Farm Radio Programs helping women raise millions in Malawi

If you think nothing good can come from the radio, then you better think twice. While other women gather around a radio to listen to their favourite music, some women use the radio to gain agriculture skills and make huge profits from their farming.

Liskina Mastala a local Potato farmer and a widow from Malawi- Southern Africa has made his first one Million Malawi Kwacha courtesy of a farm radio program she had been listening to on her radio set. 

The farm radio program is an initiative which emanates from an understanding that extension workers are very few with respect to number of farmers who needs immediate services. The ratio of extension workers to farmers in Malawi is currently estimated to be 1:3000 which is far beyond the standard ratio of 1:300.

It’s nothing magical or rocket science, farmers nowadays can get complete and reliable advisory services from radio without meeting the extension worker face to face.

A special radio program aired to provide good Potato husbandry and advisory services in Malawi is being championed by Farm Radio Trust a local non-governmental organization in conjunction with the Malawi government. The radio program gets aired weekly on most of the radio stations, and feature a series of sub radio topics on how one can grow potatoes and most importantly make profits from those Potatoes.

Liskina Mastala revealed the secret behind the one million Malawi Kwacha; a radio program from Farm Radio Trust called “Riches in Potato farming.” Since Mastala started farming, she had been relying on tradition farming methods told by her grandfather just like any other person in her village.

Year after year, Mastala’s harvests kept getting smaller and this worried her. How could I feed my three growing children all by myself? She kept asking herself. One day as she was listening to the radio, she come across a radio program that explained better techniques of growing Potatoes. The radio program features an agricultural extension worker who speaks live on air teaching people about Potato farming and Potato business. Mastala started following the farm radio series and adopted every technology explained during the radio program.

Liskina’s life has been transformed, she is now food secure, self-sufficient, and able to send her children to school.  

The green Gold is not Gold anymore

For so long agriculture has been the backbone of Malawian’s economy. It is currently the most important sector of the Malawi economy. It employs about 80% of the total workforce, contribute over 80% of foreign exchange, accounts for 39% of Gross domestic product (GDP). Tobacco being the crop of most importance is proudly nicknamed “green gold”. It was the main cash crop that was performing wonders on the international scene earning foreign currency for Malawi. Things have changed; Tobacco is no longer “the green Gold” as it used to be. In my opinion, I think the so called Gold is tarnishing and turning into Blonze.

Since Malawi got independence about fifty ago, both the subsistence and commercial farmers had been growing this gold. Those days were the best because Tobacco was really paying for itself; farmers were getting rich with Tobacco farming. Even typical Tobacco farmers in the villages were respected because of the profits they get from Tobacco, but not anymore. There are so many factors fueling the downfall of the green gold down to its knees.

Price fluctuations is the main culprit bringing the crop to its knees. The buying prices of the crop  changes so aggressively ending up disappointing growers. One year the price is good and another year before you know it the prices changes. What pains most is that the price for Tobacco is set by the buyers themselves other than the farmers. What kind of business is that? Even the prices these buyers set are very low and humiliating to farmers. Think about the pain farmers endures though out the year to produce Tobacco. Think again about the loans farmers acquire in order to purchase farm inputs for the same crop. What about a bunch of laborers anxiously waiting to get paid once the farmer sold his/ her Tobacco?

Another culprit to the successful Tobacco business is the issue of climate change.  I believe the issue of climate change is not a new thing to most of you. Currently Malawi is experiencing persistent floods and droughts, a clear sign of climate change. The fields are rendered useless once hit by floods because nothing good comes from them afterwards. Roads are also being damaged by the same floods thereby dis linking farmers and buyers. To make matter worse, agricultural extension workers do not make it in time to reach to Tobacco farmers with innovations in areas usually hit with floods.

Acquiring all the essential farm inputs is also becoming a challenge to most Malawian farmers. Malawian currency has lost its value dramatically over the past years raising the prices of almost every farm input. Not every Jim and Jack can now afford to buy a bag of fertilizer let alone pesticides. This is discouraging farmers to venture into Tobacco farming thereby making them to opt into other enterprises. 

The Last move Malawi has to play

The fact that the climate is changing is nothing we can deny.  Here in Malawi the evidence is everywhere, scarce rainfall, and prolonged droughts. Months without rainfall and prolonged scotching sun are beginning to be the song of each and every day.

