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From Zero Yield to Great Harvest – Global Issues

Fostina Kachimera in the corn garden she planted under the irrigation system. Since she started using the irrigation system, she no longer has to live in fear of droughts. Credits Esmie Komwa Eneya / IPS
  • by Esmie Komwa Eneya (blantyre, malawi)
  • Joint press service

This is because the southern region of Malawi is prone to floods and droughts – making rainwater farming difficult.

A woman farmer, Fostina Kachimera, said that after practicing rainwater farming for many years with no results, she stopped farming and just sat idle because farming was the only option. to get her job.

“When we try to do agriculture using rainwater, crops will either be washed away by floods or burned to death by drought before they start to bear fruit,” she said.

Chikwawa and Nsanje districts are located in the Shire River valley.

Based on Shire Valley Agricultural Development Division (Shivadd) program manager Francis Mlewah, the valley has 313 215 hectares of land, but nearly half experience prolonged dry spells.

“Also, its annual rainfall falls between 400 and 1000 mm, and this is well below the average annual rainfall required for most domestic crops,” explains Mlewah. preferably over 200 mm.

Then there was the flood.

“A third of the land is along the country’s largest river, and indeed the farmers who cultivate their crops in these areas face flooding every year,” he explains.

Now, this has become a song of the past as Kachimera and her 259 fellow farmers can now harvest three crops a year through an irrigation system. This helped them produce enough food for the year and have a surplus to sell.

All the farmers have also managed to build substantial houses that can withstand floods – unlike in the past when floods often damaged their homes.

The Evangelical Association of Malawi came to their rescue in 2007 and introduced irrigation farming.

“We started as a club, but in 2010 we transformed into a scheme called Sande.

“When we started we were using sugarcane crops to irrigate our crops, but now we are using water pumps which we acquired through the profits from irrigation and mostly every one of us bought one,” said the program manager. Chairman Samuel Wise.

In addition to growing corn, the country’s staple food, Wise explains that the system also produces different crops such as beans, tubers and vegetables.

The idea, he said, is to have a wide variety of foods available to combat malnutrition and find them reasonably priced in the market.

When irrigation began, families began to live healthy lives.

They no longer lack necessities such as clothes, soap and can pay school fees for their children.

He said: “In the past, commuting was very difficult for us because we couldn’t afford even the cheapest bicycle, but now we have motorbikes that we buy with the proceeds of the bike ride. farm.

Malawi Deputy Minister of Agriculture Agnes Nkusankhoma recently visited and commended the program.

“Finding a large area of ​​green like this is rare, especially since it’s the dry season, and these farmers have made the place feel like we’re in the rainy season.”

Nkusankhoma encourages them to enroll in the livestock subsidy program to supplement what they are already doing because livestock in these districts is doing well.

While the farmers rejoiced at their success, they lamented the rising fuel prices. Water pumps depend on fuel – reduce their profits.

The community will benefit from the Shire Valley Transformation Program – a government-led project funded by the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the Global Environment Facility.

According to the project’s coordinator, Stanly Chakhumbira, the project has brought 43 370 hectares irrigated by using gravity to redirect water from the river into the canals. Once this is accomplished, farmers will no longer need to depend on fuel.


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© Inter Press Service (2022) – All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service

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