Miraculous Harvests in a Starvation Area

Khangawa Village within the Rumphi district is one of the areas of Malawi experiencing soaring temperatures and drought. It once produced good harvests, but has now been reduced to a ‘starvation area'. Many households are suffering as a result but, by defying the odds, one woman offers hope for the future.

Etrida Luhanga is a 41-year-old widow. Since 2002, she has enjoyed bumper harvests despite the unpredictable rains. At a time of food shortages, her ability to produce good and reliable harvests - and thereby ensure food security for her family - is an important example of what can be achieved.

Organic Fertilisers and Maize Pits: Climatic conditions are affecting animal rearing and crop production in the Rumphi district. Rainfall patterns have changed greatly and agricultural activities have become difficult to plan. "I owe the miraculous harvests to the use of organic fertilisers (manure) and the planting of maize in pits instead of using chemical fertilisers and planting maize in the traditional manner," explains Etrida.

Simple Methods, Big Differences: Maize-pit planting is a simple, but highly effective technique. Maize that has been planted in pits shows conspicuous differences from maize planted on conventional ridges, even if the fields are adjacent and growing in very homogenous climatic conditions.

The pits are dug in irregular lines across the field, thereby preventing soil erosion. When digging the pit, topsoil and sub-soil are separated. When filling in the pit, the topsoil and sub-soil is thoroughly mixed together with 20 litres of well-decomposed bocash manure or well-matured compost manure. Bocash manure consists of green leaves, animal droppings, ashes, maize bran and topsoil.

Bocash, like any other manure, retains moisture and releases it slowly into the soil like a sponge, but it also makes soils stick together thereby improving the soil structure. This is especially advantageous to soils in drought-prone areas, as the soil moisture level is maintained and crops obtain their required nourishment.

When the maize seedlings are knee-high, Etrida top-dresses them using liquid manure. She makes this manure from droppings from poultry, goats, cattle and various other livestock. The animal droppings are transferred to available bottles, and water is added. The contents are shaken every day for 21 days, after which the liquid manure is of excellent quality and ready for use. The liquid manure is measured out over each maize seedling using a cup.

There is a clear difference between fields where organic fertilisers have been applied and fields where chemical fertilisers are used. Chemical fertilisers do not contribute to maintaining soil moisture levels, so fields in which chemical fertiliser has been applied generally have drier soil, resulting in a typically hard pan which contributes to transpiration and the subsequent wilting of crops.

Secure Food: As a result of her outstanding success, Etrida was unanimously elected to the position of ‘Lead Farmer' by her village. Lead Farmer is a new concept that the Government of Malawi has adopted to recognise local farmers who have proven themselves to be outstanding and innovative in various agricultural technologies. A Lead Farmer is required to show aptitude and commitment for the task of teaching his or her peers.

Etrida explained that she is one of the busiest women in the whole of the Rumphi district as she has visitors who come from near and far to view her success - all the more impressive given that it has been achieved in a culture where women are generally considered inferior to men.

Today, Etrida is able to buy clothes and pay school fees for her five children. She has become highly admired for her newly-furnished house, with its new iron-sheet roofing; 80% of the houses in the village have grass thatched roofs.

Asked if she has any advice for her fellow farmers, Etrida urges them to organise themselves in clubs to share their knowledge and resources.

Etrida Luhanga received agricultural training through the FAIR Rural Livelihoods Programme, which is supported by Self Help Africa, Find Your Feet and The Development Fund.