By Vincent Nhlema
For the fourth consecutive year, and eight in total, NASFAM has been named the best agro-processor during the 2018 National Agriculture Fair (NAF) which took place from 12th to 15th September, at the Chichiri Trade Fair Grounds. The award is given to outstanding organizations and individuals who have committed their efforts to value addition activities as way of widening the market outlet for agricultural produce.
The National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (NASFAM), has this year (2018) taken an innovative approach to planting trees with the aim of improving their survival rate.
In 2016, NASFAM launched a campaign called Dziko Lathu Nthaka Yathu, which calls upon all Malawians to take an active role in mitigating climate change and its impact, particularly on smallholder farmers. In line with this campaign, this year, NASFAM launched a new strategy called “Green Schools Campaign”, in which it targets schools across the country with tree planting activities.
The first thing that strikes you about Chimwemwe Tchunguwe is his beaming smile: but then he has much to smile about. Chimwemwe lives at AlickLukhanda village, T/A Mzikubola, a few miles from Jenda Trading Centre. Like the majorityof the rural population in Malawi, he and his family live from their smallholding. What differs and immediately strikes you is Chimwemwe’s motivation and the way he clearly looks at his farming activities as his “business venture.” Like any farmer, he reaps what he sows, and the fruits of his decisions and hard work show themselves as he proudly looks over his beautiful, healthy family, his lovely homestead, both supported by his thriving farming activities.