Two years ago, we held a horticulture workshop. Since then, we have been monitoring the progress of the participants. One of these participants was Mrs. Amronah. She had brought her husband to the workshop. Even though he was not invited, we allowed him to participate. Mrs. Amronah explained that her husband was very interested in horticulture, especially when it came to farming chilies. It was the midst of the pandemic at the time, so the Amronahs had no income. They spent their time learning how to farm.
After the workshop, the Amronahs planted chilies in their field. We kept monitoring their progress and providing the support they needed to start their farm. We gave them seeds and fertilizer. Their first attempt to grow their chilies did not go well. These chilies should be harvested after 4-6 months, but the Amronah’s chilies had to be harvested after only 2 months and they were dry.
They tried again this year, incorporating their newfound knowledge. 3 months after planting the chilies, they were ready to be harvested. This time, the harvest met expectations. They could smile. The chilies were harvested twice a week and one of the harvests yielded 10-30 kilograms of chilies. Chilies sell for approximately $3 per kilogram, so the Amronahs were able to obtain an income of around $120 per week. When we reconnected with Mrs. Amronah, she smiled and said, “Now I can buy a phone.” She has never owned a smartphone before. 
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