Using participatory research methods and awareness raising activities, the Soils, Food and Health and Communities (SFHC) project engaged smallholder farmers from Ekwendeni village in Northern Malawi to select and test mixtures of diverse legume species for growing with maize using the ‘doubled-up’ legume technology promoted by the project. Project results show that intercropping maize with legume mixes has resulted in improved nutrition for children in communities where the project is being implemented. Also, farmers and community members have become change agents, adopting the practices informed by their own research findings. Over 9,000 Malawian farmers have adopted this technology to date.

The problem

Increasing population, severe land degradation and the consequent drop in crop yields are threatening the sustainability of smallholder farming systems in Malawi. Farmers mostly practice maize monocropping with little addition of inorganic fertilizer. Food insecurity and malnutrition are present in most rural households in Malawi and exacerbated by the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Of major concern is the occurrence of ‘hidden hunger’ due to deficiencies in important vitamins and micronutrients such as vitamin A, iron, and zinc. Other undesirables include frequent incidences of unacceptably high levels of aflatoxins in groundnuts.

The project

SFHC began as pilot project in 2000 led by a local hospital in Ekwendeni, northern Malawi. Hospital staff, working closely with agronomists, extension officers, nutritionists and social scientists from universities in Malawi and North America, helped farmers identify ‘best bet legume options’. Farmer Research Teams (FRT) in different villages tested crop diversification options that varied from species that are primarily useful for enhancing soil fertility (Tephrosia vogelii and Mucuna pruriens) to those that are mainly grown for food production (e.g. pigeon pea, groundnut and soybean). The pigeon pea–groundnut intercrop proved particularly interesting to farmers in terms of increased soil fertility benefits, nutritional and food security benefits and economic returns. As the two legumes have different growth habits, they can be successfully grown together in what is now known as the ‘doubled-up’ legume technology. Other trials have included pigeon pea cultivation with common bean and soybean, as well as cowpea mixtures.

Impact

• Legume intercropping resulted in improved nutrition for children in communities where the project was implemented. Specifically, there was a significant improvement in weight-for-age in children from those villages with the longest and most intense participation in the project.
• Fertilizer requirements in the study sites were reduced by about 50%, and yields markedly enhanced when maize was grown in rotation and intercrop combinations with the ‘doubled up legume’ systems.
• At the community level, the greatest achievement was the spontaneous establishment by farmers of Agriculture and Nutrition Discussion Groups (ANDGs), an important platform for information exchange on agriculture, social topics and nutrition practices (e.g. child feeding). Farmers participating in the ANDGs showed significant changes in their farming practices which in turn benefited soil fertility and crop yields.
• Another important achievement brought about by the ANDGs was the positive change in gender relations within the household, greater “family cooperation” and division of labour.
• Other unexpected outcomes initiated by the FRT were the establishment of a Community Legume Seed Bank and the formation of a Farmer Association working collectively to improve prices received for crops.

Scaling up

The project was presented to the Malawi Parliament on June 28th, 2013. There is now considerable interest in expanding farmer access to improved pigeon pea and promoting the integration of more food legumes, and semi-perennial legumes to enhance soil fertility, and improve child nutrition.
Successes and experiences from Ekwendeni have been embraced by a number of organizations, including the Malawi government extension system that is actively promoting legume production using the project’s ecological principles.
Recently, the USAID funded Feed the Future program in Malawi has advocated for widespread use of the doubled-up legume technology across 7 intervention districts in Central Malawi.
The Africa RISING project, also funded by USAID, has been actively working with action group farmers in several districts in Malawi using insights from the SFHC project. Farmers in the Ekwendeni watershed are reporting improvements in income, and women in particular are citing empowerment achieved through conducting their own experiments and leading in community recipe and nutrition educational meetings.