Project aims to 'drought-proof' villages

Efforts to mitigate the impact of erratic rainfall on agricultural production in drought-prone southern Malawi have begun to bear fruit. Through the provision of 80 simple treadle pumps, which cost about US $27 each, World Vision has been able to use the donations of 3,000 Australian families to lessen the impact of drought on the southern Mlolo area. The pedal-powered pumps allow for irrigation farming during the dry season or when rainfall is insufficient for crops. This allows for the cultivation of winter crops on land that was previously barren during the dry season. Southern Malawi's districts have been particularly hard-hit by drought and floods and World Vision Malawi now assists nearly all of these districts. Aid agencies estimate that about 3.2 million Malawians are currently faced with hunger due to regional food shortages. One of the beneficiaries of the treadle pump project is 58-year-old Wanderford Chilomo. "Now things are working for me," Chilomo said. He boasted that he could now comfortably support his family of three with the yields from his crops. "Last year I got three bags of maize ... I eat from here all the time. I really can't complain about hunger since I secured the treadle pump. All I need now is a granary. But I can assure you that I don't complain about hunger," he said while showing off his field of maize, bananas, cassava and sugarcane. The Australian families donate US $90 each year through World Vision - the money is used to assist 3,000 children and their families in 35 villages in Mlolo. This has enabled the community at Mlolo to virtually 'drought-proof' itself. Mlolo has a population of 23,000 and is situated in the Nsanje district, some 90-km south-east of Blantyre, Malawi's commercial capital. Weston Kasinje, World Vision programme manager for Mlolo, told IRIN that there was a commitment to fund the project through to 2010. "One of the conditions is that the children must be in school. If you are not in school, you cannot be in the programme," he said. The most vulnerable families - such as female-headed households and those affected by HIV/AIDS - also received supplementary food supplies. Another Mlolo resident benefiting from the NGO's intervention is 26-year-old Violet Tembo, Chilomo's niece, who previously had to borrow a treadle pump from her uncle. This year she has her own treadle pump, courtesy of the project. "I dug my own well for two days. Now you can see this green maize. I don't expect hunger in the days ahead," Tembo said. She grows rice, cassava and sweet potato. Marion Chindongo, World Vision regional manager for southern Malawi, said: "For years, the community has survived on handouts from the government or NGOs. And that, from our perspective, is not sustainable." The NGO was also assisting the farmers to produce seed. "For the first time in the Mlolo community, farmers received money for themselves because they had grown seed," she added. "On average, each farmer received US $267 [from seed sales]. I think it is a breakthrough for the southern region of Malawi," said Layton Vasulu, the NGOs former agricultural supervisor at Mlolo. The project also aims to change the mind-set that certain crops could only be grown in certain areas and at specific times. New food crops such as rice, potatoes, sorghum, millet, beans and groundnuts have been introduced. These crops provide three main benefits: they produce high yields, mature quickly and make better use of limited water so they are less vulnerable to erratic rainfall. Chindongo said World Vision was working with the Malawi government to duplicate the success in Mlolo in other areas.