“My name is Chausiku Mayala I received CA [Conservation Agriculture] training for the first time during 2015. I shared the skills I gained with my husband but he was not convinced. After long discussions with him we finally agreed to divide our farm into two equal parts. Each part had a size of roughly 30m x 100m. My husband continued to apply conventional farming ways on his plot while myself I applied CA. The results were completely different. My plants were healthier than his and the yields from my plot were two times more than his. Because of this difference, my husband was convinced and transformed. He is now practicing CA principles and attending trainings.”

ECHO provides female-focused trainings while also intentionally including women in community-wide training events like the Conservation Agriculture training attended by Chausiku Mayala. Closing the gender gap in access to agriculture trainings leads to improved nutrition, healthier children, and more educational opportunities.