Sometimes we find ourselves sitting around on our hands, not because we don’t want to help, but because we don’t have the tools to do so.
This problem was very real to many of the farmers we spoke with in Somalia.
We heard people talk about having children and grandchildren who could help on the farm, but not enough supplies to have all hands on deck during the busiest parts of the year—especially preparing the land for the rainy season, planting, and harvesting.
Plus, having the right tools can really help farmers take back control of some of the effects of a changing climate.
“Before, my farm had really rich and nutritious soil, but the soil has lost lots of nutrients and its ability to retain water,” said Mohammed Ahmed Askar, one of the farmers we worked with. “In order to be more efficient and to control for floods, I would love more tools we can use for flood control.”
Something that could help? Shovels! We bought shovels for all of the farms – a versatile tool that can be used from everything to transferring manure from one pile and into a wheelbarrow, to creating small-scale anti-erosion bands.
It’s a win win – getting more help to till the soil, and more ways to make the soil bountiful.
This change made possible by Mankind is My Business.
