For Lamine Waly (pictured above), agriculture is everything. He is responsible for supporting a family of 15. In addition to his wife and 6 young children (aged 7 to 13), he also is responsible for taking care of his mother, brothers, and sisters-in-law. Agriculture is his means to independence and security. Waly is more fortunate than most to have access to certain machines and horses to help with the planting. Nevertheless, during planting season, he and his family must spend all their time in the field to cultivate his 10 hectares. Waly notes “I even eat my breakfast while working in the field and do not take a break until 12 or 1pm.” He notes that the greatest challenge for him is having access to fertilizer – without which he cannot have a good harvest. It is both difficult to come by and expensive. They do not have easy access to a nearby bank so the only option to hold on to money is through purchasing livestock.
Waly notes the myAgro program is something that could change his life. He comments that is much easier to follow than any other program he has known. The program has given him hope for the future for his family. He says, “we don’t want our children to suffer, so if I have the means, I will do everything I can to meet their needs so that when they are sick I can bring the to the hospital and send them to school so that they don’t fall behind. I work for my children.” He had to withdraw his children from school since no local school was available. The closest school was 5 kilometers away, meaning the children had to walk 10 kilometers round trip just to get to school. With success, he hopes to help develop his community – build a local hospital, a school, and a well for fresh water.
