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January 2025 newsletter
27 January 2025
The Lunyangwa Project: Transforming agriculture, water management and livelihoods in northern Malawi
Tiyeni is very proud to be the lead partner on a five-year Global Innovation Fund funded project to transform agriculture, water management and livelihoods in the Zambezi Watercourse region of northern Malawi. Working with the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) as our watershed research partner, we will be able to provide on-the-ground training to farmers, supervise project outcomes and collect data for impact measurement.
Unsustainable land use and farming practices are endangering the environment and impacting water quality and availability. Climate change exacerbates these challenges, predominantly in rural regions where land is a primary source of income for millions of people. Those who rely on rainfed agriculture, in particular, face heightened vulnerability to climate change. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Zambezi River basin, where environmental degradation, particularly in watersheds, adversely affects livelihoods. Many rely on low-productivity, rain-fed agriculture, leading to food security issues and heightened vulnerability to climate change.
Unsustainable land use and farming practices are endangering the environment and impacting water quality and availability. Climate change exacerbates these challenges, predominantly in rural regions where land is a primary source of income for millions of people. Those who rely on rainfed agriculture, in particular, face heightened vulnerability to climate change. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Zambezi River basin, where environmental degradation, particularly in watersheds, adversely affects livelihoods. Many rely on low-productivity, rain-fed agriculture, leading to food security issues and heightened vulnerability to climate change.
The Lunyangwa project model has the potential to change the livelihoods of millions in Malawi, where 80% depend on low-productivity agriculture, and in the Zambezi watercourse, where 65-70% rely on rain-fed agriculture. By supporting farmers to adopt sustainable land use practices and participate in ecosystem and environmental conservation, we anticipate multiple benefits, including better water conservation, improved resilience to climate change, poverty alleviation and enhanced food security.
The Lunyangwa Project is a strategic five-year initiative that lays the groundwork for a future watershed-oriented incentive mechanism - a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) pilot. This mechanism will be deployed first in the northern part of Malawi, benefiting 120,000 Malawian farmers within the Lunyangwa river basin. The selected farmers will serve as service providers, committing to sustainable farming and land management as well as catchment conservation activities.
In return, they will receive remuneration from the Northern Region Water Board based on the quantifiable impact of their services on water quality and availability and other environmental benefits. This water stewardship model has the potential to be upscaled across the Zambezi watercourse region, improving water and food security at scale.
Working alongside four other project partners as the implementation partner, Tiyeni’s role includes providing training to farmers, supervising project outcomes and collecting data for impact measurement. Tiyeni’s Executive Director, Alex Gerard, sees this very much as an extension of the work that we are already doing:
The Lunyangwa Project is a strategic five-year initiative that lays the groundwork for a future watershed-oriented incentive mechanism - a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) pilot. This mechanism will be deployed first in the northern part of Malawi, benefiting 120,000 Malawian farmers within the Lunyangwa river basin. The selected farmers will serve as service providers, committing to sustainable farming and land management as well as catchment conservation activities.
In return, they will receive remuneration from the Northern Region Water Board based on the quantifiable impact of their services on water quality and availability and other environmental benefits. This water stewardship model has the potential to be upscaled across the Zambezi watercourse region, improving water and food security at scale.
Working alongside four other project partners as the implementation partner, Tiyeni’s role includes providing training to farmers, supervising project outcomes and collecting data for impact measurement. Tiyeni’s Executive Director, Alex Gerard, sees this very much as an extension of the work that we are already doing:
This project represents an exciting evolution of the impact of Deep Bed Farming, not only for communities but for the wider environment. We have always known the power of smallholder farmers to reduce soil erosion and improve water collection through farming, and this project will provide the evidence that showcases this impact. Watershed management is critical to the long-term sustainability of food and water for communities and habitats.
Much of the work will fall within the remit of France Gondwe, our Monitoring & Evaluation Manager. He said:
With this project Tiyeni will not only help farmers increase their crop yield and help Lunyangwa watershed management but will also be able to help enrich the national policy discussion.
Deep Bed Farming can accommodate a maize legume intercrop of up to six crops all at more than double yield of conventional farming versus three crops intercropping under conventional farming. At the same time as enhancing food and income security amongst smallholder farmers, Deep Bed Farming can also hold runoff from rainfall and control soil erosion. When coupled with physical land management structures and agroforestry, the Lunyangwa Project will be able to generate significant benefits at catchment level which can then be shared with other catchment areas.
The Lunyangwa Project will have policy level engagement with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Water and the Ministry of Environment. Tiyeni will also be able to reach the water service providers in other regions in Malawi, the Hydro-electricity generating companies, the road authority and any other service providers interested in controlling the soil erosion, rainwater flooding and food security.
Tiyeni will cherish this project for a long time as it will spur us to higher levels of data collection, and lead to the publication of reports in scientific journals putting Deep Bed Farming in the public domain.
One of the key outcomes in five years’ time will be securing governmental support for Community-Centred Watershed Management through appropriate policies and public investments to scale through Payment for Environment Services (PES) across Malawi.
The newest member of the oldest partnership
Tiyeni UK and Tiyeni Malawi recently both presented for the first time at the Scotland Malawi Partnership (SMP) and the Malawi Scotland Partnership (MaSP) Annual General Meetings (AGMs) respectively. The Scotland Malawi Partnership is the national civil society network coordinating, supporting and representing the people-to-people links between the two nations. Partnership between Scotland and Malawi is more than one hundred and sixty years old dating back to 1859 when Dr David Livingstone first came to Malawi. Today, more than 46% of Scots know someone with links to Malawi and there are 109,000 Scots with active links to Malawi, making this one of the world’s strongest north-south people-to-people links.
