It was great to visit our farm in Northern Malawi and see the progress that is being made, both in terms of crop production and the demonstration of modern farming technology. Our aim is to show that farm technology coupled with good agricultural practice and a strong grasp of farm economics can help solve Malawi’s food crisis. Sadly, Malawi is heading towards the “hungry months” (January to April) when traditionally poorer Malawians eat less because the food they stored from last year’s harvest is running low. But 2024 had particularly poor harvests, with the President declaring a State of Disaster back in March, and the pain of that is coming soon. In a small way we are demonstrating a way forward which builds resilience into the whole farming enterprise.

Tomatoes grown professionally on the farm – high yields and high quality.

Two weeks ago, 58 students from Mzuzu University visited the farm to see modern farming technology in practice. The Malawi Broadcasting Corporation filmed the visit and it has been broadcast nationwide. This short video is a sample of the documentary they produced https://youtu.be/6aSkDjHMF9Q

Agricultural students getting a lesson in farm economics from Atusaye.

One of the major aspects of the farm is water management and visitors can see rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation, use of sprinklers, solar water pumping and much more. The farm has no year round river for water supply, but with dams and boreholes we are irrigating more and more land and growing more food each year.

Irrigation technology at the farm.

At the end of the day, it’s all about food and feeding a growing population. The farm produces a wide range of vegetables, legumes and cereals and it was great to see some fresh and good quality vegetables. I can confirm that the watermelons are delicious!