Fanta Wilane is a Senegalese smallholder farmer, mother, and entrepreneur who only produced one bag of groundnuts on half a hectare of land last season. This was a significant decline in crop production, as she was used to growing enough food that would last her and her family throughout the year. Alarmed by the low yield, Fanta realized that she had no choice but to take action.
Unaware of the environmental impacts of climate change, Fanta had remained hopeful for years. Hoping that the next season, the rains would return to normal and the land would once again be fruitful. A replenished soil means that her family and community could thrive once more. In reality, that would not be the case. Climate change has wreaked havoc on the ecosystem which she relies upon. With shorter rainfall than normal over the last decade, Fanta’s land was drying out, continually reducing her accessibility to food.
Fanta recognized some changes over the last decade, but it was three years ago she noticed a significant shift in the weather pattern. Her family owns three hectares of land, which used to allow them to produce enough food to last them until the next farming season. Now, Fanta and her family only have the means to cultivate half a hectare of land, which produces one bag of groundnuts.
While Fanta faces the effects of climate change, she is also confronted with difficulties at home — her husband, who she could rely on to manage the field, fell ill and his health deteriorated over the course of the last two years. “I’m the one solely taking care of the family now,” Fanta shared.
In addition to her farming activities, Fanta has her own boutique at the village which she started up thirteen years ago. However, the boutique does not generate enough money for it to be a reliable source of income. This reality, paired with low crop yields, results in a lack of funds needed to maintain a stock and offer a wide variety of goods.
Unable to grow enough food, “the problem is now financial,” she highlights. As the lack of rain strips the soil of the chemical, physical, and biological activities that are essential for plant and soil health, Fanta finds herself requiring more money each year to cover the cost of food which previously, she was able to grow herself. However, buying enough food is not easy, particularly as costs rise due to global price increases. “It’s difficult to put food on the table,” Fanta states. “I don’t want my children to go through what I have been through, that is why I work hard.”
Fanta needed to diversify her income stream in order to maintain her family. To make more money, Fanta conducts most of her business activities at the markets. These markets are mainly run by women, and are often located alongside the highways between the cities. Many women, like Fanta, travel long distances from their villages to reach these markets and depend on irregular transportation methods.
At the market, there are a number of different activities. Some women gather imported produce from different regions within the country and sell them at rented stalls. Others buy goods in bulk from the market which they trade for a profit. Other activities include deshelling groundnuts, chopping onions, or scaling fish.
Fanta currently trades goods at the market three times a week. Whatever she has left, she brings back to sell at her boutique in the village. Fanta does all this work to ensure that her children have a brighter and more stable future. “Even if I’m sick, I still get up and have to work,” she stated.
Back in Fanta’s village, everyone tunes in to the local radio channels broadcasting the weather forecast. These forecasts are important for the farming community as planting time approaches and the recommendations are helpful in promoting discussions around finding the best time to plant.
“It’s important to know when to plant,” Fanta added.
Fanta recalls that she and her community hoped for more rain this season. This hope buoyed farmers’ spirits since it would mean a longer growing season and more crops to eat and sell. But there were also whisperings of “cëbo” or “false rain”, causing confusion throughout the village. False rain means that there is a long period between the first hints of rain and the true start of the rainy season. If farmers plant too early, they risk drying out newly planted seeds. Climate-informed producers apply a treatment to seeds that help them withstand conditions like this. Treated seeds, like those that myArgo sells to farmers like Fanta, provide protection for 45 days if rain is delayed after planting.
In addition to finding the right time to plant, Fanta and other farmers in her village are now learning about the use of fertilizer.
Earlier this year, Fanta got news from her daughter, Khoudia, who learned about microdosing fertilizer. Khoudia attended an agricultural training conducted by myAgro, which discussed climate-smart agricultural practices. She told her mother that high-quality fertilizers are applied in small doses, and used in combination with natural compost to improve soil fertility. This intrigued Fanta. Khoudia also told her mother about myAgro’s innovative layaway model, which allows farmers to pay little by little. This means that farmers do not need to borrow money or take out a loan in order to pay for good quality inputs.
Having witnessed the negative effects of uncertified fertilizers purchased at the markets by other farmers, who experienced fertilizer burn — an over-application of fertilizer that causes crops to wilt and die, Fanta had stayed clear of it. However, after hearing about myAgro’s fertilizer and training, Fanta felt confident in the product and enrolled for her first package with myAgro.
Once Fanta received her myAgro package, she planted corn on the same half-hectare of land where she had previously planted groundnuts. But, this time, she used the certified fertilizer she received from myAgro, which she felt more comfortable using. However, Fanta was still wary of fertilizer burn so she decided to reduce the recommended amount to test it out first. In an effort to encourage growth, Fanta said that she prepared the land well by tilling the soil thoroughly and using a generous amount of compost.
After planting, Fanta’s land was looking much more fertile.
“It’s the first time I used fertilizer because myAgro came and explained,” she said. “If I knew it was going to be this good, I would have planted more! I am getting two more packages next year. It’s good quality corn. Next year it will all be corn, I have more than three hectares of land.”
Fanta shared her relief about the better future her harvest could bring.
“My daughters are farmers too,” she continued. Having educated her children in the agricultural practices she acquired in her lifetime, Fanta has once more regained hope in her children’s future.
“I wish for them to be fair people with a peaceful living in agriculture,” Fanta shared.
Amadou Diouldi Sané is a myAgro agricultural agent who visited Fanta to measure her harvest. “We come to check whether it’s good or not. We can’t just give somebody something and not follow up with them,” Amadou said.
Despite the fact that Fanta had reduced the micro-dosage of fertilizer recommended by myAgro, she produced three and a half bags of corn compared to the one bag of groundnuts last year. Due to the success of this year’s harvest, Fanta has gained trust in the quality of myAgro inputs. Additionally, witnessing the level of care and attention that myAgro offers its farmers also increased Fanta’s confidence in the organization. She now finds comfort in knowing that she is not alone.
This season was the first time that Fanta attempted to apply myAgro’s agricultural training. Next year, Fanta plans to make better use of her newly acquired skills and plans to plant more.
Fanta Wilane is one of the estimated 33 million smallholder farmers in Africa that are currently trying to navigate the challenges of climate change at the frontline of the crisis. The low level of awareness of the root causes of climate variability, mainly due to the lack of funding to share reliable information, make it difficult for farmers to implement adaptation solutions. Many farmers are currently still operating as they have done for generations. This is resulting in increasing levels of hunger, as the effects of climate change accelerate. “Greenhouse gas emissions keep growing, global temperatures keep rising, and our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible,” Guterres, UN Secretary-General, warned at the COP27 summit.
myAgro’s financial savings solution allows farmers to invest in their land with the little money they have accumulated over time. This helps farmers overcome the climate and food security issues they are facing, as it provides access to quality inputs, up-to-date agricultural training, technical assistance, pre-and post-harvest support, climate and weather information, and other climate-smart benefits throughout the year.
myAgro recognizes that farmers should not be left to fight the climate crisis on their own — this is a global issue requiring global efforts.
For more stories about our beloved farmers, stay tuned and up to date by following myAgro on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
