Mardi 11 Août 2015 21:20

Farming is in my genes, Blogger I am

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I was raised in Kitale, Kenya’s breadbasket where I learned farming at first hand from my parents. I moved to Nairobi City when I was 18 for my studies but I still maintained a strong interest in farming. The experiences of growing up in Kitale inculcated in me a love for farming.

 

I am a good listener as well as a quick learner. People tell me that I am a hardworking and patient person. I used to have many hobbies but nowadays when not in my garden you’ll find me with my laptop. My short-term goal is to understand various ICT tools and technologies and use them to address rural development problems and in the long-run, I want to rise to an important position where I can drive reforms that will steer rural development.


My blog to share my ideas and engage

Through my daily experiences, I come across a myriad of ideas, some of which are still fresh and some which are hazy. To help myself clarify them, I write them down and by so doing and letting them see the light, I understand them better.

Since I was introduced to blogging by CTA under the YoBloCo awards competition, I blog on issues that are dear to me; women and youth in agriculture, the use of information communication technologies (ICTs) for development, environmental conservation and youth unemployment. I use writing as a platform for enhancing my thinking and sharing my thoughts in these areas. To present my thoughts to the world, I need to understand them and articulate them effectively for others to understand; if people can learn something from my insights and experiences, then I’m delighted.


Benefits of blogging and feedback

By posting my ideas out there, people either reinforce them, modify them, totally reject them or just take them in and muse on them. All these are worthwhile and I like just being seen to know things; being thoughtful is good for me.

Comments are the lifeblood of any blog, without which the blog is not alive. As a blogger, I welcome comments from my readers who don’t necessarily have the same opinion as me on a particular topic or subject. In fact, the discussion is often richer if we don’t agree with each other, as long as the interaction is mutually respectful.

I have had several requests from readers requesting to refer to my work on their websites, others have written to thank me for providing them with useful information as well as approving my work. On one of my posts, entitled "
Minting money from fish" one reader left the following inspirational comment; 

“………all is possible the fish farming is sustaining my daily activities and the good news is that the government is now assisting by supplying food for the fish and also providing market for my fish. Don’t waste time, accept challenge and achieve success.”


Benefits from YoBloCo

I started blogging a long time before the YoBloCo awards but I must admit that the experience with YoBloCo really enhanced my English and writing skills. The challenge of soliciting for information more frequently and writing quality articles was an enriching experience.

My lecturers at the university tell me that I write quality articles nowadays and that my English proficiency has improved. This, I attribute to almost a year of extensive researching and writing articles for my blog. The researching and writing has had a positive impact on my command of the English language.

Through the awards, I got a chance not only to share my knowledge but also to learn from my fellow contestants. I have had a chance to expand my social networks; the number of my friends and followers on social media has tremendously increased. Currently, my blog has 525 followers and the blog stats are at 8045. My Facebook page sharing the blog’s posts (Empowering 4 the future) has increased to 396 likes. The comments posted on my posts are an indication that my blog addresses issues relevant to the people. A comment such as “
I truly admire your work. Plastics can also be recycled to make tile … mmmh it’s a business project that am working on currently” on the article The Plastic Menace shows that the plastics are a menace and my article is  relevant.


Plans for the future

Prior to the YoBloCo awards, I used to farm up-country but I am now farming in the city commercially. I have rented a 1-acre piece of land in the outskirts of Nairobi, where I am cultivating vegetables such as nightshade, kales, spinach and cowpeas. I received my first cheque of  KSH 30,000 in December 2014. I intend to diversify and convert it into a demonstration farm where other farmers can go and learn from it as lack of information is a major setback for many farmers. I therefore hope this will help fill the information gap existing among the farming and those intending to venture into farming.

A research study by Vodafone revealed that all households possess at least one mobile handset and this presents an opportunity for accessing information. My ambition is to start a Q & A messaging service that will enhance farmers’ access to information. Unlike most small-scale farmers, I can gain access to a lot of information and this service will enable farmers to access critical farming information which is important for successful farming.


Two articles that I recommended:

http://elcah.wordpress.com/2014/05/25/agricultural-labor-along-gender-lines/
http://elcah.wordpress.com/2014/03/16/how-women-are-overcoming-mastitis-in-their-animals/


By Elcah Barasa, blogger, farmer, Kenya

Best Female Blogger of the second edition of the YoBloCo Awards
https://elcah.wordpress.com/
Article published in the framework of the International Youth Day 2015
Read more at: bit.ly/1DJGfUP

Dernière modification le Vendredi 14 Août 2015 09:25
Thierry Lewyllie

Thierry Lewyllie

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