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STORY: IFAD / MALAWI TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE
TRT: 05:12
SOURCE: IFAD
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH/ CHICHEWA / NATS
DATELINE: 16 JANUARY 2024, MALOMO, MALAWI
1. Various shots, people under the rain
2. Aerial shot, green landscape
3. Close up, greenery
4. Aerial shot, green mountains
5. Various shots, aerial views of flooded fields
6. Aerial shot, damaged land
7. SOUNDBITE (Chichewa) Jennifer Mayeso, Backyard Garden Farmer:
“Ten years ago, there was enough rain and we had good harvests. But this time around with the erratic rainfalls we are facing so many challenges. Especially this year, rain has start much later than in the past.”
8. Aerial shot, damaged land, and houses
9. Wide shot, landscape
10. SOUNDBITE (Chichewa) Jennifer Mayeso, Backyard Garden Farmer:
“Because of drought, it was not easy to maintain my garden. Water was scarce, due to inadequate rainfall. This has affected my productivity, as the water is not enough.”
11. Various shots, Mayeso working on her garden
12. Close up, chicken
13. Med shot, Sophie Grigson walking holding umbrella
14. Various shots, Mayeso and Grigson talking
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Sophie Grigson, Chef and Food Writer, United Kingdom:
“The backyard gardens are fantastic. At the moment everything is looking very green and thriving, because of the rain, but there will come a point where the sun is turned on full time, and there is no water around, barely any water, and the drip irrigation system makes such a big difference when you get to that stage over the year.”
16. Med shot, Mayeso carrying water on her head and pouring it in the irrigation tank
17. Close up, hand activating the drip irrigation system
18. Various shots, water dripping on crops
19. Close up, rabbit
20. Close up, chicken eating
21. Med shot, wheelbarrow with soil
22. Close up, enriched soil
23. Close up, kid
24. Wide shot, and her child preparing food
25. Close up, Mayeso pouring legumes in the mortar
26. Close up, legumes being pounded
27. Wide shot, Mayeso standing crushing legumes
28. Various shots, Mayeso preparing food
29. Tilt down, Mayeso and Grigson picking leaves
30. Close up, Grigson cutting leaves
31. Wide shot, Mayeso and Grigson working in the kitchen
32. Various shots, Mayeso cooking with firewood
33. SOUNDBITE (Chichewa) Jennifer Mayeso, Backyard Garden Farmer:
“The life of my family has changed through these interventions; we no longer struggle to get vegetables. We have small ruminants at our household, which we can sell whenever we need extra money. At top of that, we are healthy, as we are eating all this wholesome food.”
34. Med shot, Mayeso and Grigson making Cowpea balls
35. Close up, their hands making Cowpea balls
36. Med shot, Mayeso and Grigson making Cowpea balls
37. SOUNDBITE (English) Sophie Grigson, Chef and Food Writer, United Kingdom:
“There seems to be an outlook that the future can get better. They put the effort in, then they have a bright future, their children have a bright future.”
38. Med shot, Mayeso smiling
39. Close up, top view on Mayeso's hand frying Cowpea balls
40. Med shot, Mayeso and Grigson preparing Cowpea balls
41. Med shot, kid
42. Close up, top view on the dish
43. Various shots, Mayeso and Grigson eating
British celebrity chef Sophie Grigson visited Malawi to find out how small-scale farmers are coping with the worst farming season in a decade.
In March 2023 Cyclone Freddy caused widespread damage and flooding, forcing around half a million people to be displaced from their homes and many more to lose their crops and livelihoods.
The subsequent landslides and floods, followed by a long period of drought have made the most recent farming season in Malawi, the worst in a decade.
It’s rainy season in Malawi, but the bright green fields at this time of the year can give the wrong impression that everything is fine.
Malawi has seen a series of natural disasters; a major cyclone and erratic rain patterns have washed away the fields. Consequent droughts have taken away what was left of the harvest.
British celebrity chef and food journalist Sophie Grigson travelled to central Malawi to meet young farmer Jennifer Mayeso to find out more about how she had been affected.
SOUNDBITE (Chichewa) Jennifer Mayeso, Backyard Garden Farmer:
“Ten years ago, there was enough rain and we had good harvests. But this time around with the erratic rainfalls we are facing so many challenges. Especially this year, rain has start much later than in the past.”
“Because of drought, it was not easy to maintain my garden. Water was scarce, due to inadequate rainfall. This has affected my productivity, as the water is not enough.”
Mayeso used to have to buy most of her food at the market, but all that changed after the TRADE project funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development or IFAD and the Government of Malawi helped her start a backyard garden and buy some animals.
SOUNDBITE (English) Sophie Grigson, Chef and Food Writer, United Kingdom:
“The backyard gardens are fantastic. At the moment everything is looking very green and thriving, because of the rain, but there will come a point where the sun is turned on full time, and there is no water around, barely any water, and the drip irrigation system makes such a big difference when you get to that stage over the year.”
She has also learnt some climate smart techniques, for example by using manure from her new animals as a natural fertilizer to enrich the soil. This, along with a new drip irrigation system has ensured she has food and nutritional security for her family, despite the extreme weather the country faced.
As part of IFAD’s Recipes for Change programme, Grigson is learning from Mayeso how to make a traditional meal of Cowpea Balls, a wholesome legume that can also be used as a meat replacement, followed by Nsima with Chicken stew.
Nsima is Malawi’s staple food commonly made from maize flour. Almost all small-scale farmers grow maize to eat, but climate change has affected both the production and productivity of the plant due to soil erosion, and pests.
Mayeso used to gather wood to cook on, but now she has also learnt how to cook on local clay stones instead of burning wood, - a lower carbon option.
As they finish making their Cowpea ball starter, Grigson finds out more about the difference these innovations have made to Jennifer’s life.
SOUNDBITE (Chichewa) Jennifer Mayeso, Backyard Garden Farmer:
“The life of my family has changed through these interventions; we no longer struggle to get vegetables. We have small ruminants at our household, which we can sell whenever we need extra money. At top of that, we are healthy, as we are eating all this wholesome food.”
SOUNDBITE (English) Sophie Grigson, Chef and Food Writer, United Kingdom:
“There seems to be an outlook that the future can get better. They put the effort in, then they have a bright future, their children have a bright future.”
Mayeso was able to buy seeds and grow local vegetables, this led to a more diverse diet.
By using climate smart agriculture techniques, and improved cooking skills, she has been able to feed her daughter nutritious and tasty food like this, even in the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy.
