User:Kevin A Whitchurch/sandbox

The Tiyeni Fund
The Tiyeni Fund was set up by life-long residents of Malawi, who have worked to help rural communities for many years. All the staff in Malawi are local Malawians who have a passion in saving their country from starvation. They do this by demonstrating sustainable farming practices to prevent devastating soil erosion. There are now over 10,000 farmers who have adopted partly by training from Tiyeni staff and lead farmers and partly by just copying their neighbours. Growth of adoption levels continues exponentially.

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. The continuing degradation of the countryside in general and of the soil in particular constitutes a serious national crisis for Malawi. In 1997 a World Bank study of agriculture in Malawi stated that for each hectare of farmland 20 tonnes of soil were lost each year.

The Tiyeni method reverses this by stopping erosion and building soil fertility. Tiyeni encourages simple farming improvements, which can prevent hunger and help villagers to be self-sufficient.

Tiyeni Method Steps

1	Create the marker ridges	By careful measurement with a line level the marker ridges are created exactly on the contour lines at intervals down the slope	This method gives a really clear line to work with and will prevent water erosion

2	Reinforce the marker ridges	''Vetiver grass is a noninvasive deep-rooted grass planted to stablilise the marker ridge. Vetiver grass is a miracle plant used throughout the developing world and is essential to help to create stable marker ridges and mulching opportunities''

3	Create the holding ditch	Above the marker ridge a ditch 0.5 metres wide with closed ends becomes a holding reservoir after heavy rain	This stops erosion, and by holding the water above the bed, allows the water to reach the crop roots through slow percolation into the subsoil

4	Breaking the "hard pan"	''At 1 hoe depth where land has been continuously farmed, the hard pan under the topsoil will be broken up with forks and pick axes creating a deeper topsoil	The hard pan stops water and crop roots from going deeper. By breaking it up there is less chance of erosion and the crops will be more robust to deal with a dry spell''

5	Making the deep beds	''Deep beds about 1m wide are created reducing evaporation. These will never be trodden on again	The old ridge and furrow method has a high surface area leading to evaporation. Digging each year is not necessary if the soil is not trodden on''

6	Planting the beds	''The beds are wide enough for 2 rows of maize and for interplanting of other crops	Inter-planting can complement the crops and help with pests and diseases. Yields are significantly higher and last longer''

7	Weeding and mulching	''The weeds are cut or pulled up and laid on the surface. Crop residues and chopped vetiver grass are also laid. Nothing is ever burned	Reduces evaporation and soil heat and builds organic content of the soil. Weeding is lighter work than digging. Whole families can help''

8	Companion planting	Maize is planted interspersed with beans, pumpkin kale and other local crops making full use of thewide beds	The legumes nitrogenate the soil, consecutive cropping lengthens the cropping season and increases food variety and nutrition

9	Composting	''Excess foliage, crop residues ash. Charcoal maize husks etc are put into compost heaps with additives where soil is depleted. Animal (nitrogenous) waste is added to help the composting process	As produce is being taken from the land in the form of food it is essential that nutrients are replenished and balanced through composting''

10	Pigs	''Each village is given a pig/goat by Tiyeni and and the progeny are given to farmers within the village. The animal waste is used in compost	This programme binds the village together as all are interested in the successful breeding programmes'