Ms. Eunice Ateti, Secretary of Enduata Self Help Group, harvests tomatoes on the group's farm in the Eremit area of Kajiado West Sub County and Kajiado County [Nanjinia Wamuswa, Standard].
Under the scorching sun, Eunice Ateti and her group of women are harvesting tomatoes, piling up crates at the corner of their farm. It's their second harvest, and the count is at 40 crates, with expectations soaring to hit at least 100 by season's end. This remarkable success stems from a journey that veered from pastoralism to crop farming, triggered by the harsh impacts of climate change.
In their first harvest, the group got 76 crates, which they sold to individual buyers in Kiserian at Sh1,500 per crate. "If we harvested 76 crates of tomatoes in our first attempt with all the challenges, then our target must be more than 100 crates because there we have some experience," says Eunice during a visit to the farm located in the Eremit area of Kajiado West, Kajiado County.
Traditionally reliant on livestock, the Enduata Self-Help Group, led by Eunice, shifted gears when climate change-induced droughts devastated their herds.
As a pastoralist, Eunice never gave priority to crop farming. For eons, they fancied animals such as cattle, goats, sheep, and camel as sources of their livelihoods.
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