With training in record and book keeping, Ms Libundi has been able to not only record the incoming membership fees, farmers’ contributions for inputs, and the sales of the cashew and petty cash of stationaries and yearly expenditures of buying sulphur for 1200 members, but she was also able to plan her own business with this knowledge as well. “For example, with cashew I write down my expenses on preparing the land, how much I spend on sulphur, how many times I sprayed and how much I paid for collecting the cashew. These expenses I register for a whole year. And then when I sell my cashew I write down my income. If I deduct the expenses from my sales I see my profit or loss.” She does the same with other crops for sale and with the tree nursery that she has with her husband. With her calculations she can easily see if it is worth to continue with this particular crop and plans accordingly her next agricultural season. ‘I tried to grow cow peas, but it turned out that I had to pay so much on pesticides that I saw in my books that I made a loss. Now I’m growing pigeon peas instead.’
MHQFP does not only train farmers in cashew production, but also teaches them about intercropping with food crops for not depending on one crop only and for improving soil fertility. “I improved my harvest of maize, pigeon peas and peanuts which gave me profit.” That Ms Libundi is doing well is also known by other village members. They wanted her to be part of a new program of Farmer Field School in banana trees. “They saw that I’m doing well with my agricultural business and appointed me as Farmer Field School teacher”. Women see her as an example for the community. “Women are better as treasurers since they cannot steal money. They are afraid of getting arrested and not being able to take care of their family anymore. Men can just steal, stay away for a few years, spend the stolen money and come back to their family like nothing happened.”