Malawi being reliant on agriculture for survival is digging its own grave if it continues relying on rain fed agriculture. The truth is we are not producing enough food as expected. Of course there is only one move that Malawi has to make; Irrigation, not just any other but solar powered irrigation.

Solar powered irrigation as the name suggests uses solar energy, which is the energy and power from the sun. The technical explanation is simple; all you need are solar panel mirrors to power the water pump, and batteries for storing power. These mirrors will absorb, and trap energy from the sun and convert it into electrical energy. The electrical energy will first be stored in the batteries then used to power water pump. The process may sound too technical and scary but rest assured it happens automatically without anybody doing or controlling it.

The good thing about the system is that it is extremely cheap after installation. There are no extra costs on fuel as it is the case with Diesel and Petro powered irrigation systems. Of course I agree that the initial purchase of the equipment can be a burden, but think of no costs once the installation is done. Those systems that use fuel energy may seem cheaper at first but as time goes the costs accumulates and reach a point of exceeding solar irrigation. I believe a good move is to go with the solar powered irrigation other than fuel powered irrigation systems especially here in Malawi.

The other point to put in mind is the issue of the environment. Everyday either be it on Radio, Television, Newspapers, and of course some Blogs like the one you are reading now you could hear stories about protecting our mother nature. Coming back to our main topic “solar irrigation” is environmental friendly and clean as it uses sustainable energy. There are no harmful fumes or gases released from the use of solar irrigation system as it is the case with other systems. We all say the environment is in our hands, why continue using systems that will contribute to the downfall of our own environment? Think of the generations that are coming ahead, what kind of environment would they find because of our deeds today?

Scarcity of energy to power our irrigation systems is also a point worth mentioning about. Let me take you a little back in time to the energy crisis in Malawi in year 2011. You could see endless queues at Gasoline filling stations; people were spending days and nights just to fill their hungry fuel car tanks. Think of those farmers who solemnly relied on Gasoline irrigation systems, where were they getting the fuel to power their water pumps? Think also of the cost of acquiring that fuel due to its scarcity. The only sound decision would be to switch to solar energy irrigation; in Malawi you cannot go a day or some days without sunlight. The sun shines each and every day be it in summer or winter there by energy available around the year. Of course some months in winter the sun shine is not that intense as the case in summer, but remember the system has backup power storage batteries. The power in the batteries can be used to supply constant energy throughout the winter.

Quail bird keeping an alternative to Chickens

In Malawi chicken rearing as a business has been in practice ever since time in memorial. Almost every household in the village keeps chickens and other domesticated birds. When someone mentions the word poultry, one may think of the chickens due to their popularity in the Malawian setting. We have known chickens, kept them, and ate them since we were kids. Even our grannies and ancestors had been keeping chickens as long as we can remember. This generation has come up with a new poultry rearing enterprise of small birds called Quails. Quails are small winged animals from the poultry family; they look like chickens or guinea fowl but very small in size. Naturally Quails are wild animals but thanks to the Chinese who natured them and produced domestic quails species. These species can now be reared in pens just like any other poultry bird.

To say the truth, Quail farming is not common here in Malawi. Many farmers shun keeping Quails because of their size; they doubt their ability to produce enough meat for the whole family. Most farmers venture into keeping large poultry birds for example chickens, and ducks because they are assured of many benefits they get from them.  Looking at the brighter side, Quails have many advantages over any other poultry animal you can think of.

Quails grow faster and mature quickly than any other poultry bird raised domestically. A day old Quail will only take six to seven weeks to mature and be ready for plate. On the other hand, hybrid broiler chicken which is claimed to be the fastest to grow takes a minimum of eight weeks to be fully matured. Judging from this scenario you can agree with me that keeping Quails is the best viable option for a local farmer struggling with few resources.

Not only are Quails liked for their fast growth rate, they also lay a lot of eggs than chickens and other domestic birds. They can lay eggs each and every day in their first year of growth though the rate keeps on decreasing till stoppage in their third year. A Quail in its entire life time can produce a thousand eggs which is the highest number of eggs in all poultry birds. These eggs are smaller in size and do not take up much of storage space and they can also be used in home decorations.

