Just over two years ago, Neema moved to Amanipi as the wife of a police officer. She comes from a different region, but speaks the same language, Lugbarati. It didn’t take long before she became enthusiastic about the 4 Pillars. She signed up as a trainee trainer and immediately stood out: sharp, eager to learn, and quick to grasp the core principles. For the past year, she has also been applying the techniques on her own fields, with visible results. Her dedication did not go unnoticed. She progressed from candidate to trainee, and is now involved in almost every training day in Amanipi.
For Neema, the impact of the 4 Pillars is crystal clear. “Farming has become enjoyable work,” she says. “No more backbreaking labor with a hand hoe. The work is lighter, and I can cwork much more land.” Because her husband is often away for extended periods due to his job, she usually manages the fields on her own. “But with this method, I can handle the work just fine by myself.”
I visit her fields. With a smile, she shows me her land: a neatly planted plot of improved maize and a section with groundnuts. It is the beginning of the rainy season, and the young plants have just emerged. Watching Neema thrive on her landis deeply encouraging, This is the change we long to see.
In addition to working her own fields, Neema also guides a group of young people in a small tree nursery. Proudly, she shows the seedbeds: the coffee seedlings look healthy and have already been transferred into planting bags. The young people are fully committed, and it shows in the results. If progress continues like this, they will be able to transplant their first coffee plants to their own fields in September.
Neema has five children. The two oldest are studying in Aru, a town further away. The three youngest live at home: two boys, Exaucé and Désiré, and Merci, a lively two-year-old girl. During the Easter holiday, they play around the fields while their mother works. Today she is tending the young maize plants. The work is light: because the soil is not plowed, it remains soft and there is less weed growth.
In March, we organized a training for female trainee trainers: three from Amanipi and five from the surrounding region. We started with theory, followed by practical sessions: simple techniques such as sowing beans in straight lines and planting maize seeds in planting holes—all without plowing. The women were surprised by how simple it was, which made them even more eager to apply it on their own fields.
They also practiced explaining the theory themselves. For Neema, this was no challenge: she stands confidently in front of a group. She performs just as strongly in the practical sessions. At the end of the training, her efforts were rewarded: she was promoted to assistent-trainer in the 4 Pillars. Six of the eight trainees reached the same milestone. Two others are still new and will begin applying the methods on their own fields this year. As a visible sign of their new role, all trainers received a cap with the 4 Pillars logo.
Women on the move
We are grateful for this group of female trainers. They make the method more accessible to other women and that is crucial. Women do most of the work in the fields, yet often remain unseen. Thanks to strong examples like Neema and Ange, that is beginning to change: they are opening the way for others.
Our hope is that entire families, men and women together, will apply the 4 Pillars on their fields. This not only makes the work lighter and more enjoyable, but also increases yields and preserves fertile soil for the long term.
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