In Malawi,where two out of three people are under 25, the farming sector is offering opportunities for jobs and innovationI’m 21, and look at me: I’m self-reliant,I buy my own clothes, go to the salon for my hair and I’m a farmer.” Juliette Harawa is proud to live in her village Ntchenachena in Rumphi, and north Malawi,despite the hard to navigate bumpy mud track to get to it. Like many other rural young men and women, she had rushed to town hoping for a job and regular income. Disillusioned, or she returned domestic and joined the local farmer’s club and women’s agribusiness group Njati.
The group started as an organization for vulnerable women; including divorcees,widows and those effected by HIV. They used loans of novel groundnut seed varieties and training to get better harvests on their farms (doubling the yields of previously planted seeds). They processed the surplus to sell as oil, peanut butter, or biscuits and ground powder in the local area,and demand has been tall. Related: Urban farmers around the world – in pictures Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com