We are supporting Tiyeni Fund projects in Malawi where farmers are trained in the sustainable Deep Bed Farming (DBF) method.
This improves soil fertility and produces stronger crops, increasing food security for rural communities.
Unpredictable weather
Farmers in Malawi rely heavily on natural rainfall to cultivate crops, which are the main source of food for humans and livestock. However, as with other countries across sub-Saharan Africa, it is facing increasingly unpredictable weather caused by climate change which results in more floods and droughts. Soil erosion, where the top layer of soil is washed away making it harder to grow crops, is a huge problem and a report by the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organisation says that tons of soil is lost every year. In addition, Malawi’s traditional ridge and furrow method of farming is widely regarded as being both labour intensive and environmentally destructive, causing the soil to compact or erode so water cannot penetrate and crops find it hard to take root. With thousands of smallholder farmers becoming vulnerable to food insecurity and poverty every year, there is a growing need for farmers to change the way they cultivate their fields.
Improving drainage
Tiyeni trains farms in the DBF method, which works by digging down into the hard, compacted soil beneath the top layer to improve drainage. It also makes wider planting beds, applies manure, and uses mulch and cover crops to protect the soil and plants from the weather. Tiyeni also provides farmers with the seeds and tools for the job. Livestock, which produces manure to fertilise the soil, is distributed through Tiyeni’s ‘pass on pig’ scheme, where farmers receive an animal and pass its offspring on to other farmers in a continual chain.
Strengthening community ties
Halcrow Foundation funds have supported Tiyeni programmes in Manyamula and Emsizini, both in north Malawi. Its training sessions strengthen community ties and establish group of farmers that continue working together, helping each other with tasks when a member is ill or unable to manage alone. Farmers using DBF improve their soil fertility and can double crop yields within the first year. More crops mean more cash income that enable families to access better education and health services, and invest back into their farms.
Photo credit: Tiyeni Fund
