Elizabeth’s Table of Plenty

It may be surprising to know, but in the rural regions of the Global South, most women are farmers. They grow food for their families and communities. They strengthen their local economies, protect the land, and increase a community’s resilience to natural disasters and climate change. That’s why equipping women farmers is one of the most powerful solutions to the global hunger crisis.

In 2021, World Renew came alongside 98,560 women farmers, supporting them with the training, tools, and seeds they need to grow stronger, healthier crops. Elizabeth, a mother in rural Kenya, is one of these farmers. She works hard each day farming the land, tending to her animals, and selling her produce at the local market—all so she can put food on her family’s table.

But life for Elizabeth and her family did not always look this way. For many years, Elizabeth and her husband, Peter, struggled to grow enough food for their three children on their small, depleted plot of land. They did not have enough money for basic essentials or to pay for their children’s school fees, because all of their money would go to purchasing food.

After Elizabeth joined World Renew training in climate-resilient farming techniques, she threw herself into learning as much as she could about farming—caring for the soil, rotating her crops, and using plenty of mulch cover to prevent weeds. Today, Elizabeth’s crops of maize, beans, and pigeon peas are abundant, and her family has even expanded their farm by buying more land and a cow—something they never dreamed possible.

To her great joy, Elizabeth’s table went from nearly empty to a table of plenty. With a surplus of crops, Elizabeth is able to sell the extra produce at market, earning extra income to cover her family’s expenses—and to share with other local families in need. Today, Elizabeth is a “champion farmer” who helps to teach climate-adaptive farming to other members of her community.

As Elizabeth reflects on the many gifts food security has brought to her and her family, her heart overflows with gratitude: “By [God’s] grace today, he has helped my family improve, from poverty to a wealthy state…. My land was not producing enough for me and my family, but the Lord has given me good friends to walk with. Today I produce enough and have excess to sell and I am able to help others.”

Thank you for joining with women farmers like Elizabeth—filling their hearts with new hope and helping them bring food to their tables.

For $75, you can provide essential tools and seeds for one woman farmer to grow enough food for her family.