Farmers: Habiba Salum and Fatuma Salum
Village: Bwage Village, Morogoro District
Savings Group: Tujikwamue SAT Saving and Lending Group (SSLG)
Enterprise: Okra and Tomato Production (One Acre)

For Habiba Salum and Fatuma Salum, farming has always been more than a livelihood it is the foundation of their families' survival. Like many women in Bwage Village, they worked tirelessly on their farms while balancing household responsibilities, yet their efforts often yielded only enough to meet immediate family needs. Limited financial resources and a lack of technical knowledge made it difficult to improve productivity or invest in more profitable farming enterprises.

Everything began to change when the two women joined the Tujikwamue SAT Saving and Lending Group (SSLG).Through regular savings, they gradually built financial discipline while strengthening trust among fellow members. Their commitment enabled them to qualify for loans from the group's revolving fund, giving them access to capital that would otherwise have been unavailable.

Around the same time, Habiba and Fatuma participated in training organized by SAT through the SUCODE Project, where they learned practical organic agriculture techniques designed to improve productivity while protecting natural resources.

The training introduced them to agroecological practices such as compost preparation, the use of farmyard manure, mulching, crop rotation, preparation of botanical pesticides using locally available plants, water conservation, soil health management, and safe vegetable production. They also learned farm planning, record keeping, and simple business management skills that helped them understand the financial side of farming.

Armed with new knowledge and supported by loans from the Tujikwamue SSLG, Habiba and Fatuma established one acre of organic tomatoes and okra. They selected these crops because they provide both household nutrition and strong market demand within nearby communities.

Before planting, they enriched their field with compost and well decomposed animal manure to improve soil fertility. Mulching helped retain moisture and suppress weeds, while regular field inspections enabled them to identify pest problems early. Instead of relying on synthetic pesticides, they prepared botanical extracts from locally available plants to protect their crops in an environmentally friendly manner.

As the season progressed, the transformation became increasingly visible. Healthy tomato plants and vigorous okra stood as evidence of improved farming practices. The field attracted neighbours who were curious about the organic techniques being used, creating opportunities for the two women to share their experiences and encourage others to adopt sustainable farming methods.

The expected income from vegetable sales will help them repay their SSLG loans, meet household expenses, pay school fees, and continue building their savings for future investments. Their experience demonstrates the importance of combining technical knowledge with financial inclusion. While SAT through the SUCODE Project equipped the women with practical skills in organic agriculture and agroecological farming, the Tujikwamue SSLG provided the financial means to implement those skills on their farm. Neither intervention alone would have produced the same level of impact; together, they created a pathway toward greater resilience, food security, and economic empowerment.