Manure production is the answer
* The campaign is meant to help farmers boost crop yields by restoring and maintaining quality soil
* You can have fertiliser and other inputs, but if the soil lacks nutrients, the harvest will still be poor — healthy soil means better yields and better income for farmers
By Gift Wahuta, MANA
One Acre Fund, in collaboration with district agriculture office, are planning for 2025 soil health campaign with One Acre Fund reaffirming to improve soil health in Blantyre as part of its broader effort to increase agricultural productivity and income among farming households.
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One Acre Fund, a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to uplifting smallholder farmers by providing them with financing and training, made its commitment recently during the soil health campaign launch planning meeting with the agriculture office.
One Acre Fund’s public relations officer, Bertha Namelo Kapitawo told Malawi News Agency (MANA) that the campaign is meant to help farmers boost crop yields by restoring and maintaining quality soil.
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“You can have fertiliser and other inputs, but if the soil lacks nutrients, the harvest will still be poor — healthy soil means better yields and better income for farmers,” she said.
“That’s why we are investing in this and the whole essence of working closely with farmers to bring back soil health.”
She added that the soil health campaign began last year when agricultural field officers were trained to train farmers on sustainable farming practices, as the initiative also included a mindset change at Traditional Authority (T/A) level.
“This year, we are continuing but shifting our approach,” Kapitawo. “We will be using a mobile van [mounted with public address system] for wider outreach, raising awareness about soil health, promoting early incorporation of crop residues to ensure decomposition before crop cultivation and discouraging burning of residues.”
Kapitawo said farmers need to practice food budgeting and proper planning to ensure newly-harvested crops are properly stored for food security at the household level.
The campaign, in collaboration with the Blantyre District Council, is set to begin this week to cover all Extension Planning Areas (EPAs) in Blantyre, including Ntonda, Lunzu, Lirangwe, Kunthembwe and Chipande.
Blantyre Agriculture Office land resources officer, Charles Mthyoka welcomed the initiative and pledged the office’s full support: “This campaign comes at the right time as we will also use it as an opportunity to continue with messages of best agricultural practices we already promote, such as manure preparation and agroforestry practices.
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“We are committed to working hand in hand with One Acre Fund to make this campaign a success,” said Mthyoka.
The soil health initiative is expected to empower more farmers to adopt sustainable practices that will improve crop production and livelihoods in EPAs across Blantyre.
