Carpe Diem - Adrian seizes the day

Our Farmer Training Programme builds farmers’ skills and knowledge and introduces them to new ideas and techniques. For some farmers this is like lighting a fuse to release unrealised ambition. A great example of this is Adrian.

Adrian took part in our training programme in the Managha Ward and like others he started his own kitchen garden, growing vegetables to help his family eat more veg and reduce the costs of buying produce in the market. He then started looking for opportunities locally and approached a secondary school striking up an agreement to supply vegetables directly to the school, creating an income for himself and improving student meals in the process. Adrian didn’t stop there and harnessing his new income, plus a small loan from LTT, he started a small shop serving his local community. The shop has been such a success that he’s been able to give up working for the school to focus on his own business. This is a major change for a farmer who just 12 months ago was reliant on a small income from chickens.

Adrian now uses his expertise in organic vegetable production to run a small commercial market garden with a neighbour. They produce tomatoes using organic pest control methods and over the last three months they have made almost £600. Once the tomatoes are harvested the ambitious pair will move on to watermelons which are in high demand in Babati. Not only that, Adrian has also mentored two other community members who have gone on to establish their own market gardens, sharing his knowledge to enable others in his community to improve their prospects.