Farmers in Zambia are preparing for a rainy season
Published: Dec 4, 2017 Reading time: 2 minutes
Maliwa Mukelabai lives with her family in the small village of Nawindo which is about an hour away by car from Mong in West Zambia. Maliwa lives with her husband in a seven-member household. In order for the parents to take care of their 5 children, they work every day in the field. They mainly grow bambara nuts, corn and cassava. They are trying to sell the surpluses on the market.
During the drought, stockpiles are emptying out and village residents do not have enough food for themselves or for trading.
People in Need therefore gives the selected families seeds and seedlings to help them cope with the difficult times - they should be able to grow enough food for themselves and even for future trading in order to save money in case of droughts when the crops are not growing.
Maliwa's family was given new tools for easier cultivation. They were bought three sacks of seeds. The seeds are sold by so-called local service providers, who have received marketing training from People in Need. They should also help families get their surpluses on the local market.
The local soil is very sandy so it must be well prepared before sowing.
The necessary nutrients will supply the old leaves, which will dissolve in the soil and prepare the right conditions for germinating seeds.
Then they can start to plow. Soon the rain will come, which is awaited by all local farmers.
Maliwa today plants bambara nuts - something similar to chickpeas or peas. They are weather-resistant and nutritious.
"We do not have enough food now. We are really grateful for the seeds, "says Maliwa. "We can plant them and grow more crops. Hopefully we'll be lucky and get the most out of them."
