This farmer’s life changed because of onions … and radio
Emanuel Fanuel is an onion farmer who lives at in Ngage village, in the Manyara Region of Tanzania. Before turning to onions, Emanuel grew coffee, sugar cane, maize and beans along the Usambara Mountains. Due to unreliable rainfall, he decided to relocate to the Ruvu River basin and pursue irrigation farming. Reflecting on the time before the move, Emanuel had this to say:
The big challenge I faced was lack of food. I sometimes worked as cash labourer in order to feed my children. And some [children] had to drop out of school due because I couldn’t pay the fees. That situation was terrible and it pained me so much that I had to find another place for farming.”
Emanuel now grows onions as a cash crop and is now able to provide a better life for his five children. He is able to pay school fees and feed his family, and has built a modern house in his home village. He also bought a motorcycle for transportation and a power tiller to make work on his small farm easier. Radio also provides a helping hand.
A radio program from Moshi FM has helped me so much. I’m in touch with radio broadcasters. I ask questions and they answer,” says Emanuel.
