From Field to Market to Table

Siltenbegim, a seed farmer in Ishkashim, Afghanistan, shows off a handful of carrot seeds. A Canadian program helped her build a business harvesting and selling seeds. About half of the world’s farmers are women. Investing in opportunities for women means better nutrition and prosperity in their communities. 

Bacar is an entrepreneur and farmer in Mieze, Mozambique. With help from a Canadian program, he expanded his shop to offer quality seeds and other farming goods to the local community, which means farmers can get the supplies they need close to home. Bacar also started a business processing and selling the leaves of the moringa tree, which are packed with nutrients, as a cooking ingredient. 

Dunya is a beekeeper in Shugnan, Afghanistan. Bees pollinate local crops and the honey they produce is a source of energy and income for Dunya and her family. Canadian programs in Afghanistan have helped beekeepers with training, mentoring and educational trips to learn more about beekeeping techniques. 

Antonio and Josephina are farmers in Nova Zambezia, Mozambique. With Canadian support, they built a silo out of local clay. The silo helps them store their crops until the lean season, when there is less food and sale prices are higher. Farmers from the surrounding area have come to visit Josephina and Antonio’s silo to learn how to build their own. 

Palmira and Calisto raise goats in Namaluco, Mozambique. They are part of a livestock association, created with Canadian support, that promotes proper care of goats and coordinates activities like grazing and repairing enclosures. The money they make from breeding and selling goats helps them cover basic needs like food, clothing and school fees. 

Francis is an urban farmer in Nairobi, Kenya. He participated in a Canadian-funded research project to map the city’s food system and opportunities for farming within the city limits. One square metre of land can produce 20 kilograms of food per year, making urban farming an important source of nutrients and income for the growing population of urban dwellers in Africa and Asia.