Both meetings were held at the end of 2024, keeping in step with each other as far as possible. In Scotland, Tiyeni was represented at the Scotland Malawi Partnership AGM by Rosa Balliro, Fundraising & Scottish Relations Manager. As well as the AGM itself, the day included a marketplace for members, a networking session and a fundraising masterclass. Friendship is at the heart of the Scotland-Malawi relationship and the day revealed inspirational stories of longstanding two-way links, fruitful connections, and signs of new growth.
As part of the event, in the members’ marketplace, Rosa staffed a table promoting Tiyeni and had the chance to share our impactful work and foster new connections in a short presentation. As a result, there were indeed new connections, ranging from talks with individual Malawian attendees who were interested to get more information on Deep Bed Farming for their family members in Malawi to discussions with representatives from other charities working in Malawi, Scotland's International Development Alliance and the Scottish Government.
Both meetings were held at the end of 2024, keeping in step with each other as far as possible. In Scotland, Tiyeni was represented at the Scotland Malawi Partnership AGM by Rosa Balliro, Fundraising & Scottish Relations Manager. As well as the AGM itself, the day included a marketplace for members, a networking session and a fundraising masterclass. Friendship is at the heart of the Scotland-Malawi relationship and the day revealed inspirational stories of longstanding two-way links, fruitful connections, and signs of new growth.
As part of the event, in the members’ marketplace, Rosa staffed a table promoting Tiyeni and had the chance to share our impactful work and foster new connections in a short presentation. As a result, there were indeed new connections, ranging from talks with individual Malawian attendees who were interested to get more information on Deep Bed Farming for their family members in Malawi to discussions with representatives from other charities working in Malawi, Scotland's International Development Alliance and the Scottish Government.
Meanwhile in Malawi, the Malawi Scotland Partnership held its AGM in Lilongwe at the beginning of December under the theme of Sustainable Growth: Aligning Policies with Community Needs. Isaac Monjo Chavula, Tiyeni’s Country Director in Malawi, attended the event.
Alongside the AGM, MaSP members joined an online roundtable meeting with Fiona Ritchie, the British High Commissioner to Malawi. Fiona previously held the office of the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Development Director for Malawi. This co-hosted SMP and MaSP meeting provided an opportunity to hear about the UK Government’s priorities in Malawi and receive updates on their progress and plans. Isaac had the opportunity to discuss with the High Commissioner issues of resilience to climate change, especially as experienced by smallholder farmers, and potential solutions including climate-smart farming techniques such as Deep Bed Farming.
So it was a very valuable and interesting introduction for one of the newest members of one of the oldest partnerships in Malawi.
Alongside the AGM, MaSP members joined an online roundtable meeting with Fiona Ritchie, the British High Commissioner to Malawi. Fiona previously held the office of the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Development Director for Malawi. This co-hosted SMP and MaSP meeting provided an opportunity to hear about the UK Government’s priorities in Malawi and receive updates on their progress and plans. Isaac had the opportunity to discuss with the High Commissioner issues of resilience to climate change, especially as experienced by smallholder farmers, and potential solutions including climate-smart farming techniques such as Deep Bed Farming.
So it was a very valuable and interesting introduction for one of the newest members of one of the oldest partnerships in Malawi.
Meet Femi Bart-Williams, one of Tiyeni’s newest trustees
Femi joined Tiyeni as a trustee in 2024. He was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone and mostly raised and educated there, only moving to the UK at seventeen for university. After achieving a first class BSc Honours in Actuarial Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science, he is now a Chartered Actuary and Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.
He works as a fixed income product strategist at an asset manager, helping institutional investors implement and maintain investment portfolios.
How did you hear about Tiyeni?
I first heard about Tiyeni via Benevity / the Fore, a pro-bono network, linking small charities with high potential with the skills and expertise they need to increase their impact. My employer encourages us to get involved in charities. The opportunity to get involved in Tiyeni and other charities was advertised so I took up the chance.
What attracted you to become a trustee with us?
Tiyeni is a special charity close to my heart on a number of counts. It empowers people to be self-sufficient. It helps drive positive socio-economic and environmental impact and end food insecurity. I wanted to get involved and what better way, I thought, than to put my professional skills to use as a trustee to be as impactful as I can.
What does your trustee role involve?
The trustee role is broadly based but I would highlight income diversification/ engagement with corporates as a key focus. In particular thinking about how fundraising could be further diversified across different sources and a strategy for engaging with companies and attract donations from them.
What do you like to do when the working day is done?
In my spare time I am passionate about motorsport, Formula 1 in particular. I also enjoy puzzles, chess, good food, music, dancing and exercise.
He works as a fixed income product strategist at an asset manager, helping institutional investors implement and maintain investment portfolios.
How did you hear about Tiyeni?
I first heard about Tiyeni via Benevity / the Fore, a pro-bono network, linking small charities with high potential with the skills and expertise they need to increase their impact. My employer encourages us to get involved in charities. The opportunity to get involved in Tiyeni and other charities was advertised so I took up the chance.
What attracted you to become a trustee with us?
Tiyeni is a special charity close to my heart on a number of counts. It empowers people to be self-sufficient. It helps drive positive socio-economic and environmental impact and end food insecurity. I wanted to get involved and what better way, I thought, than to put my professional skills to use as a trustee to be as impactful as I can.
What does your trustee role involve?
The trustee role is broadly based but I would highlight income diversification/ engagement with corporates as a key focus. In particular thinking about how fundraising could be further diversified across different sources and a strategy for engaging with companies and attract donations from them.
What do you like to do when the working day is done?
In my spare time I am passionate about motorsport, Formula 1 in particular. I also enjoy puzzles, chess, good food, music, dancing and exercise.
Our work is only possible thanks to you, our dedicated supporters. Please consider donating to help to lift a farmer, or a family, in Malawi out of poverty and set them up for life.