A portion of Joyce's Group's $5,425 loan helps a member to buy cost efficient maize, millet, and sorghum seeds.
Matete is a group of nine group leader farmers in Matete District. Joyce has volunteered to be the Kiva group representative and is on the right of the photo with her hand raised. Farming inputs will be delivered to her and the 74 other individual farmers represented in this group. The credit consists of the necessary materials to plant ¼ acre of maize and ¼ acre of millet or sorghum. The individual farmers are not pictured here but will be receiving an average loan of 5,349 shillings.
Joyce is married and has four children. She is 35 years old and is known as friendly, and hardworking, and trustworthy. She is active in her community in groups such as the women's group, and prayer group. Joyce has been a farmer for 12 years. Joyce described her harvest as excellent last year, but believes she can have an even better one this year by continuing to work with One Acre Fund.
Joyce first enrolled with One Acre Fund in 2010 and is now preparing to be a One Acre Fund farmer during the 2014 Long Rains season. Joyce joined One Acre Fund in order to get the best seed prices, and get new farming methods, and get fertilizer and hybrid seeds. She also volunteered to be a group leader and Kiva representative because she likes being a leader, and is an active community member, and wants to help more farmers. Joyce plans to use the money that she earns from her next harvest to send children to school, and save for the future, and buy a cow. She notes that working with One Acre Fund has lead to many benefits for One Acre Fund farmers. Joyce’s own life was improved because she has more profits from harvest, and has more farm training, and was able to save money.
Joyce and the Matete Group need a loan to cover the initial costs of purchasing the seeds and fertilizer through One Acre Fund. One Acre Fund will repay the Kiva loan on behalf of the farmers through the profits from the farmers’ harvests. One Acre Fund pre-purchases the seeds and fertilizer when prices are low and passes the cost savings to the farmers. Throughout the planting and harvesting season, One Acre Fund also provides training and support to the farmers as they make payments back to One Acre Fund. With support from One Acre Fund and your loan, these farmers will have a chance at a successful harvest, increased profits, and improved lives.
Please note that there are 3 additional group leaders in this photo that will be working with One Acre Fund but will not be a part of this Kiva group loan.
The field officer is also included in the photo and is standing on the left of the photo.
