How skills and knowledge training grow business

08-02-2015 Yvonne Muma a 44 year old mother of 6 children and married to Mr Kabuswe, of Kampumbu agriculture camp, member of Twavwane Rice Growers group has set herself as a role model in rice farming in Kampumbu agriculture camp in Isoka District Northern Province of Zambia where farmers once faced prospects of poor yield and low income in rice production. Yvonne has been growing rice since 2008 and then cultivated a half Lima (1/8 hectare) and harvested 3x50kg bags of rice. The poor yield of rice was as a result of traditional practice she been using in growing of rice.

However, with the support from Isoka District Rice Association (IDRA) Yvonne had to go for high yield rice variety which she obtained from IDRA through the seed growers. Yvonne has been a member IDRA since 2009, and from IDRA she has learnt the good rice agronomic practice through the farmers’ field school. She incorporated the good agronomic practices in such a way that it enhance productivity and profitability.

In 2011 Yvonne, cultivated one lima of rice and cultivated 10 bags of rice, on the following year she tried and cultivated rice on the same one lima plot and harvested 15 bags of rice. In the same way in 2013 Yvonne cultivated 2 lima of rice and cultivated a 30 bags of rice. She sold her rice to Community Markets for Conservation COMACO and sold all the 30 bags at 100 Kwasha per 50kg bag and managed to get 3000 Kwasha out of her rice production. Yvonne has been able to pay for her children’s school fees through rice production. ’’My life has changed since I joined IDRA’’ she said. Yvonne has been able to do other business activities after going through some other training like ‘how to start your own business’ with IDRA and she now owns a grocery shop.

Isoka District Rice Association has termed Yvonne as one of the IDRA’s best farmer worthy of emulation by farmers across Kampumbu Agriculture camp.