AGRA

“Disability did not stop me. It was the YEFFA spark that lit up my field, my business and my life.” — Rehema Rashid, Singida, Tanzania

The early morning in Kaselya village, Iramba District, begins with a golden shimmer. The first light catches on thousands of sunflower heads swaying gently in the breeze. The air carries the earthy scent of soil warmed by the sun, and somewhere among the rows, a determined figure moves with practiced ease.

Her name is Rehema Rashid, and for as long as she can remember, life has been a mix of beauty and burden. Born with albinism in rural Tanzania, she has learned to live in two worlds at once, one filled with the dazzling brightness of the sunflowers she loves, and another shadowed by stigma, limited opportunities, and physical vulnerability under the relentless equatorial sun.

Before the Spark

Years ago, her farm looked different. The one-acre plot was her only source of food and income, but the harvests were meager. “I used to get only three bags of sunflower a season,” she says, her voice steady but her eyes reflecting the memory of hard years. Selling them brought in around TZS 130,000 (about USD 50) barely enough to put food on the table.

The struggle was not just financial. Every farming season felt like a battle against unpredictable weather, pests, and the constant worry of how to pay school fees for her children. The work was backbreaking, and at the end of it, there was little to show.

The Turning Point

Everything began to change when she joined the Youth Entrepreneurship for the Future of Food and Agriculture (YEFFA) program.

She learned and trained on how to select the right seeds, prepare the soil for maximum yield, and handle her harvest to reduce losses. She received quality agricultural inputs, including improved sunflower seeds that could thrive even in a tough season.

That year, when the rains came and the fields came alive, Rehema worked differently. She spaced her plants carefully, managed weeds before they took over, and applied her new post-harvest handling skills. By harvest time, she stood in awe: 12 heavy bags of sunflower seeds four times more than before.

 Adding Value, Multiplying Gains

For most farmers in her village, the next step would be selling the seeds raw to middlemen. But YEFFA had taught her another way on value addition. She began processing her own sunflower oil and using the byproduct, mashudu, as animal feed.

This shift changed everything. After paying her workers and covering processing costs, she now makes no less than TZS 260,000 (around USD 96) per harvest. It’s not just the numbers that make her proud but it’s the independence. “You can see the change in my life,” she says with a laugh. “Even my skin glows now — I can afford the good and expensive skin products!”

From Farmer to Leader

Agriculture for Rehema is no longer just survival, it’s business. She employs more than six casual workers, creating livelihoods for others. And she has a bigger dream: together with other YEFFA beneficiaries, she is leading plans for a community-owned sunflower oil factory in Kaselya. The goal? Keep more of the profits in the village, create more jobs, and ensure the value chain benefits the people who grow the crops.

Her role as a leader is as important to her as the crops she grows. “When we succeed as a group, the whole village wins,” she says. She envisions a future where no young person in Kaselya has to leave for the city just to find work.

A Life Transformed, Attending the Africa Food Systems Summit 2025 (AFSS25)

Rehema’s journey is more than an agricultural success story; it’s proof of what can happen when opportunity meets determination. She has turned what some saw as a limitation into a source of strength. She is set to showcase, and being one of the panelists on AFSS25 – Dakar, Senegal, she will bless the global leaders on what transformation looks like.

“Disability did not stop me. It was the YEFFA spark that lit up my field, my business and my life.”

Beyond farming, Rehema has now branched into another business tailoring. In the evenings, the gentle hum of her sewing machine fills her home as she transforms vibrant fabrics into dresses, school uniforms, and headscarves. This side venture not only adds to her income but also allows her to teach sewing skills to other women in her community, further spreading the spirit of self-reliance that YEFFA ignited in her

Today, the sunflowers in Kaselya do more than feed families, they tell a story of resilience, leadership, and a woman whose glow comes from both the sun and the pride of building a future on her own terms.