New farming methods give Blantyre community hope

People in Traditional Authority (T/A) Chigaru in Blantyre District have expressed optimism that the deep bed farming technology introduced to them will help them realise bumper yields. This initiative, implemented by Tiyeni Organisation in collaboration with M’bwana Children’s Mission, seeks to enhance food security and build resilience among rural farmers. Speaking on Thursday during a local field day, a community member Enock Chikapa expressed optimism about the project, saying he is expecting to harvest around 35 bags of maize from a half acre.

He said the project has deepened his understanding of agricultural technologies, including deep bed farming, mixed cropping, compost manure usage and the construction of boxes in furrows in deep bed-fields to harvest rainwater. “Previously, I practised traditional farming, which gave me low yields,” he said. M’bwana Children’s Mission founder and executive director Kenneth Mpemba expressed satisfaction with the impact of the project.

“De ep bed f a rming is a modern agricultural methodology related to soil and water conservation practices which increases crop yields and encourages livestock farming as well,” he said. Tiyeni Organisation country director Isaac Monjo Chavula expressed his satisfaction with the community’s response to the project. “We started with about 15 farmers trained in deep bed farming in 2024/25 growing season and this year over 200 farmers expressed interest to adopt the method,” he said.

[paywall]

Blantyre district chief agriculture officer Lusungu Mtokale descr ibed the initiative as a significant step in addressing hunger. Tiyeni is implementing the three-year project with financial support from United States citizen Howard Hibbs.

[/paywall]