myAgro’s main goal is to double farmer income, and this year we are focused on vegetables. Vegetables are a strategic investment for farm families to make. It helps improve nutrition for kids by diversifying diets and is a major income earner – a small $7 investment by a farmer can help them generate over $75 of impact (> 10X return!). This year, myAgro is bundling in a small vegetable package for all 60,000 farmers.
“My harvest this year will allow me to cook nutritious meals all year round,” says myAgro farmer Daba Ndao. “I will prepare local dishes including millet couscous, which help not only children but adults to stay healthy, and spend less on medications and hospital consultations,” she adds.
Vegetables provide families with the nutrition they need to stay healthy. When farmers consume more nutritious crops, illnesses decrease and families thrive. “This great harvest that I had this year has an importance that goes beyond the health of my children,” says farmer Ndeye Fatou. “If the illnesses decrease, we will have less difficulties, will spend less money on treatment, and then can focus on the development of the family.”
visiting farmers in Kafara, Ouelessebougou, Mali, Sept © 2018 myAgro Photo by Natalie Brown
This year, with the generous support of Bayer, myAgro began a series of nutritional trainings for farmers, including topics like balancing diets, hygiene in the kitchen, and dehydration. “Thanks to myAgro’s nutrition trainings, I now know that it is important to vary the food we eat,” says farmer Mafili after a nutrition session in Mali. “It will help me and my children to maintain good health. If I had known all the beneficial effects of okra, I would have eaten this more,” she adds.
By investing in vegetable packages and diversifying their crops grown, farmers not only improve the health of their families but also the health of their soil. Crop rotation ensures that the soils are not depleted of certain nutrients, promoting bigger and healthier plants, and larger harvests for farmers. “When you get to my field, you see the difference,” says farmer Colly Diouf, “My plants are bigger and darker because of the fertilizer. They used to be small and yellow, but with the soil is more powerful now,” she adds. Last year, Diouf saw a 2-3x increase in her harvest on her myAgro field, despite the short rainfall.
Bayer Nutrition Training and Deworming in Kafara, Mali, May © 2018 myAgro Photo by Christien van den Brink
myAgro’s impact goes beyond individual farmers. By working with a diverse client base, from women looking to start businesses to young people looking to pay their school fees, myAgro reaches entire communities and lifts everyone out of poverty. Additionally, farmers share their harvests with their neighbors, meaning when one family does well, others do too. “I am delighted to have a good harvest,” says myAgro farmer Oumy Cisse. “When we all work with myAgro, the community will prosper.”
