About Mchisa
Mchisa is a village in Mangochi, one of the
driest areas in Malawi. Farming is very challenging and depends heavily on the rain season
, and hunger is a regular problem. A group of united farmers
works hard to cultivate a small part of land, of course with limited results.
With our local partner we have supported these farmers to organize themselves and become an Irrigation Scheme – now the next steps are
training and water for irrigation powered by solar.
Will you join us to make a difference here?
Make this change happen with us!
(For further project details scroll down below the donation form)
Overall aim
This project aims to create a basis for the Mchisa farmers to develop their skills, beat hunger and thrive by being able to earn a better income from farming. This will enable (for now) 50 families to make steps of development and out of poverty, and 5.000 people to have better access to food all year long.
Water need
This initial phase creates the basis for farming on an area of 2ha , enabled by solar powered irrigation and suitable training for the farmers. The future potential is to extend this project to 10ha and many more farmers involved, over the coming years.
location
The farming scheme is located in Mangochi (Malawi), and will benefit the people from the Mchisa villages.
Ackimu – Farmer & Village Head of Mchisa
“For years we have tried farming while relying on the rain and our crops have been few. We are excited about the solar and what this will change for us”
Cooperation with Wilde Ganzen
For this project, we cooperate with Wilde Ganzen, a Dutch foundation with the focus to support ‘smart projects that alleviate poverty’.
Our aim
Solar energy will enable running water at the Mchisa farming scheme. Read below a description of the system and the other elements in this project:
Over the last months, together with our local partner, we have supported the farmers to register themselves as official ‘Irrigation scheme’, and organized approach to irrigation and farming. The group has established a Committee, written and committed to their statutes, and opened a bank account for maintenance and repair budget.
We have selected Acades as the right partner for training of this group of farmers. After an intense first period, the farmers will continue to receive training and guidance on a monthly basis. Elements of the training include Water Management and Argriculture skills.
As the river close to the area is not a reliable source of water, two boreholes will be drilled (45m deep). The location of these is determined based on two geophysical surveys that have been carried out. Both boreholes feed a water tank, constructed 4m above the ground. From these water tanks, 12 aqufiers are supplied with water, where the farmers can plug in their hoses to irrigate their plots.
Make this happen with us!
Your support, no matter how small or big, will make a difference. 100% of your donation is used for implementation of the system.