By Alinafe Nyanda
Conservation farming initiatives championed by Total Land Care (TLC) is transforming lives of many farmers in the country as beneficiaries are increasingly becoming food secure enabling them to move from poverty to prosperity.
Head of the organisation Zwide Jere said in a interview that it is satisfied with the impact being made citing that out of farm proceeds, some farmers are buying cars, building better houses and manage to pay university tuition fees for their children.
According to Jere, Climate Smart Agriculture is crucial to the preservation of lost organic matter in the soil hence concentrating on this program.
Said Zwide”We are making huge strides. We have seen lives changing from poverty to prosperity. Some farmers are leading better and glorious lives compared to us who are working for various organizations or even government. Some have bought cars and their households are now ‘Mwana Alilenji’.”
Zwide said the organisation is in most districts of Malawi but due to lack of resources they withdrew operations in other districts.
He hailed the partnership between government and TLC saying it is cordial and fulfilling for the locals.
“Government has been supporting us greatly and for that we are very appreciative. We have many programs including that of preserving the environment but, so far the journey has been very good. Our partners from other European countries have also been integral in helping us reach our goals though assistance is never enough,” he explained.
One of the districts Jere said farmers are reaping huge results of their efforts is Nkhotakota where some rice farmers are realising income of over K26 million in a season after selling their produce.
“We are happy with what we have achieved so far but the journey is very long and complex,” he added.
Alice Mwale, a Nkhotakota farmer who has benefitted from TLC initiatives, said life is no longer the same since the coming in of TLC.
“I am financially independent and able to support my family as single parent. My family is one of the models in our village. We hope the organisation will be here for a very long time. Imagine last year I managed to harvest 57 bags of rice from a relatively small area and things are looking good,” said Mwale.
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