Many communities in Central Malawi have access to wetlands areas that are administered by village leaders. Sometimes one further, but small, crop can be raised on these wetland areas after the rainy season with planting in May/June and harvest in August/Sept. This allows for a bit more food production and sometimes some cash from the sale of high-value cash crops (like fresh vegetables).

These wetland farms are, of necessity, small since each community has access to only a small area and it has to be divided up among all those who want to use it.  One way to increase the productivity of these smaller wetland areas is by irrigating from shallow wells. The water table is seldom more than 2 m deep in the wetlands. People traditionally do some irrigation, but it is slow and labour intensive. For example, water cans are needed so as to carry water from the shallow well to the garden. Treadle pumps on the other hand, allow a farmer to deliver water much more efficiently to the wetland garden thereby allowing more consistent and sufficient watering as well as allowing production on a larger area and for a longer period of time into the dry season. For some, this may even allow for the planting and harvesting of two crops during the dry season.

With irrigation by way of treadle pumps, poor farming families will be able to grow more vegetables, have a better and more nutritious diet and have some additional income as well from the sale of vegetables that are not consumed within the families but sold in nearby markets. This proposed project, then, will contribute to the narrowing – and, possibly, the elimination – of a food shortage gap (“the hungry months”) which farmers otherwise experience.

CRWRF partners CCAP/Nkhoma Synod/Relief and Development Department and Save Orphans Ministries are implementing the project in the Central Region of Malawi, specifically in the Districts of Nkhotakota, Salima, Mangochi, and Ntcheu.

Participants / Beneficiaries:
Participant families will be those at higher risk, those who are struggling harder to feed their families in the course of a year and who have little or no access to other ways of addressing such chronic food shortage. High risk families will include those families who are also caring for orphans, the chronically ill, the elderly and /or the disabled. High risk families may also include households headed by women, orphaned children or the elderly. In all cases, participant families will be identified and selected by the CRWRC partner working in close collaboration with village committees in their program area.

Project Implementation:
The project will extend from April 2007 to December 31, 2008. Both NR&D and SOM will each place ten treadle pumps with ten groups for a total of 20 pumps in 20 groups. The partners will work with each of the groups to ensure members are making payments towards the costs of the pump so that the 20 pumps can be paid for in one year. The goal would be for each group member (family represented) to have a pump by using the initial input of assistance from outside and then pooling their resources to accelerate the ability of group members to buy pumps from their pooled resources and earned profits by having vegetables to sell out of season. In year two, CRWRF and participants will contribute to the purchase of an additional 20 treadle pumps for another group member to receive a pump.

Funding:
CRWRF provided funding for 40 pumps, with a number of these pumps sponsored by individual supporters or groups. If you would like to contribute, the cost of one pump is $200.

====Project Update November 2007====:
CRWRF representative Konnie Peet visited Malawi in November 2007, and was able to see the application of the treadle pumps. She reports:

NR&D and SOM have treadle pumps paid for by CRWRF. In both instances the pumps are provided in settings in which NR&D and SOM have “on the ground staff” involved in multiple projects with the communities. This allows for a comprehensive approach to supporting and empowering communities and their members. In Benga, Dalitso Mtumpha the Community Development Facilitator (CDF) works with 6 Women in Development (WID) groups and 3 literacy groups. The WID groups have various projects including the introduction and use of crops, the raising of goats, hand craft training and HIV/AIDS education. In Songa, SOM has agriculturalists that support the use of the treadle pumps. Recipients are from communities served by a SOM Community Based Organization (CBO) that supports orphans and vulnerable children, those with HIV/AIDS. CBOs are also supported by a Missionary couple who have a special focus on children and youth.

NR&D provides pumps to both individuals and groups whereas SOM provides pumps to 10 people/families and each gets a 10m x15m plot and access to the pump every few days. The value of the pump in both projects is that it allows the owners to produce two crops per year instead of only one and it allows for a larger variety of crops to be grown. In good years the extra crop means that people have enough food to feed themselves the full year and possibility of some cash crops.