From Famine to Feast

In a story that inspires hope in subsistence farming, Malawi has altered its own fate by going from famine to a full bread basket in two short years. BBC reports that through application of crop breeding, soil management, irrigation and diversification, scientists have helped farmers in the African country to cope with climate change and change their own course.

A drought in 2005 made the country a dust bowl. While farmers back then had hybrid corn seeds, a lack of fertilizer made a successful crop impossible. Introduction of technology through a foot pump that helps farmers irrigate their fields has helped the dust bowl become an oasis.

But on the front lines, the Malawi government has taken the lead on introducing irrigation with a program to create a "green belt" stretching along the shores of Lake Malawi. Farmers are also planting cassava, which is a drought resistant alternative to corn. A US nonproft, Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs (CNFA) has also taken the lead in hosting annual crop demonstrations, which educate farmers on hybrid seeds and maximizing crop yields from them. CNFA has also played a role in transporting seeds directly to the farmers, removing a barrier that once prevented them from accessing seeds and fertilizer — lack of travel.

In spite of these successes, much work is needed to bring the soils up to speed. They currently suffer from years of monoculture (planting the same crops year after year without replenishing nitrogen in the soil). All in all, it looks like Malawi has begun to set the example for providing new life and full bread baskets for those who previously suffered. May it serve as an example for other African nations! Read more here.