VIP's Two Sisters Farm

Maize harvesting has started

The tractor is not just serving the farm but the community too. A 30 toner truck was stuck in the sand on its way to deliver cement bags at a nearby government school today and Clyde (the tractor) came to the rescue.

We had a field day today. The main aim was to demonstrate the differences and advantages of no-till farming. Two soil samples from a tilled land (the conventional way of farming) and a no till were compared in terms of infiltration, erosion and compaction. Not only that they were able to appreciate ground nuts which were grown under no tillage in terms of yield and population density.

A hundred and fifty plus farmers were in attendance and managed to make conclusions with the other farmers from what they witnessed.

Passed by Classroom and Sanitation block today and managed to capture these.

We do have Lunch hour prayer sessions every Wednesday at the farm. Today we were reflecting on the core pillars of Easter; Why is Easter important to us too? How was Jesus the right person and not anyone else (Barnabas for example)? Why was the death necessary too and NOT just the beatings and the mockery? How important is the resurrection to us as Christians?

It was an engaging session where people were free to discuss, ask questions and make comments.

We farm and transform lives here.

With 2.2 inches of rains in 7 days, we have enough for rice production this season

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Mr. Samson Fernando. He is one of the most reliable and hardworking people at the farm, a good team player but also works better alone. He’s our go-to person when we can’t be around to supervise, as we know the job will be done right. What truly inspires us is his deep sense of responsibility and dedication to his family. His wife has been ill for years, and he has stood by her side, managing her medications and caring for the family. This level of commitment is rare in matrilineal societies, especially for someone living on Malawian minimum wage.

Every Wednesday at lunchtime, we hold prayers at the farm. We believe that while providing job opportunities is important, supporting the spiritual lives of our employees is equally valuable, as it fosters love and unity.

Some still wonder “where exactly do groundnuts or peanuts get attached on the plant?” They are underneath the plant in the ground. When leaves start drying up like the one I am holding the nuts are probably ready, this is a sample we dug up to see the progress.

Let’s just say we are busy selling stuff (Cassava stems for seed and Maize for food).

Cassava (manihot esculenta) is one of the resilient food crops. It’s can survive dry spells and can be kept in the field for an unlimited time. This makes it a good backup crop. It’s the tubers which are eaten either cooked, roasted or dried and turned into flour. The leaves also do make a good vegetable.