DR Congo: Small Plot, Big Change: How Jacqui Tshela Transformed Her Future Through Farming

Under the gentle morning sun, with a smile on her face, Jacqui pulls up the first roots from her field. They are long and thick, a first in her farming experience.

A mother of three children, 28-year-old Jacqui TSHELA is a young farmer from the village of Kaungula, located 21 km from Nyanga center. She never imagined that a small plot of land, just one and a half ares, could transform her life.

For years, she farmed the way her parents had done. Slash-and-burn before planting, scattered crops, no tools or guidance. The harvests were meager, and the effort often discouraging. “I used to farm a 4-acre field that yielded no more than 200 kg of cassava chips,” she recalls regretfully.

Jacqui lived in poverty and had lost hope in agriculture as a source of income for her household, as production kept declining.

Everything changed the day she joined the Farmer Field School (FFS) established by the GAINS-Tuya Kumpala program. Jacqui discovered a new world. She attended trainings on resilient agriculture, learned to use appropriate farming tools, and received information about improved seeds. 

“It was in my FFS that I learned to prepare the soil without burning, to sow in rows, to respect spacing, and to observe the signs of the land,” Jacquie explains.

With enthusiasm, she applied these techniques to her small one-and-a-half-acre plot next to her house. Each day, she cared for her cassava plants diligently, following the advice from the CEP sessions.

At harvest time, Jacqui found herself with an estimated 300 kg of fresh roots, something she had never achieved before, even with her larger 4-acre field. 

“It’s the first time I’ve harvested this much. I’ll be able to feed my children and save a little. It’s a victory, proof that change is possible,” she says.

Neighbors came to see her small field, amazed by the yield. Jacqui smiled, proud and grateful. She now knows that applying the agricultural techniques learned at the FFS can turn even the smallest plots into sources of abundance.

Currently, GAINS has launched seed distribution to 5,100 members of 204 FFS in the health zones of Kitangua and Nyanga. The goal is to combat underproduction by using proper agricultural techniques and selecting high-yield seed varieties.

Graduating to Sustainable Agriculture, Income, Nutrition and Food Security (GAINS), implemented by Mercy Corps and World Vision known locally as Tuya kumpala, supports US Government’s strategic objectives for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by working with households, community leaders, and the government of DRC to improve food and nutrition security and economic well-being of vulnerable households in Kasai.