Series: Voices from the south

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Farmer, retailer, mother, teacher: a woman's life in rural Kenya - in pictures

Milcah Wasike, smallholder farmer in Miendo, Western Kenya, takes us through her daily routine

Photographs: One Acre Fund

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African farmer cook
I wake up at 6am. I prepare tea for my family and clean the utensils. I then take a break to enjoy tea with my family.
African farmer tea
When I take tea I know it will give me strength, so I like to sit and feel the strength going into my body. Taking tea is my relaxing moment when I can stop and think of the day ahead.
African farmer wash
After I’m finished taking tea in the morning I head to my farm. I perform different activities in the farm depending on the time of the year. It could be planting, weeding or harvesting. Right now is the harvest period and I just finished harvesting millet. I’ll soon harvest maize.
African farmer family
When I’m done with farm work, I cut fodder for my two cows then prepare lunch for my family. In the afternoon I walk a short distance to the market where I sell cereals. During the hunger season, I sell cereals and when it is harvest time, I sell clothes because the market for cereals is low. In the evening I walk back home to prepare dinner.
African farmer cow
My family helps with the farming. My husband, Japheth, will sometimes work with our sons while I work with our daughters when they are on holiday, or on Saturdays when they don’t attend school. I let them work alongside me so they can learn how to farm.
African farmer friends
My most fulfilling moment of the year is when I watch my crops germinate and grow until they are ready for harvest. It is like watching a child grow from birth to adulthood. The worst part is when I plant and harvest little at the end of the season. It is a scary reality that my family will go hungry for most part of the year. 
African farmer customer
The biggest challenge for farmers is lack of knowledge. I would like the government to tell us how weather will be. Knowing the weather will help us decide what crops to plant. The government should also subsidise the price of fertilizer and seeds. If the price goes down, we will be able to plant more and reduce hunger in our villages.

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