Growing Together

Ired Chuumbwe, 46, is focused on growth, not only for herself and the five children she’s raising as a single mother, but also for her community.

As a Farm Business Advisor, or FBA, she works with more than 200 farmers, providing women with training in Conservation Agriculture, post-harvest management, and food processing and preservation. These community leaders bring improved products and practices to rural areas, offering farmers the opportunity to grow and sell more. Her advice is also a directive to other women. “Whatever opportunity comes along, grasp it with your two hands so that when [iDE] is gone, you can continue to grow,” said Ired.

iDE provides Ired with the training and support to build her business skills and make connections in the business environment. In February of this year, iDE staff came together with the Her Time to Grow country teams in Zambia for a week of meetings for sharing and strategizing, arriving at a plan to create or connect existing women’s groups with an FBA for support.

Because of you, Her Time to Grow is creating opportunities for at least 25,000 women across Ethiopia, Ghana, and Zambia over the next four years. This includes innovations that improve women’s access to finance, information and technology. By powering our entrepreneur partners, we expect this project to generate at least $30 million in new income for women in agriculture.