With the help of the ORDA Agriculture Development, Sheik Mostaffah Abdul is becoming a successful farmer in Bati.
In 2007 he cultivated 1 hectare of land with peanuts, which he sold at the market for 7,600 birr ($817 USD). With that income, he was able to cultivate 4 hectares of land in 2008 and sell the peanuts for 27,800 birr ($3,000 USD).
“Because of ORDA, I can do this,” he said. “They gave me seeds. They taught me how to manage the crop and gave me training. ORDA also linked me with the market so I could sell my products.”
With the income, Mostaffah bought a camel to help him transport his crop to the town market. He also bought a pair of oxen to help with farming and sorghum for the family’s consumption. “I also spent some money to fix my house and to contribute to my son’s wedding,” he noted, proudly.
Mostaffah and his wife have 8 children, 6 of whom are married, while the other 2 are still in school. “Because of the farming, our living condition has improved,” he said. “My wife is always helping me,” added Mostaffah. “I work at the farm while she works in our home. Whenever I achieve something, it’s because she has helped. My sons also help tend the land.”
With the oxen and the camel they purchased, Mostaffah and his wife can cover their family’s annual food consumption plus have rented land to expand their farming business.
Someday Mostaffah hopes to purchase a peanut sheller machine to make his business more efficient. He also plans to buy a grinding mill to earn money by providing grain services to other families in the village.
Demonstrating his leadership in the community, Mostaffah has passed on the farming skills he learned from ORDA to 211 other people.