Go! Malawi has been working with local farmers to help build the coffee industry in the area. They have worked with farmers to help supply them with plants and other necessary equipment. One of the jobs that Mike and I were given was to go around to all of the farmers who have Go! Malawi coffee plants and to assess how they are doing. We walked far and wide to get to these farmers. When we got to the farm, we would ask questions (with the help of Griffin or another local leader who was helping us) about how old the plants were, how many there were, how often they were watered, if they had any seedlings, etc. Before Mike and I left, we compiled all our information into a spreadsheet that could be used to work with farmers that may be struggling.
I had a great time doing this. I loved being able to see more of the area and to meet local people. We always had kids following us and it was fun to play with them, despite our language barrier. It was interesting to see the farms and how different they were from the farms I saw in South Africa as well as the farms in the US. They were much smaller (compared to the US) and all of them were built on hills. Water was a huge issue for many of the farmers because water taps were often located far away and it was impossible for them to carry enough water for all their plants.
In addition to doing this research, we got to sit in on a meeting about expanding the Mzuzu (Malawi’s coffee co-op) into the Ntchisi area. It was interesting to be a part of this, but all the politics around building and water supply, etc. seemed a little questionable to me. But I also don't know the whole story or really anything about the politics in Malawi, so this observation could be entirely wrong.
We also got to attend a farming class being offered to members of the Mzuzu coffee co-op. During my two experiences with Mzuzu coffee, and after asking Bill and Janet some questions, I came to understand that it cost a lot of money in order to join the co-op and enjoy the benefits of being a member. Because many farmers could not afford to join, they did not get the benefits even though thy may be the ones that need them the most. The class itself, however, was very fun to watch. The process of planting a seedling was quite extensive and included digging deep enough holes, adding ash and manure to the dirt , planting and covering with straw and 3L of water. Every once and a while you need to had chicken poop to the water to help the nitrogen levels in the soil, other wise the leaves will turn yellow - something we had seen in many of our previous outings. The women did most (nearly all) the work. They dug holes, carried water and planted the seedlings, etc. You name it, they did it.
Agriculture is backbone of societies such as the one we were in and it was wonderful to learn more about it. I have only ever worked in a small garden and it was interesting to learn more about larger scale production as well as some of the politics surrounding the coffee industry. I have tons of pictures of the plants because we also included them in our spreadsheet. But I won't make you suffer through all of them. Here are the highlights!!
Avocado tree
Healthy coffee plants. I had no idea what a coffee plant looked like before I came here. I found out that the berries turn red when they are ripe and ready to be picked. Then, they must be split open and the green coffee bean was inside and covered in a slimy substance. I tried eating a raw bean and it was actually very sweet.
Griffin in the front and a local leader with her baby.
Dead seedlings.
This is what most of the larger farms looked like.
Some of the kids who followed us.
Our group inspecting one of the farms. (I'm in the white...)
A not so healthy coffee plant. Notice the yellow leaves - lack of nitrogen.
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