Another score that Quails have over Chickens is their ability to resist most of the diseases that attack poultry birds. Quails are genetically created with genes which are a little bit different from other birds, no wonder they originate from the wild. A wise farmer would choose to keep Quails other than Chickens to save costs on medicines and vaccines. On top of that, a farmer keeping Quails is assured of low bird mortality rate thereby increasing his/her profits.

Last but not least, Quails have lean white meat which is very low in animal fat but rich in vitamin B. Nowadays people are keeping watch their health and a lot of research is being done on food with low fat content. People are opting for foods with low fat content in order to combat diseases like high blood pressure. Quail meat is being recommended over chicken meat by those people suffering from high blood pressure and also the people desiring to lose weight. A farmer who chooses to venture into Quail keeping business is assured of making more profits than raising chickens.

Quails pen do not require a lot of space as it is the case with Chickens, a square meter can accommodate nine Quails. Even the pen itself is not as complicated and expensive as other poultry houses, it can be made of cheap Bamboo sticks and thatching grass only. This kind of house will suit a local farmer with low capital investment thereby making Quail farming a viable business especially in Malawi.

            

FISP-Driver for Malawi economy?

FISP acronym for Farm Input Subsidy Program is a government initiative to subsidize some of the farm inputs in Malawi. The idea behind FISP is to empower local subsistence farmers whose financial muscle is very low to at least be able to purchase fertilizer and seeds at a lower price. This is achieved by acquiring government FISP coupons through village chiefs.

For the past ten years, a slice of national budget has been directed to FISP program. The program has raised eyebrows among Malawian citizens as to whether it is beneficial or just punching holes to an already staggering economy. Some citizens are opting for the discontinuity of the program while others are in full support.

Looking critically at the program, one can notice that FISP have many upside downs rather than benefits. To begin with, the program main aim is to contribute to a wider economic growth and poverty reduction through increased food availability. The bigger questions are; has poverty been reduced for the past 10 years? Does Malawi have food available throughout the year? Judging from these questions one can tell that the program is not succeeding; in short FISP is failing Malawi. On the other hand FISP has some credit worthy appreciating; it is proving food to those who had none, but the number is very low.

There is also a growing concern that the rich are benefiting at the expense of the poor. FISP target group is poor local farmers who cannot afford to pay the full price of a bag of fertilizer. Instead of poor farmers accessing these FISP coupons, it is the rich who have full access to FISP coupons. The rich of course can afford to buy fertilizer on their own without the subsidy but not our poor local farmers. If poor farmers who are also dedicated farmers are denied these coupons, how can the economy grow?

Not only is FISP blamed on helping the rich in disguise, there is also an increase in corruption cases. FISP coupons are believed to be accessed at an auction price in some parts of the country. People who can offer to pay more than their counterparts are prioritized and issued these coupons. Those with personal hatred with people incharge of issuing coupons, in this case village chiefs are left out. To make matters worse, people in charge of issuing FISP coupons favour their relatives leaving out deserving people. How can one achieve or contribute to food security if he/she is denied the tools to do so?

Climate change and Agriculture:The two way process

Climate change is the gradual change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns which lasts for an extended period of time. When we say climate is changing, we are just comparing our weather patterns to what our ancestors used to have. The bigger questions still remain; what causes climate change? Is really climate changing? At what rate is climate changing?

Though Agriculture is being affected by climate change, it is the same agriculture that is fueling climate change. It is like two children on a seesaw, one suffers on the expense of the other and vise versa. Agriculture sector has become one of the main driving force of gas emission, gas being an agent of climate change. Carbon dioxide emission is linked to deforestation and burning of bush when clearing land to make room for field and pastures. In addition, modern chemical agriculture is believed to be polluting water bodies which in turn inhibits the water cycle. This result into interference with the nature and change in climate.

Evidence of climate change is everywhere, here in Malawi we used to have reliable rainfalls from early November to late April. Over the years,the situation has changed; currently we are experiencing persistent droughts which was not the case before. This is manifested through very ugly land surfaces with large cracks especially in dry season symbolizing onset of droughts. Long periods without rainfall are worsening people’s access to clean, and drinkable water. These droughts are also hindering irrigation projects due to low levels of available water.

It is difficult to quantify the rate at which the climate change is occurring. It usually happens gradually without us noticing, that is the reason why some people deny its existence.