Mr. Julius Kaburu Magambo learned about TIST at a meeting of the Kabau Tea Buying Center.

He then attended a Seminar in October 2015 and mobilized his neighbors to form Kaubau SHG Small Group No. 2016KE164, part of the Kaubau Cluster in the Imenti Catchment. He eventually became a trainer in his Cluster. Through his training and commitment to the Program, he has strengthened the Program in both the Kaubau and neighboring Clusters.

Since Julius retired from his career as a law court clerk, he and his wife have raised their five children on their farm. He grows coffee, tea, and various crops to feed his family. As a TIST Farmer, he also planted grevillea, mango, and avocado trees. Such high value trees supplement his crops and improve his farmland.

With a 1.5-acre farm, Julius needs to maximize his yields. After learning about Conservation Farming through TIST, he decided to try it on a quarter acre of his land. The same portion of his farm that once yielded a single bag of maize now yields four bags. By following this TIST Best Practice, he is now able to expand his crop production and plant more of a variety of crops.

Every TIST Farmer’s journey is different because TIST Farmers choose how to participate in the Program. Through their Small Group and Cluster meetings and the Learning Center, the Farmers learn new Best Practices and they can see the results of those Best Practices on other Small Group’s farms. Julius chose to adopt Conservation Farming and, by doing so, improved his farm and his family’s wellbeing.