Agricultural Training Centre

The centre is a small showcase of what can be grown and demonstrates small-scale methods of irrigation, compost and manure use and the use of a variety of plants as pest deterrents. This we hope will provide further assistance for the many people who grow their own produce.

In early 2007, we carved it up part of the centre into easily manageable plots and offered it to any individual or group interested in learning about horticulture. Within a week the plots were snapped up and ever since a handful of groups, including a female trio, have been regular garden attendees; hoeing, watering, planting and weeding. All of this has been done under the watchful eye of Godrick, our hall and office manager, who now capably manages the Temwa garden.

Now that the garden is blooming Godrick and Benson are taking the opportunity to run ‘Open Days’, when people from the community can come for a guided tour of the garden, learn about the experiments we are doing, ask questions and share their knowledge with one another and with us. The first of these days was run on the 22nd of June, 2007. It was mainly focused on those people who had taken up the offer of plots in the Temwa garden and, as such, was well attended.

During 2008, there has also been several training sessions run in the centre. These ongoing sessions include basic agricultural training, pest management and soil fertility training and are open to anyone in the community that wants to attend.

Community Tree Nursery

Six volunteers were selected to be the custodians of the nursery. These volunteers completed a two day training course which was given by the Mkondezi Research Station, focusing around fruit production and including step-by-step methods for constructing a tree nursery up to the propagation of the trees. The trainers were very pleased at the groups keenness to learn and their ability to pick things up quickly and they were very confident that the first year of the nursery will be a success.

TThe end of July 2008 marked the completion of the first year's work in the Usisya Fruit Tree Nursery. Over the last year the nursery custodians have accomplished a great deal. Besides completing their initial training, they have constructed the nursery itself, planted and raised over 1,500 saplings, out-planted seedlings into gardens and orchards, transplanted agroforestry tree species into fields and gardens and created several community citrus fruit tree orchards.

Temwa are planning to expand this project over the coming years through creating several more of these community owned tree nurseries throughout Usisya. Currently the Temwa team in Malawi is working on a proposal with ITF to build on the experience and knowledge gained in this initial project in order to address the current problem of deforestation in the area.

Food and Nutrition Security

The start of August saw the arrival of a new volunteer in Usisya. Hope Thornton started a six-month contract as a Food and Nutrition Advisor and will be working alongside our Project Manager, Nyambe Luhila, to design and plan an effective programme framework to address the food and nutritional needs of the people of Usisya.

Her role’s responsibilities include completing a baseline food and nutrition survey and planning individual projects such as nutrition education, a small-scale irrigation demonstration scheme and establishing a demonstration fruit tree orchard with seedlings from the Usisya Fruit Tree Nursery.

Hope has recently completed the data collection for her baseline food and nutrition survey. Next, she has to compile and analyse the data before she begins designing and planning an effective programme framework to address Usisya's nutritional needs.