Showing the Way to Success - Lead Farmers

"Today many people are coming here asking why our maize is growing vigorously while in other fields it is wilting.

We have proved that planting maize in pits, filled with one pail of top soil mixed with one pail of water, keeps in the water. This results in a better harvest."

Dafin Nyirenda, Malawi.

We have learnt from experience that farmers are reluctant to adopt new farming practices that are taught by outside technical experts.

In response we have developed an innovative project to train farmers like Dafin and her husband Thomas Nyirenda to act as lead farmers in their community.

FYF understands that when farmers see that certain agricultural techniques really are resulting in better harvests, they will be quick to adopt the techniques themselves.

We also believe that building the capacity of farmers to seek solutions to the problems they face, such as changing weather conditions, is the only way to ensure their long-term food security.

We are therefore working with the Mzuzu Agricultural Development Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MZADD) to train lead farmers. This community led approach draws on the skills of the farmers themselves and empowers them to ‘show the way to success’ to their fellow farmers.

Learning and Sharing

Working with communities and farmer groups FYF identifies successful local smallholder farmers who are keen to adopt new farming practices and who show leadership qualities.

Mr and Mrs Nyirenda are two of the farmers chosen to act as lead farmers in their community.

They have participated in trainings in which they have been introduced to sustainable agricultural practices such as composting, soil and water conservation, agroforestry and crop diversification.

The training process encourages farmers to experiment, learn and share experiences to find solutions. As the photo on the right shows, the results of farming experiments are often startling.

The crops were planted on the same day and used the same manure.

The difference? The ones on the left were planted in pits, whilst the ones on the right weren’t. This is because the ridges retain water, which then seeps into the ground, giving the plants a good drink.

The power of demonstration

"I have started by working with 100 farmers. I have several demonstration plots to show the importance of techniques like maize pit planting." Misheck Mkandawire, Malawi

As the lead farmers learn in their training, one of the clearest ways to show the effectiveness of certain agricultural techniques is through demonstration.

They also learn other key tools needed for teaching ‘follower farmers’ including communication skills and understanding group dynamics.

We have now trained 91 lead farmers like Misheck and Mr and Mrs Nyirendahave. These farmers have already reached approximately 5500 fellow farmers.

By adopting the skills they have learnt from lead farmers people will be able to improve their harvests so that they can feed their families all year round.

By 2012 we aim to have trained 200 lead farmers to reach approximately 12,000 ‘follower farmers.’ Will you support us to do this? Donate now to end rural poverty.

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