Mirriam Zimba is a single mother living in Kapazuka Village of Chigwere Village Development Committee (VDC). For the past two growing seasons, she was unable to cultivate maize and beans due to a lack of inputs, especially fertiliser and seeds. However, through awareness events and training on sustainable agricultural practices from Temwa, she started using biochar manure. 

This meant that Mirriam was able to cultivate maize and beans on a 2 acre field and is expecting to harvest around 40 bags. As well as this, she was able to grow green peppers during the winter cropping season, from which she harvested about 10 bags. Mirriam has also begun to diversify her crops by cultivating cassava and sweet potatoes, where she harvests the cassava to make flour. This yield will sustain her household until the next growing season, ensuring their food security.

Malawi continues to face high levels of inflation whilst being impacted by El Niño conditions causing dry spells and droughts (32.3 per cent year-on-year inflation rate for April 2024). Elevated food prices for subsistence farmers like Mirriam have seen maize prices averaging 160 per cent above the five-year average. The devaluation of the Malawi Kwacha by 44 per cent since November 2023 and the high cost of agricultural inputs in 2023 have further exacerbated the situation for the poorest and vulnerable households, especially in rural regions and villages like Kapazuka. 

Mirriam has further plans to increase her food production despite these conditions, utilising rabbits to provide manure for making biochar. Although the rabbits do not produce enough manure to cultivate larger pieces of land, she still plans to add more rabbits and/or acquire other livestock such as goats or cattle.

Temwa’s Farming Futures Project has not only impacted Mirriam, but has seen crop productivity in the wider community also improve significantly compared to previous years. 

The 3 year project focuses on building communities’ climate resilience through sustainable farming, forest-friendly livelihoods, and sustainable use of local natural resources. Temwa is supporting self-organising farmers like Mirriam to increase their crop yields using sustainable farming practices, and diversify their income through livestock exchanges and business development.

Read more about the Farming Futures Project in our latest report here.