Stories From The Field: Blogs
Filters

Transitioning field schools to safe, socially distanced learning environments using the FAO’s Farmer Field School COVID Recommendations

In the Casamance region of Senegal, lies the second biggest city, Ziguinchor. Plagued with arid soils and an inescapably long dry season, the region largely relies on an import-based food system for a majority of their needs, including fruits and vegetables. With COVID-19 disrupting critical food distribution systems, DIG’s farmer field school network has been ramping up production to fill in the gaps. In 2019, Development in Gardening, with support from Rise Against Hunger, The University of Washington Senegal Research

Read More

Finding ways to limit post-harvest loss during COVID

The immediate effects of COVID-19 on food security and nutrition in Kenya cannot be under estimated. The restrictions in movement, closure of hotels and schools which act as a market for many farmers, and lack of supply for farm inputs pose a critical challenge to almost every farmer. The effect is much more devastating to low income households and communities that already face serious challenges such as HIV, drought or flooding and poor access to essential services. DIG’s program that

Read More

Maureen Oboch – Orange Sweet Potato Entrepreneur

“DIG brought me up from a level no one else would have done, I leant a number of techniques that have enables me to succeed even in other projects, I have done all these because DIG opened my potential in farming, DIG connected me to Ministry of Agriculture and I got connected further to CIP. For sure my life has improved beyond what anyone expected.” – Maureen Oboch Maureen Oboch first joined DIG’s program back in 2016. She is from

Read More

Saphietu – First Time Gardener

I want to introduce you to one of the amazing women in our LAUNCH Program in Senegal, Saphiatu. Saphiatu lives in Ziguinchor. She and her husband have never held a formal job. He makes money doing odd jobs primarily around electrical work when he can find it. When money really gets desperate Saphiatu mixes a homemade bleach solution to sell in the local market. They have a 15-year-old daughter and they are also shouldering the burden of caring for their

Read More

Sabina

Sabina Onyango has been a member of the Ny Karachuonyo HIV support group in Western Kenya for several years. She, like others in her group, are well versed in the important role nutrition plays in their otherwise compromised health. In 2015, seeking more feasible solutions to improve their nutrition, her highly motivated group sought out access to DIG’s nutrition sensitive agriculture training. Over the 5- month training, Sabina became increasingly excited about what she was learning and quickly began implementing

Read More

#GivingTuesday – Giving a Future: Sabina Oyango

As we begin to plan for #GivingTuesday on Dec 3, 2019, we thought it would be a good idea to look back and see what some of our first #GivingTuesday seeds have planted. DIG first participated in #GivingTuesday in 2015 supporting our Farmer Field School Program in Kenya. We re-visited one of our farmers from the first 8 Farmer Field School Groups to see how her family is doing.

Read More

The Case for DIG

Sarah Koch, DIG’s founder and Executive Director was a featured 2019 social entrepreneur in Santa Clara University’s GSBI program. Watch her make the case for DIG at GSBI’s Investor Showcase.

Read More

Focused on Tomorrow’s Future

A 27 year old Salome Anyango rejoiced when she gave birth to twins on Dec 13th, 2016. Denis, a boy, and Maureen, a girl, are now 2 years and 2 months old. At the time of their birth, she felt blessed with two at once but knew life would be busier than expected as she added the twins alongside her other four children. Salome struggled to supply enough breastmilk to meet both babies needs, and while the twins provided twice as many smiles, they also needed twice the support.

Read More

Embracing Communities with Disabilities in Uganda

Levi Byamukama has a vibrant social energy. He greets everyone with a smile and moves through life with joyful curiosity. One day, after seeing a group of Batwa DIG farmers gathered in the fields, Levi moved closer to see what was happening. He ended up staying through an entire DIG training and returned the weeks following. After a while, the group elected he join them and Levi became an official DIG farmer.

Read More