YASD to Train 6,000 Farmers in Sustainable Farming in Mchinji

MCHINJI, Malawi — The Youth Alliance for Sustainable Development (YASD), a local nongovernmental organization focusing on agriculture, has revealed plans to train 6,000 farmers in Mchinji in low-cost but sustainable farming techniques under the 'Food Forest' Project, writes Brenda Sanudi, MANA.

Owen Zayambika, YASD's Communications and Publicity Officer, made the announcement during the graduation of 100 farmers under the Mtenthera Farmers Club in Traditional Authority Simphasi in the district who underwent a five-day training session on permaculture.

"Under the Food Forest Project, we understand that to create homes that are food-secure, we need to use techniques that are permanent as well as sustainable," said Zayambika.

"So, permaculture is coming in as a low-cost farming technique since farmers have learnt how to make their homes food-secure using the resources they already have."

Zayambika explained that the training aimed at ensuring farmers have the capacity to produce food in their homes using the resources at their disposal.

"Currently, we have trained 100 farmers, but the training will continue since our target is to train 600 farmers who will, in turn, train others to reach 6,000 which is our desired target," he said.

Nepiyala Nkhwali, one of the trainers, highlighted that Malawi as a nation is facing challenges such as droughts and hunger.

"As such, permaculture, which hinges on identifying challenges and addressing them using local means, could help eradicate the chronic farming challenges in the district. Effects of climate change are everywhere, and nothing is improving in the agriculture sector for the ordinary farmer," said Nkhwali.

He added that inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides are expensive and continue to endanger human bodies.

"With permaculture, the farmers have learned to make local pesticides that are harmless and organic fertilizers that are cheap but maximize yield. They have also learned about water-conservation techniques that will help them boost food production capacity on their homesteads," he said.

Gabriel Vincent, Chairperson of the Mtenthera Farmers Club, hailed YASD for the initiative, saying the training equipped them with lifelong knowledge.

"In permaculture, we have learned new knowledge such as how to cross-breed fruit trees so that we have a high yield, and this will help us with finances from the sale of these fruits," said Vincent.

YASD is implementing the Food Forest Project in Mchinji for three months with support from the Permaculture Paradise Institute (PPI).

The training alone will cost MK8 million after training 6,000 farmers from 13 clubs.