In these highlands lives Linah Ruto, a remarkable woman whose life story is a testament to resilience and transformation. Linah is a member of Anamoi cooperative, an affiliate of fintea, a fairtrade certified. Apart from tea farming, she is a mother of two. Once a struggling tea farmer, Linah’s journey from hardship to a prosperous farmer underscores the profound impact of the power of cooperatives and sustainable farming. The initial years were fraught with challenges after she lost her husband, but her unwavering determination and resilience paid off.

“Before Fairtrade came in, my life was not easy. I was living in poverty. I could not save the little money that I had since I had no knowledge on financial management. There was a time that I even had to borrow Ksh 20 from a neighbour. With the amount, Ksh 20, I bought tea leaves of Ksh 5, Ksh 5 for salt and the rest spent on other necessities. I had to go without sugar and milk since I had no cow,” shared Linah Ruto.

With access to training and resources through Fairtrade initiatives, she has improved her farming techniques, increased her yield, and diversified her income.

“I was trained at Chepchep by a Fairtrade colleague known as Nyakundi. He changed my life. Being a tea farmer I was relying on tea. Before, people would come and borrow and not pay pack but after the training I was able to save little and little. Fairtrade through the Gender Action Learning (GLT) project trained us on climate change and its impact, diversification and financial management,” said Linah.

“As part of the GLT project, Fairtrade also gave us money as seed capital through Village saving and loaning [VSL] where one would borrow the money and repay with a low interest rate. I took a Ksh 100,000 and paid it back in a low interest cost of 1% per month which is 12% per year, and that's how I managed to diversify on what I am doing now. I paid the money within a year, through check off,” she added.

Like most tea farmers, Linah expressed her sentiments to the fluctuating tea prices and how she has been adopting income diversification to supplement her tea sales. Apart from tea farming, Linah is practicing beekeeping, dairy farming and goat keeping. Her tea produce and milk go through the co-operative. She also plants avocados and guavas.

“I bought one calf then and now I have two cows that I milk. I have 12 beehives and I sell the honey locally to herbalists who buy it for herbal medicine. I also rear chicken and practice goat keeping… Now I don't regret being a farmer. I like it so much,” she said.

With the profits from her sales, she has been able to educate her two children, bought herslf a car, and invested in other income-generating activities. 

“I want to thank Fairtrade up to now I own a car something was not in my dream. I am proud of fairtrade and may they continue empowering other farmers,” proudly said Linah.

She did not hesitate to also share her achievements as a mother. In 2015, Linah travelled to the United States of America (USA) for her son’s graduation at Havard University, a private Ivy League research university in  Cambridge, Massachusetts. After completion of his studies, Linah’s son came back in Kenya purchased a land in Kipsitet and began farming just like his mother. Linah’s second born, Chemutai is pursuing bachelor’s degree in computer science at Maseno University located Kisumu County, Kenya. 

Based on the training that Linah received from the GLT project; she no longer uses firewood for cooking but biogas from her cowshed. She also uses solar energy that saves her a lot and teaches people in her community on climate change.