable Production (OVP) at Jacana. During this training, Velano learned how to make organic pesticides, use biomass, and how to spray the natural pesticides they made.
November 2023
Jacana is also encouraging its farmers to plant different types of trees, especially those with many benefits. Velano was shown how to plant a Neem tree in his garden, which will help him make natural pesticides and organic fertilizers.
October 2023
Jacana visited Mr. Velano Tembo, and he shared that he suffered a big loss because goats ate all the vegetables in his garden, including butternut, eggplant, and cucumbers.
October 2023
Jacana showed Mr. Velano how to make bocashi compost, a strong organic compost that is ready in just 15 days, to help him save money on synthetic fertilizer.
August 2023
Jacana visited Velano Tembo to check on the progress on his garden and if he faces and challenges. The butternut and cucumber were doing well and he was already selling some.
The challenges were that Velano didn’t have enough experience growing butternut and cucumber since it was his first time. The crops didn’t grow as well as he expected. He wasn’t sure about the best time to plant, the common diseases that affect these crops, or the right chemicals to use, like pesticides and fungicides. Now, he feels more confident because he understands the crops better and is ready to plant them on a larger scale.
June 2023
Velano happily watering his vegetables in his garden using his new hosepipe. By this time he had planted sisal around his lima.
March 2023
Velano received a partially sponsored hosepipe, which he purchased through the project’s agro-support program, along with a 210-liter drum to help with irrigation and water storage.
February 2023
Jacana drilled a borehole for Velano to help with his watering issues. His field officer, Chongo, worked with him to create a garden plan. See the plan below.
January 2023
In January 2023, Velano attended Jacana’s business training, created a business plan for growing new types of vegetables, and identified potential future customers.