Happy Farmer First: Meet Gideon

Farmer visits are always something we look forward to, but meeting Gideon was a treat.

“Gideon is our first layer farmer in this part of East Africa, he is educated and enjoys farming after he retired from the railway service,” our local partner from Hamara Heartlands explained.

Gideon met us with his sleeves rolled up and a grin on his face. We followed him to the layer barn where Gideon’s chickens lay several hundred eggs per week.

“I began doing layer farming last October,” Gideon said while giving us a tour. “Feed is sometimes lacking or difficult to find, but otherwise it’s been good work. Profitable.”

As we gathered outside and congratulated Gideon on his business, he caught us admiring his solar panels. The Hamara Heartlands partner explained that farmers can receive solar panels on a loan basis, built into their overall costs. This is especially helpful to more energy-intensive layer barns, and Zambia definitely has the sunshine for it!

Thanks to our regional partners and to Gideon for hosting our team.

Gideon switched off the lights and latched the chicken barn with smooth movements as we moved toward the truck to leave. Before saying goodbye, he said,

“I worked in the railway industry for decades, but that wasn’t as natural as this. Something about farming, it’s inborn for me, it’s who I am. I wanted to get away from the city and to enjoy a quieter life, and farming has made that possible. Thank you for coming to see what we do here.”