Objectives

To strengthen the technical capacities of smallholder agricultural and/or livestock producers in Malawi on a sustainable basis through the following specific objectives:

• To strengthen the productive capacities and incomes of smallholder families through diversification, adoption of agro-ecological and agro-forestry practices;
• To improve the autonomy in firewood of rural families by planting trees in bocages on farms;
• Enable rural communities to have regular access to poultry vaccination services against Newcastle disease through the establishment of a network of community vaccinators operating according to an entrepreneurial approach.

Intervention areas

• Centre and Southern Regions : Lilongwe, Zomba and Phalombe

Activities

1/ Improvement of the seed autonomy of families in order to increase the availability at village level of local and certified quality seeds, in sufficient quantities, and to allow an increased presence of families on their farms during the growing season. The project supports the creation of community seed banks which enable families to secure a significant part of their seed needs each year and to improve their productivity.

2/ Promotion and dissemination of agroecological practices allowing increased farm productivity:

• Training of village agricultural groups and setting up of individualised agricultural advisory services;
• Implementation of different models to increase the dissemination of promoted practices (exchange visits, demonstration plots, village trophies, etc.).

3/ Reinforcement of families’ autonomy in accessing essential wood resources (production of firewood and timber)

• Provide access to agroforestry production equipment by supporting the establishment of village seed nurseries and transfer the technical knowledge to enable communities to continue producing seedlings after the project has ended;
• Train families and organise exchange visits to promote the adoption of bocage tree planting around farms;
• Promote proven practices at individual and community levels to ensure optimal survival of planted trees (with monitoring of survival rates and achievements over 3 years): good nursery management, planting and tree protection techniques, marking and visibility of planted trees, community prevention of cattle roaming, etc.

4/ Support to village poultry farming by controlling Newcastle disease. This viral disease, for which there is no curative treatment but a vaccine produced at low cost locally in Malawi, is the leading cause of mortality among rural livestock in this part of Africa.

• Support and training of the network of village vaccinators in the planning and organisation of vaccination campaigns, as well as the geographical extension of the service to 3 districts;
• Capacity building and support to enhance the sustainability of vaccinators’ associations;
• Participation with stakeholders in the definition of a model for the wider dissemination of immunisation services.

Partners

• Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture and its field offices
• Associations of vaccinators supported by the project
• The local NGO RPC
• Department of Animal Health and Livestock Development (National and District level) and its Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL)