BioFISA Programme impacts livelihoods in Southern Africa

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BioFISA trainers with mushroom farmers

The Finnish and South African Governmentshave committed their continuedsupport to NEPAD’s BioFISA Programme, as concrete achievementshave been made in combatinghunger, sustaining livestock and curing diseases. This follows a recent meeting in Johannesburg to evaluate the impact of BioFISA which is supportedby the two countries. At the conference, experts took stock of the Programme’s track record since its establishment in 2009.

In less than three years, the Programmehas improved the lives of more than 600 small-scale mushroomgrowers in Malawi, Namibia and Swaziland, by providing technical and scientific approaches to farming the crop.

In addition, more than 100 agriculture extension officers and researchers in Angola, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique,Swaziland and Zambia have been trained in mushroom farming. These new approaches to producingedible fungus have improved the quality as well as yields of the crop.

In Malawi for example, a recent random tour of five villages around Bunda Agriculture College in the commercial capital Lilongwe, showed positive results. In each village several female farmers are growing mushrooms.

One of the beneficiaries is Mrs Kwalira,a mother of eight. She and fellow women formed a co-operative union three years ago, after learning technicalskills on how to grow mushrooms from the BioFisa Programme.“My husband concentrates on tobacco. The men in this village are sceptical about mushroom farming. So we the womenfolk got together and we are doing very well. From my sales, I bought a bicycle which I use every day to deliver my produce to Bunda College. They in turn take it to the city and sell it for us. Now that my husband’s tobacco business is not very profitable, I am playing a bigger role in supporting the family from my mushroom sales”.

Mrs Kwalira says she uses the money she gets, to buy uniforms and pay school fees for her children.

NEPAD also supported the establishmentof aquaculture and fish farming facilities in Malawi’s Dowa District. The farmers have been trained in how to effectively grow fish using very simple techniques.Beneficiaries of this project, Flora Mwase and Headman Matchayasimbisay they can now afford basic necessities and have become role models among other farmers in how to integrate fruit and vegetables croppingby using pond water.

Through the proceeds, Flora has been able to construct a house with iron-sheet roofing. Previously, she lived in a grass-thatched mud house. She also bought a radio, an importantform of entertainment and informationfor people in rural areas.

An effective farmer participatory research programme and seed funds from NEPAD and the Malawian Government were essential for the success. There is now increased demandby farmers to extend fish pond farming to cover other districts.