Posts
March 2025 Farmers’ Corner
7 March 2025
Chisomo Kaleso, Mulanje district
Chisomo stands in her DBF maize field after the crop’s recovery from a five-week dry spell. The maize is doing so well that Chisomo herself is almost hidden in this photo! She is so pleased to know that she will have food security with this year’s crops, especially as the dry spell has caused widespread failures in many conventional fields.
In addition to the practice of DBF itself, part of the reason that Chisomo’s maize has shown such resilience is because it is a local variety rather than a hybrid. That local breed is better situated for this climate, and has performed better than hybrid maize varieties in neighbouring fields. Tiyeni advocates for the use of local seed varieties as part of our regenerative approach to agriculture. Of course, respecting farmers’ autonomy is at the heart of our approach, so final decisions are completely up to them.
In addition to the practice of DBF itself, part of the reason that Chisomo’s maize has shown such resilience is because it is a local variety rather than a hybrid. That local breed is better situated for this climate, and has performed better than hybrid maize varieties in neighbouring fields. Tiyeni advocates for the use of local seed varieties as part of our regenerative approach to agriculture. Of course, respecting farmers’ autonomy is at the heart of our approach, so final decisions are completely up to them.
Mary Kabula, Mulanje district
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Mary has also been affected by the long dry spell, although unfortunately her maize has not fared as well as Chisomo’s. But it’s not all bad news! When she adopted DBF, Mary inter-cropped her Deep Beds, meaning she planted multiple crops on the same land, rather than just planting maize. Her cassava has done very well, and will ensure her food security in spite of this adversity caused by the dry spell.
While many of DBF’s benefits are immediate, some of its larger-scale regenerative properties like groundwater recharge take time to build. As DBF is used for longer periods of time, and on bigger areas of land, communities and natural landscapes will be even more resilient to long dry spells like these. |
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Gray Mpinganjira, Nyama Village
Gray is a Lead Farmer in Nyama Village. Speaking with our team, Gray told us how much of a difference DBF’s performance has made in terms of soil and water conservation on his land. The difference has been so great that farmers passing by his field are coming to him to get technical expertise about using DBF on their own land.
Tiyeni’s approach provides Lead Farmers like Gray with training not just on how to adopt DBF themselves, but how to train their peers in this transformational method as well. Thanks to this, Gray is well-prepared (and eager!) to share this knowledge with others.
Tiyeni’s approach provides Lead Farmers like Gray with training not just on how to adopt DBF themselves, but how to train their peers in this transformational method as well. Thanks to this, Gray is well-prepared (and eager!) to share this knowledge with others.