Islamic Relief is introducing this system to 500 farmers in Malawi, to enable them to expand their work and increase their yield and profit while reducing feeding and water costs and wastage.
Islamic Relief is introducing this system to 500 farmers in Malawi, to enable them to expand their work and increase their yield and profit while reducing feeding and water costs and wastage. Over the next 24 months, we will be training and equipping farmers in villages in the districts of Nyambi and Machinga to farm fish and vegetables concurrently. As we pilot this project, we are focusing on communities to which we have already brought water supplies, enabling them to get the best use out of an existing water source. The project also aims to improve the health of communities, by teaching them to sustainably farm both fish and vegetables to feed their families. Working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Islamic Relief has selected breeds of fish and varieties of vegetables that will benefit one another. We will also work with local leaders and fisheries to ensure that both the processes and the farm produce is suited to the local environment. Participating villages will identify one or two sites for fish ponds and vegetable gardens and will elect local leaders to guide the project. Islamic Relief established an office in Malawi in 2006 and runs water irrigation and sanitation projects, helping communities in the land-locked country deal with water shortages and droughts.