Hajara Philibus grows maize (corn) on her 12-acre farm in Northern Nigeria’s Kaduna State.
When not tending her crops, the mother of four children ranging in age from 8 to 30 also runs a small general store out of her home, selling everyday items like soap, spaghetti and cooking oil. But farming maize — the area’s most important crop — is her main source of income.
In her community, maize is both a central food staple present at most meals as well as a valuable source of income that farmers sell to buy essentials for their families. When she started farming five years ago, Hajara struggled to eke out a living. Her farm’s yield simply wasn’t enough, even with the proceeds from the land that her husband farms.
However, since then she’s increased her yield tenfold. She credits that growth to a partnership with Babban Gona, a mission-driven agricultural services company that supports entrepreneurial farmers by providing the fertilizer, seeds and crop protection products that drive agricultural success.