Like many countries, Malawi suffers droughts and floods. During these times, food prices often skyrocket, if you can find food to buy. To help reduce costs and provide our children with better food security, we grow as much of our staple food as possible. Our farm consists of nearly 100 acres of land, 40 of which are irrigated and can produce food all year round. Some of this land lies directly behind the orphanage; the majority is just 3 kilometers down the road from the orphanage.
Malawi is a rural nation of subsistence farmers, and the main crop is maize. Between September and October, the fields are cleared and during November and December, children all over Malawi help plant and fertilise the maize seeds as the rains begin. The orphanage usually grows over 60 acres of maize, which ripens around February, but is left on the plants to dry. In May, the cobs are picked, and the kernels removed. At Mchinji, we are able to grow a second crop of maize during the dry season through irrigation, as the spring in the hills rarely dries up. We also grow tomatoes, cabbages, pumpkins, sunflowers, bananas, mangoes, groundnuts and cassava.
We have been donated an electric maize mill, which hulls the kernels and then mills them to a fine flour called 'ufa', which looks much like cornflour. Our maize mill also grinds maize for the surrounding villagers for a very small fee, which provides an income-generating activity for the Home.
We have developed a network of fishponds in the foothills behind the Home, fed by a spring, to provide the children with additional protein. We keep some chickens to lay eggs and are looking to expand our farm to raise cattle and goats to supplement and vary the children's diet.
