For Ronald Mughogho from Chisenga in Traditional Authority Mwenewenya, Chitipa District, farming has become more than a way of feeding his family. It has grown into a business that is helping him earn an income, improve his family’s living conditions and plan for a better future.
Before receiving support through the IOVCY project, Ronald was already involved in farming, but he did not have enough knowledge and resources to manage it as a business. With a family to support, he saw farming as an opportunity to generate income and improve their lives.
Through the IOVCY project, implemented by Lusubilo Community Care with financial support from the Coppell Family and technical assistance from Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Ronald received business training. The training helped him understand how to manage a business, calculate profit and loss, and use tools such as SWOT analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
He also received consumption support and business capital support, which he invested in garden farming. He began producing fresh maize, cabbage, tomatoes, onions and other vegetables. He sells the produce within Chitipa and to customers in Karonga and, at times, across the border in Zambia.
“With the support I received, I was able to increase my farming activities. I now produce different crops and sell them to earn money,” he explained .
Ronald also diversified his sources of income. He used part of his earnings to buy a motorcycle, which he operated as a Kabaza business. The income from the Kabaza business, together with money from farming, helped him meet family needs and save for the future.
The knowledge Ronald gained through the project has also changed the way he farms. He learned how to make and use Mbeya manure, which has helped improve his farming. During the last farming season, he cultivated more land and harvested a larger amount of maize.
After operating the motorcycle business for some time, Ronald decided to sell the motorcycle and invest the money in another business. Together with his savings from farming, the money from selling the motorcycle enabled him to buy a car, which he now uses for business.
Ronald says the support has not only helped him financially but has also strengthened the way he and his wife make decisions as a family. Through the project, they learned the importance of planning and making decisions together.
“We sit down as a family and discuss how we can use the money we make. We plan together, and this has helped us to achieve some of the things we have today,” Ronald explains.
One of the achievements he is most proud of is building a house. Looking ahead, Ronald hopes to continue expanding his businesses and completing the house. He also plans to buy a maize mill, which he believes will provide another source of income for his family.
Although he still faces challenges in running his businesses, Ronald says the business training has helped him make better decisions and manage his resources more carefully.
He is grateful to Lusubilo Community Care and its partners for the support and knowledge that have helped him move from small-scale farming towards a more organized business.