He Sold Their Phones!

Frankson Jacobs dabbled in irrigation farming occasionally for several years. In 2021 when his family ended up not having enough food, he realized he needed to get serious about irrigation. But where to get the capital in a year of scarcity?

“I remember Alex, the Project Coordinator told us sometimes it is good to sell some of the things we have in the home so that we find capital,” Frankson explains. “So, at the beginning of the year I sold my phone and my wife’s phone.” Part of the money that he and his wife got they invested in a tea room business. That nets him about $3 a day, which he uses to buy fertilizer. The rest of the money they spent on other supplies. To increase his crop production, he has also rented plots from other farmers who don’t practice irrigation farming.

Frankson is now growing maize, beans and onions via irrigation farming. Currently, he irrigates with a pedal pump and a watering can, but AWP is in the process of providing him a windmill. This year, he anticipates a profit of MK500,000 (USD 488), which will enable him to buy more agricultural supplies, purchase livestock, and pay his children’s school fees.

** UPDATE** The Jacobs are now lead farmers in their village and are in the process of receiving a windmill. In the photo of their garden above you can see the tower is already built!