GoMakeADifference

Togo Micro-Farming Project

Giving farmers tools for their farming needs.

Background

On June 26, 2023, a gathering was held at the local plaza where 72 farmers received a set of three hand tools each. The 72 beneficiaries were comprised of 7 people from 10 different households (the total number of households in the village), the village chief, and the village elder.

Before the tools got to the beneficiaries, I took some time to go over the farming methods they currently use and how they can improve them.

How They Made A Difference

Malik, the aid to the project Leader, arranged for a gathering place, provided space for storing the items until the day of delivery, and he also contributed to choosing the right blacksmiths who made the tools.

To ensure that the project had a greater impact on the local community, the farming tools were forged by three different blacksmiths, renowned for their reliability as well as the quality of their products.

Tools forged:

• 72 weeding hoes
• 72 Machetes
• 72 plowing hoes

How The Project Made A Difference for the Volunteers

This is the first project I participated in from beginning to completion, and if there is one thing I have learned, it is that in a project such as this one, the hardest part is when it comes to distributing the materials.

For instance, we were able to increase the number of recipients from 50 to 72 due to the decrease in the cost of production, however, it was still not enough for the entire population, meaning that we would have to choose the people that will receive the sets. Now the main question is who should we choose to give the tools to?

I found a solution to that by using the village social organization to my advantage. In that town, there can be many independent people in a household so, choosing to give the sets by household was the best possible option since the number of people in each family that would receive the sets was maximized.