Blog action day: Growing a better future with sweet potatoes
We’re publishing this story as part of Blog Action Day 2011
Maria Mchele Mwasonge used to sleep on a rag on the floor with her five children.
But then she met Mwanaidi Rhamadani, a trained female farmer in her home of Mwasonge, Tanzania. Mwanaidi told her about a new kind of crop that was bred just for their region – the orange sweet potato, rich in vitamins and nutrients – and Maria jumped at the chance to learn more. She discovered the best seeds to grow on her small patch of land, the smartest ways to use water and how to split one vine into two. She even learned how to get the best price for her potatoes at market.
Today, thanks to support from global partners, Maria sells a lot more than just potatoes. “Now I sell seeds, chips, biscuits, doughnuts, flour, even pancakes,” she says, “all made from sweet potatoes.”
In fact, programs like this have helped farmers like Maria increase their income by up to 400% and she’s using this new income to send her children to school and build a new, sturdy home. Maria and her children won’t have to sleep on a rag on the floor any more.
“I work happily knowing that I will be getting out of poverty by doing what I’m doing. And when I sleep, all I think about is the potatoes,” she says.
Maria’s now teaching other farmers exactly what she’s learned. And she’s even helping her community to get healthy. The town’s health centre has said that, because kids are eating more nutritious food, there’s much less malnutrition amongst Mwasonge’s children under five.
Maria’s helping to feed her family, her community and her entire nation for the long term.
Read more inspiring stories about how smart, effective aid is enabling poor people to work their way out of poverty on ONE’s living proof website
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The International ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with guest contributions from ONE volunteers, members and allies.
The content of each post and each comment represents the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
16/10/2011 at 9:02 pm
I feel so happy about this! You show us that it is possible to make a difference!Good courage and go on teaching!
16/10/2011 at 10:35 pm
Thank you. Beautiful, inspiring video.
16/10/2011 at 11:08 pm
where is the seed from????
17/10/2011 at 3:23 am
A very inspiring video indeed.
17/10/2011 at 6:29 am
It seems to be rich peple living in the big city but she is living in an abundant place than rich people.
18/10/2011 at 12:04 am
Interesting video – so many ways to combat rural poverty, but there are so few with the initiative to come up with the ideas. Will be showing the video to the capable rural kids at the Chrysalis School for Young Social Entrepreneurs – http://chrysalisuganda.wordpress.com for more info. We hope that they will become feeders of such information to villages throughout Uganda and subsequently other countries in Africa.
19/10/2011 at 7:34 am
Wow, this is incredible, It’s great to see it’s making a difference!
19/10/2011 at 9:04 am
i think they should grow sweet potatoes because it will give them good food to eat
19/10/2011 at 10:06 am
what a great video i see you guys have made a difference to thier lives.
23/10/2011 at 9:21 am
this is a great video and it is good that they are doing this
25/10/2011 at 5:37 pm
Good case study to read, we are should think how this situation can be handle in our community. Hope it will. Be a history in coming days.
28/10/2011 at 2:18 pm
This is very interesting.
But I wonder what “a new kind of crop that was bred just for their region” exactly means? Is this a genetically modified crop?