Project Category: Sustainability
A small snapshot of a field in Malawi. Small holder farmers are starting to start their own business to generate additional income for themselves.

Photo Caption: A small snapshot of a field in Malawi. Small holder farmers are starting to start their own business to generate additional income for themselves.

The Africa Windmill Project is a non-profit organization founded in the United States. Even though it was founded in the United States, its operations are based in Malawi, Africa. The entire staff for the project is run by Malawians. The main purpose of the project is to teach farmers in Malawi how to grow food year round to stop their hunger season. With their hunger season being gone, the farmers in Malawi can build a foundation for food security at the village level. This will allow the stoppage of the poverty cycle for the people.

The project holds a series of trainings to establish agriculture clubs in development districts for agriculture. The Malawi people are heavily dependent on the amount of rain fall they get year round. The rain season starts in December, which is the reason why around 90% of their food is grown during this time. In April however, the dry season begins and food that was stored begins to be consumed by the Malawi people. Further into the year, the hunger season begins in September and two meals a day becomes one.

Africa Windmill Project’s irrigation training has increased the harvest by 15 times during the first few months of the dry season. This extra food allows the farmers to have more food during the harsher seasons. This extra food can also be sold to increase the farmer’s income to build better homes and increase the size of their gardens. In addition, farmers are trained in both management and planning. This allows them to better connect with their local markets and learn about irrigation, composting, and pest management.

All of the farmers in the project are aged from 15-80 years old. The lands that they plow are plots that were passed down through their families. There is no shortage of men, women, and children who are putting in the work to better their land. The typical family consists of three to four children who are mostly led by their mothers. Currently the Africa Windmill Project is working with 5 of 28 districts of Malawi.