By Gildas Assogba and Rohit Pawar, Wageningen University; Anthony Malunga, CARE Malawi 
July 2, 2024 

In a previous post (March 2024), we had reported our experiences and lessons learnt while setting up field trials in southern Malawi (Mangochi and Zomba districts). In the trials, intercropping of maize with pigeon pea, groundnut, and soybean are being compared with maize-only cropping under different fertilization regimes; in terms of yields (grain and biomass), inputs (seeds and nutrients), nutrient uptake by crops, labour requirement and profitability. The broad objective is to ascertain the best modalities of integrating legumes within maize-centric production systems that dominate southern Africa. 

As of May 2024, harvest at the trial plots has begun: all the maize has already been harvested, and the harvest of groundnut was expected to be completed in early June is underway. Pigeon pea will be harvested in July.

By Willem Colenbrander- Kulima Integrated Development Solutions
May 21, 2024

 The southern African nation of Zambia has had to spend the past year firefighting disasters. In October-November 2023, record rainfalls triggered a historic Cholera outbreak which claimed more than 400 lives as it infected over 10,000 people. (More on that in this blog). Two months later, mid-January onwards, the long running El Niño over the Indian Ocean triggered a dry spell, which hit 84 of the country’s 116 districts, destroying the staple maize crop planted over 1 million hectares (out of a total of 2.2. million hectares), and creating a 430-megawatt electricity deficit (as hydropower dams dried up). In a country of 20 million people, as many as a million households are struggling with crop failures, food shortage, and loss of income and livelihoods. On February 29, President Hakainde Hichilema declared a national disaster and drought emergency.

by Lenka Suchá and Aneta Seidlová
April 22, 2024

Aspirations in food systems transformation: why should we care about farmers’ ambitions and wishes?

Aspirations can be understood as hopes or ambitions related to achieving specific goals and as perceived importance or necessity of such goals. Indeed, aspirations are not only formed by individual desires and ambition but also by the socio-economic background, and a variety of socio-cultural norms, that influence agency and empowerment. Therefore, aspirations might be considered a vital formative force of human (in)actions.

by Ruth Smith, University of Leeds
April 3, 2024

How many words is a photo worth? In Tanzania, FoSTA-Health is exploring gender and agricultural livelihood dynamics in the East Usambara Mountains in Tanga Region through the use of photos.

Katharine Vincent and Willem Colenbrander, Kulima Integrated Development Solutions
April 3, 2024

Urban areas have particular food systems – and urban residents have particular needs to be met from those food systems. The lack of land in cities means that, whilst it may be possible to have small gardens, much food is procured through local markets. Availability of food to consumers in markets is dependent on trading networks and transport links, which are both necessary to bring in produce from outside of the city. This makes urban food supply vulnerable to any perturbations in those supply chains and transport networks.

Urban food supply and trade patterns were disrupted in Zambia in January 2024 as a result of flash flooding.  The month saw a number of particularly heavy rainfall events.  In one 24-hour period mid-January 2024, 80mm of rain fell across parts of Lusaka, which is around a third of the average monthly total for January. With many urban areas in southern African cities having inadequate drainage, this rapidly led to inundation of property, including key trading spaces.

By Gildas Assogba, Wageningen University
March 12, 2024

At a FoSTA-Health consultation organized in October 2023 in Lilongwe, Malawi, a Ministry of Agriculture official shared an anecdote: “A relative from my native village once visited me here in Lilongwe. I served up a feast—fish, meat, beans, kachumbari, and kilombero rice pilau. A few days later, my mother called me. I couldn’t believe my ears when she told me that the relative had left dissatisfied with the food—only because I hadn’t served any nsima (maize porridge)!”

This anecdote is an apt illustration of how central maize is to Malawian cuisine. And yet, it was only around 500 years ago that maize made its way to Africa. Since then, the food system—diets, institutions, policies, cultural practices—have come to organize themselves around maize.