Malawi Farmer to Farmer Agroecology Project

Project details

The Malawi Farmer-to-Farmer Agroecology project (or MAFFA) works in two different areas of Malawi: Lobi region of Dedza District, central Malawi and Ekwendeni region in Mzimba District, northern Malawi. Currently over 6600 farming households work with MAFFA, in 308 villages. Both these areas are mid-altitude, sub-tropical ecosystems, with unimodal rainfall during the months of December to April (700-1300 mm/yr). The typical cropping pattern of smallholders in both sites has been maize (Zea mays) as the dominant staple crop, and other crops grown at low density including tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) and groundnut (Arachis hypogaea). Lobi District is at a higher elevation, approximately 1300 metres above sea level, and with relatively flat land, flooding is a more frequent problem. People grow more ‘Irish’ potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) along with common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) for the busy Dedza markets. The majority of people in the region are Chewa, practising matrilocal and matrilineal systems of inheritance – women own the land and stay in their home villages when they marry. In contrast, in Ekwendeni region the majority of people are Tumbuka and Ngoni, and practice patrilineal and patrilocal systems, in which land is passed through men and women move to their husband’s village when they marry. Ekwendeni region is at a slightly lower elevation (1200 above sea level), and precipitation rates vary, with drought a more frequent problem than the Lobi area. There are fewer marketing opportunities in the northern region, and greater levels of forested regions still remaining.