By Andrew Phiri

Balaka, August 3, Mana: Farmers along the Shire River basin in Balaka District have expressed optimism that the adoption of land restoration and forest conservation practices under Malawi Watershed Services Improvement Project (MWASIP) would enable them realize increased agricultural yields.

Implemented by the Government of Malawi with support from the World Bank, MWASIP in Balaka aims at improving agricultural activities by restoring 10,334 hectares of degraded land along the Shire River areas starting from 2022 to 2026.

Speaking after touring different sites, MWASIP District Project Coordinator for Balaka, Lucreshia Matekenya, said the project has three main components; land restoration cover, watershed services and technical support to farmers. 

Matekenya said since the start of implementation of MWASIP in 2022, farmers are able to practice modern conservational agriculture while others were getting financial grants that will enable them to venture into agribusinesses such as piggery, beekeeping and fish farming.

“Farmers are able to construct swales, box ridges and matching to increase water infiltration and also constructing stone bands to reduce the speed of running water; hence, reducing soil erosion.

“Apart from conservation agriculture, farmers have also embraced Farmers Field Schools (FFS); whereby, they are able to select a topic to discuss by identifying agricultural challenges, analyze it and find solutions,” she said.

Chairperson for Mtola Village Level Action Plan (VLAP) in Traditional Authority (TA) Nsamala, Andrew Galimoto, said they have constructed check dams, own forests and produce Mbeya manure, courtesy of MWASIP.

Galimoto said: “As you can see, this land is steep which means when rain comes all water runs down without proper infiltration. So, these swales and box ridges help to hold the water; hence, reducing soil erosion and increasing its fertility.”  

Sani Sofiti from Mtendere VLAP under Mpilisi Extension Planning Area in TA Nsamala, hailed the project, saying they have restored natural forests and also constructed stone bands to reduce the speed of running water.

However, Sofiti cited limited membership as a challenge to their group since some people left the group because they had little knowledge on the long term benefits of this programme.

Balaka District Director of Agriculture, David Ali, commended the development, noting that farmers across the district have generally embraced the project.

He said adoption of land restoration and forest conservation practices will serve future generations of the district.