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Independent - Malawi's farming revolution sets the pace in Africa

A green revolution taking place in the fields of Malawi has, in three years, turned a nation that was once reliant on international aid to feed half its population into a food exporter.

In doing so, it has set an example for other developing countries struggling to feed themselves. But it has done it all against the express wishes of Britain, the United States and the World Bank - its largest donors.

Malawi suffered a catastrophic drought in 2005. The World Food Programme estimated that five million people - out of a population of 12 million - needed food aid and many villages reported people dying of starvation.

A new government, led by Bingu wa Mutharika, believed the problem was straightforward. Farmers were using seeds that were highly susceptible to disease and weevils, and too few were using fertiliser. If farmers could afford high-yield maize seeds and fertiliser, the government argued, they would be able to grow enough food. At a cost of £30m, the government launched a subsidisation scheme. With a state coupon, the price of a bag of fertiliser fell from 6,500 kwacha (£23) to 900, while a 2kg bag of hybrid maize seed dropped from 600 kwacha to 30.



keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Mon May 5th, 2008 at 02:39:34 PM EST
Thanks Helen.  You are completely right : the recent "Green Revolution"in the drylands of Malawi is at least partly due to small-scale horticulture by the rural population.  NGOs play a very important role in this (r)evolution.  Their successes should inspire donors, and not only the largest ones,to provide substantial financial aid for duplication of these "best practices" at the largest national and even international scale.  

Food aid can only be a temporary relief, because it is never eliminating the causes of the drought catastrophe. Think at my variant of the Chinese proverb : "Don't bring these people food, teach them how to grow it".

Prof. Dr. Willem Van Cotthem Beeweg 36 - B 9080 Zaffelare (Belgium)

by willem vancotthem (willem.vancotthem@gmail.com) on Tue May 6th, 2008 at 03:34:19 AM EST
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One of the stories that hangs in the back of my mind from years ago is that of an ecologist who discovered a bush bean in Central America that not only produces a nutritious bean crop, but provides a microclimate for the growth of other crops such as maize and, when they have been cropped, provide food for goats which then fertilize the area for next years cycle.

Was this a figment of my imagination ?

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue May 6th, 2008 at 01:55:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Hello Helen. Sorry for the delay of this reply, caused by a busy schedule.  A number of crops (beans, peas, etc.) belong to the leguminous plants, known for their ability to stock nitrogen from the air and to transform it into proteins, which are then broken down to nitrates, fertilizing the soil.  Such nitrogen fixating crops are very useful indeed.  They should be grown at a larger scale to fertilize the soil, particularly in the drylands.  So, it is not your imagination !

Prof. Dr. Willem Van Cotthem Beeweg 36 - B 9080 Zaffelare (Belgium)
by willem vancotthem (willem.vancotthem@gmail.com) on Sun May 11th, 2008 at 05:59:27 AM EST
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