INTERVIEWER: Do you think, the farmers know the details of these practices, for example you

may tell a farmer these groups, but not all the farmers are in the group, and because we are very
concerned about food security, what do you do for those farmers who have decided not to join
the groups, how do you reach them since you are the LC 1 chair person, how do you encourage
them, what do you do because it is also your responsibility to make sure that these farmers are in
these groups and they are benefiting from these practices?

INTERPRETOR: He is saying that, people used to come here for demonstration so by the time
those people are demonstrating they can not always segregate people saying that you and you do
not come but he used to welcome all those people even those ones who are not in the groups to
come and see the demonstration and some times during the village meeting, he advocates such
kind of development of using these groups so that is how he approach those farmers who are not
in the group and most of the demonstrations in the areas, he mobilizes most of the farmers within
at least to come and attend every member of the community to come and attend, so that is what
he is saying.

INTERVIEWER: So my next question, what are some of the challenges that females farmers are
facing that are different from the ones that male farmers and what are the local leaders doing
about it, because now the women do not own the land or we can not decide what to use the
money for, how much seed are we buying. have you seen that there are challenges they are
facing and how do you help to address such challenges?

INTERPRETOR: He is saying that, some of the women are not allowed to raise any business and
due to that he used to talk to their husband at least to agree with their wives to start any kind of
business as a means of survival and in addition to that there are some women who have high
number of children making them to separate, so in a situation like that he advised the husband to
accept the idea of family planning because without their family will be so large than their
capacity. And on top of that, he said that he used to inform men that men you need not to deny
your wife to run their business. For a better life you need to let your wife to start businesses
which can help in all those issues.
Through his advise, there are some households were by there are women who own things
without the husband. it has reached to the extent that in some households you find a woman
having her own goats as a result of the business. He is saying that for example for him he has let
the woman to plant cassava in large quantity and for him he has planted soya beans in large
quantity but at the end they will collect together and then they plan together as a family.

INTERVIEWER: I am now interested in knowing about training of farmers, what type of

trainings do they get, when it is time for the leaders to train the farmers, do they target all
farmers, whether you are a man or woman, what time do they have the trainings, is it morning
hours or evening hours?

INTERPRETOR: Morning hours.

INTERVIEWER: Morning hours do you have women attending.

INTERPRETOR: They both attend.

INTERVIEWER: Do they think the farmers are benefiting from the training?

INTERPRETOR: Yes

INTERVIEWER: So the farmers have been telling me about borrowing from the VSLA, are
there other ways the farmers can borrow without the VSLA.

INTERPRETOR: He has mentioned that the bank

INTERVIEWER: Is it easy for the women to go and borrow from the bank?

INTERPRETOR: He is saying that some bank, they like women because the women are the ones
who used to pay their money on time. He is saying he used to link the farmers to the bank called
Post bank.

INTERVIEWER: I wanted to know about the food security we have been talking about,
are farmers having enough food to eat, eating 3 meals a day, people not going to sleep hungry.
What is the situation in this area?

INTERPRETOR: It is not fair, because the rain is not reliable, according to the knowledge being
given by the government and NGOs to farmers, we expect that in the near by future, things will
change. Through his advise to most farmers, he advised the farmers to grow crops which are
some how drought resistant.

INTERVIEWER: As a leader, there are extension workers, some farmers are saying that the
extension workers are not reaching them, what do you think as a leader should be done to make
sure that even the last farmer should be reached, every one at their level is doing their work, the
extension worker is doing what is supposed to do the LC1 is doing what is supposed to do, the
CDO is doing what he or she is supposed to do?

INTERPRETOR: He has delivered the such information to the subcounty and the team
concerning agriculture at the subcounty level they are now changed. Those ones who are there
now are doing the right thing, the out going were not doing their work. He has given an example
of the assistant CDO Francis Ogwale, i hope you were with him?

INTERVIEWER: I have not met him physically but i have talked to him on phone.

INTERPRETOR: He is the one we are working with. He is known by every member of the
community even kids.

INTERVIEWER: I think actually that is it unless there is any other comment that he has about
food security and climate smart practices of farmers. Or other challenges that farmers are facing.

INTERPRETOR: He is saying that most of the government like NAADS, Operation wealth
creation is fully emphasized on Operation wealth creation which is fully headed by the
government and it is fully headed by soldiers. He is saying that most farmers were fearing
because when you went to the distribution site for items to grow, you find the language being
used is swahili only which is not known to most of the farmers. Most farmers in this village
people used to fear those armies.

INTERVIEWER: What were they giving in wealth creation and NAADS?

INTERPRETOR: They were given cassava and some seeds like mangoes, guavas, oranges. For
that program to be effective, he advised that the government should start to use the local leaders
like the LCs rather than those on the upper level, at the subcounty level because when things are
brought and they end at the subcounty, you find them being given out selectively to their in laws
without considering the down famers, so that is his advice. You can add your voice on that and
see what the government can do. Such kind of malpractices has made the farmers despise the
government program. The coordinators of government programs are the ones spoiling the name
of the government.

INTERVIEWER: Thank you so much Mr. Jimmy and your two assistants Moses and Bosco. I
appreciate so much.