Student from Hz University and engaged since 2 years with the Wave Makers United to raise awareness about water challenges, I spent a month in Malawi to run the execution part of my Honours Programme. My research focused on observing the different sustainable farming techniques used in the country as Malawi faces a lot of challenges concerning agriculture.
- The repetitive cultivation of maize, casava and groundnuts degrades the soil fertility.
- the lack of water during the dry season leads to landslides and drought, heavily impacting the crops yields.
- And during the rainy season, the farmers often get flooded leading to the loss of their harvest.
During my visits in sustainable farms, I observed and documented their most used and profitable techniques to face those challenges. One of the most profitable technique is the use of the Tephrosia and Gliricidia trees. There characteristics and qualities make them relevant from many points of view. First of all, their roots and leaves lead to the fertilization of the soil through a natural chemical process. Moreover, the leaves are used to feed the livestock and the trunks are sold or used as fire wood.
Those farms also learnt how to properly make and use natural manure from their livestock and trees.
The aim of the project was to spread those learnings to local unexperienced farmers who still do not have access to this knowledge. So, after 3 weeks in the field discovering those techniques, I went to locals to share and explain my learnings. I could clearly feel their thirst of learning those new techniques.
To “make the wave”, a documentary filmed there will be soon released to spread the word about those unfamiliar sustainable techniques to Malawi and the world !
