"Despite the challenging effects of the ongoing drought, which have left us in a vulnerable state, I hold a vision for the coming year and beyond. My aspiration is to embark on irrigation farming, utilizing a 10-acre parcel of land. Through this venture, I wish to cultivate a diverse range of crops that will not only provide sustenance for my family of nine but also generate surplus for sale. By achieving this goal, I anticipate improved food security and increased income. Furthermore, I intend to invest in a generator to eliminate the need for costly generator rentals, allowing us to save money and allocate resources more efficiently. Through these endeavors, I hope to overcome the hardships imposed by the drought and achieve greater stability and self-sufficiency for my family."

"With extensive expertise in farming, my primary objective revolves around investing my monthly transfers into agricultural ventures. In past years, the most significant hurdle I encountered was the scarcity of rainfall and inadequate irrigation resources. Presently, I am in the process of excavating a substantial reservoir to collect and store water during the upcoming rainy season. Looking ahead, my plan is to utilize my two-acre farm to cultivate watermelons, a crop that holds promising prospects for generating substantial income."

"With the second transfer, I optimized the maize plantation through an investment of $140 in purchasing four 50-kg bags of top dressing fertilizers. This allocation aimed to enhance the growth and yield of my three-acre maize farm, despite the challenges posed by the devastating drought. To further diversify my agricultural activities, I acquired certified tomato seedlings from reputable vendors in Naivasha, spending $120. In the face of the harsh climatic conditions, I took a proactive approach by leasing a three-acre piece of land situated near a reliable stream that has consistently provided water for irrigation. Currently, the maize plants have entered the flowering stage, and I remain hopeful that they will retain sufficient water to reach maturity. I anticipate a bumper harvest that will not only serve as a vital food source for my family but also provide surplus produce for sale. I also spent $70 on purchasing dry maize grains to sustain my family of eight. This investment in food would help meet our immediate dietary needs. Additionally, I used $55 to pay school fees for my son, who had recently joined Form 1, ensuring that his educational journey continues uninterrupted. Without forgetting clothing and footwear, I dedicated the remaining $65 to buying clothes and pairs of shoes for my six children. Their excitement and gratitude upon receiving this support were heartwarming, reaffirming the positive impact these provisions have on their lives."

"Mostly, we would miss meals, taking only one per day or sometimes none at all and calling it a day. However, things have changed, and now we have three meals a day, and our child is enjoying and happy that his face can show he is glowing. I increased the number of goats, which makes me feel more financially secure than having none or only a few. We can now consider farming along the riverbank so that we can use irrigation and have plenty of food in the coming year. We feel so blessed and remembered even when we least expect it, and it always makes us feel valuable even when everything around us doesn't."

"I have been selling honey to support my parental responsibilities, but recently things have become difficult for me. I have a candidate in Form 4, and having school fees arrears was not something pleasant. As soon as I received the GiveDirectly transfers, I cleared the $15 school fee arrears to ensure that he was not sent back home, which would have caused a lot of inconvenience for him because other children were busy studying. I also paid $100 for the water pipes I was purchasing for the purpose of doing irrigation on my farm without having to borrow from my neighbors, as I had always done whenever I wanted to water my agricultural items. This was quite exciting for me since I will be able to take care of my own farming and watering of the products without being scheduled. I've started tomato growing, which cost me $200 to set up everything on the farm, and I'm excited to see how much I can produce. I picked tomato farming in particular because of the large revenue it generates compared to all other crops, as many individuals in this area have proven."

"I am faced with numerous challenges that are unsurmountable. I am glad that GiveDirectly's help is in the offing to lessen the pain and anguish that we experience every day, what a good time to be alive! Never in my life have I received the help of this magnitude. I am certain that life will change from worse to good. I have been having trouble fencing my farm and many times my crops have been destroyed by goats which have resulted in losses. I have always wanted to fence around my farm but it has not been possible because of lack of money. It is for this reason that I intend to use $150 to purchase chain links for fencing around the farm. I will use the rest of the money to buy pipes for irrigation and to purchase foodstuffs."

"Upscaling my farming is generally what I have in my mind but because of financial instability, this has always been postponed. To an extent, I have not been able to meet some of my priorities. At the moment, I have already constructed an underground water tank that has a capacity of 30,000 liters, but I am yet to put the top slab. I did this because I have a passion for farming which has been affected by the drought problem in our area. Since I have a huge land, I will be able to implement this and I will do irrigation to plant different fruits and vegetables. This will act as my source of income to sustain my household's basic needs. To ensure this comes to reality, I intend to spend $670 of my money to sort out this plan. On the other hand, I will spend the remaining amount to support my son who is about to join a technical institution. Hence, this is generally what receiving this money means to me."

"Living in a dry environment has more drawbacks than advantages. First, in order to find water for irrigation and domestic usage, one must always trek a considerable distance. Food is also an issue since, if we don't use irrigation, we always have to get used to harvesting nothing. I purchased a water tank for KES 21500 to store water with my second batch of the transfer. Rainwater will be collected and used in my home for domestic reasons. In order to prevent my kids from being taken back home, I also spent KES 7,000 on paying a portion of the fee arrears. I purchased 40 kg of corn for our consumption and other food products with the remaining money."

"To develop while living in Baringo County, one must either start a business, conduct irrigation farming, or raise cattle. If one wants to implement irrigation, he or she must rent land close to the irrigation-producing areas; otherwise, one is forced to rely on unreliable small-scale farming. Due to my advanced age, practicing farming will be quite challenging as I can no longer complete the majority of tasks on my own. My life's work will therefore be focused on raising livestock. I currently have plans to purchase more goats to raise. This will give me access to a steady supply of milk, and I can occasionally sell one of the goats to make some money."

"Since our farm uses irrigation, my plan is to plant tomatoes, possibly in joint cultivation with a villager because this work can be very demanding. Tomatoes have a fantastic return on investment, and I'm hoping to generate a good profit that will help me reach my goal of opening my own shop. This will assist me further become financially stable so that I can hire more people to work on my farms while I indulge in other activities."