Low-cost farming innovations enhancing food security in Malawi

In Malawi, the rising costs of agricultural inputs, particularly inorganic fertilizers, are hindering the productivity of smallholder farmers, thus impacting food security

Due to land degradation, many farmers who cannot afford these fertilizers are left with meagre harvests, often barely enough to feed their households.

In response to this challenge, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with funding from the Government of Flanders, has launched the Land Use Planning and Sustainable Land and Water Management for Improved Agricultural Productivity project. As part of this initiative, the FAO is promoting low-cost, sustainable land and water management practices, such as the production of organo-mineral fertilizers like Mbeya. Mbeya is a locally made organic fertiliser, produced from readily available raw materials, with a small quantity of inorganic fertilizer included.

Maganizo Lukhere, a farmer from Mzimba district, is one of the beneficiaries of this initiative. He shared how his family’s agricultural productivity has improved since adopting Mbeya fertilizer. "Four years ago, we used to harvest 10 to 13 fifty-kilogram bags of maize from a one-acre piece of land. The maize was never enough to sustain our family of eight until the next harvest. Since we started making and using Mbeya fertilizer, we harvest about 40 fifty-kilogram bags of maize on the same piece of land," said Maganizo.

In addition to using Mbeya, Maganizo has expanded his farming operations by obtaining a wetland area where he grows maize year-round under irrigation, utilising residual moisture. His adoption of Mbeya fertilizer and other low-cost soil and water management techniques has brought significant improvements. "We are about to harvest this year’s crop, but we still have maize left over from last year’s harvest. In our household, lean months are a thing of the past. We have eliminated hunger," he added.

Mbeya fertilizer is easy and affordable to produce, making it accessible to many farmers in the community. To make one 50kg bag of Mbeya, the ingredients needed are 21 kg of maize bran, 10kg of pig dung, 10kg of inorganic fertilizers, 10kg of ash, and 5 litres of water. Notably, one 50kg bag of mineral fertilizer can produce five 50 kg bags of Mbeya fertilizer.

Maganizo also practices other low-cost techniques promoted by the FAO, such as mulching, zero tillage, planting vetiver grass around maize fields, and constructing swales for water harvesting. These methods help preserve soil moisture, prevent erosion, and improve soil quality.

Harvey Nyirongo, agriculture extension officer for the Chasato section in Mzimba, explained that many smallholder farmers face financial constraints and carefully consider the costs of adopting new technologies. "A lot of smallholder farmers are resource-poor, and the cost of technology is one of the factors they consider before adoption," he said. "Now that more farmers are making and using Mbeya fertilizer, the community is more food secure."