Warm and Wet.

The torrential rain has caused loss of life, homes and crops.  There will be a replanting programme for the small farmers for which help will be available. Those crops not flooded are growing apace in the wet and warm conditions and it is time for fertilser to be applied.

                A home-made very accurate
                fertiliser speader, an old sack
                  and a plastic pipe.





Farm Input Subsidy Programme
Funwe Seed is part of the FISP scheme.  Coupons funded by donors and the Malawi Government are distributed to vulnerable groups,  these can be redeemed from suppliers for seed and fertiliser at no cost to the grower; the coupons are submitted by suppliers to the government for payment. This scheme has been working for 10 years and many growers have benefitted.  The coupons are categorised before submission.  Funwe Seed submits around 250,000 coupons, all sorted  manually providing clerical occupation for local people.

Hand sorting thousands of these takes time and concentration, each is worth up to 10 dollars to the seed companies and is free to the farmers.

Building

Malawians are great builders and make the best of their natural resources.

Mud bricks drying in the sun.

Kiln fired by tree trunks

 

 

 

 

Mortar is created from the lake and river sand. 

Unfortunately these methods are not sustainable and the results are vulnerable to the weather.  We can always find a cheerful team rebuilding something.

Debris in the swollen rivers has choked dams causing piped water shortages and blocked grilles to turbines. Power cuts are part of our life and we must be prepared. Fortunately we have a gas cooker and partial solar lighting.

These are our solar batteries charging up between rain storms.

The Northern hemisphere days are lengthening and no doubt the spring bulbs are swelling, soon the daffodils will be out!

Stay warm.

T and I

               

   

                                                                              

Farmers are never satisfied!

The rains kept us waiting and they have arrived with a vengeance, 19 inches since 1st January.  There have been several wild storms, roofs have been blown off, rivers flooded and villages cut off.  The tractors have been bogged down and planting has been by hand.

These discs harrows were stuck
for 3 days.

                            Land Cruiser up
                      to its axles in mud.

The roof of the school office blew off, the only room with electricity. Repairs may take some time.

This is our main route to Lilongwe, the current detour takes an additional 2 hours on the regular 3 hour journey.

The weather is extreme however it happens every year and the local people are cheerful with a philosophical attitude.

We are enjoying the experience of the short growing season and note how well the Malawian people take care of their crops, all necessary in a subsistence environment.  Agriculture features on the primary school curriculum, young children tend crops and herd stock (cattle, sheep and goats).
Ian continues to be busy on the farms, Terri has made a contact at the local school where little English is spoken. 

We make time to enjoy our surroundings.

 Kayaking just before sunset, this can be hazardous, see below.......





.......this notice is displayed above our local bar.





We have no TV or radio and rely on fluctuating band-width internet; emails, photos and contact from home are a lifeline, please keep them coming.
T and I

Everything is growing

 

The rains and storms continue and the seeds planted over Christmas have germinated.
 5.5 inches of rain have fallen in 5 days.

Groundnut (peanut) seedlings

Maize seedlings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bush has come alive with wild flowers.

Wild Ginger

Fireball Lily

The early growing season has not been without problems, either too much or too little rain has resulted in average germination and replanting has been necessary in some areas: the ever present monkeys and baboons will help themselves to the tender shoots so this family have built a shelter to protect them from the weather whilst on monkey watch.

 

We continue to familiarise ourselves with the Malawian Lakeshore lifestyle, enjoying some water sports and swimming. We live well, although the supermarket is a 7 hour round trip there are fresh vegetables some fruit and fish available locally. Our drinking water comes from the lake; it is filtered passed through a UV device, boiled then refiltered.

Ian checking the water tanks a weekly routine on a Sunday morning

 

 

                                                                                   

On New Years Eve the rain was torrential and Ian spent some time pulling vehicles from ditches before welcoming 2015 at a party along the beach. Our normally quiet and deserted neighbourhood was lively and busy over the New Year. On New Year's Day the local children were all in party clothes and there was great excitement. Many Malawians celebrate their birthday on 1st January.

We are thinking about the Northern hemisphere winter and hope all is well.

T and I

Some rain has fallen at last.

PLANTING MAIZE

Thank goodness the rains have started and planting the maize can begin albeit late. This is one of few jobs done by machine.  All crops are grown for seed, conditions must be perfect and hand planting is not appropriate, however there are plenty of lads on hand to check the rows are straight and the drills unblocked. The top hopper contains fertiliser and the lower the seed.

SETTING UP A FISHING BUSINESS

First find a fallen tree and fashion it into a boat shape

.

Paddle the boat on to the lake at all hours of the day and night with hook and line.

Sell your delicious Chambo for £1.50each

Fish is important in the diet of Lakeshore dwellers and provides employment. Sadly the lake is being overfished especially in the shallows where the fish breed.

CHRISTMAS

Eventually we found somewhere to book lunch on Christmas Day. Inspite of being  a mainly Christian country (85%), little is made of Christmas here. There were family parties however, all the shops and markets were open as usual.  We exchanged gifts of a local key fob and a packet of Malawi peanuts.

 New Year's Eve has been a bell ringing fixture for us for many years, this year we will think of our ringing friends at midnight on 31st December and look forward to ringing in 2016.

Happy New Year.

T and I

The rains are still awaited and the temperature is ever increasing. Some rain has fallen elsewhere. Schools have all broken up for Christmas and the local children are enjoying playing and fishing in the lake.

The Board Room at Funwe Farm built in local traditional style, Ian Gilbert and Banda are in conference. The sand floor is watered heavily to keep the temperature inside down. (Air conditioning!)

Cattle at Funwe. The breeding herd is of local Zebu cattle running with a Friesian bull; the Zebu is resiliant to the climate and conditions, the Friesian genes improve milk yield. All heifers go to a milk producers, association further south, the steers are fattened for anything up to 3 years.  The cattle range the bush, they are fed maize stalks and vegetable haulms if transport and labour are available. When the rains come there will be plenty to graze.

African Weaver Bird nests.  These sociable birds construct intricate nests from surounding materials. Left,  reeds from the lakeshore, right twigs from a garden. Birdlife is plentiful, there is a resident fish eagle who periodically swoops for his lunch, hammerkops, hoopoes, hornbills are all regular sightings.

No queuing at the pumps! Diesel £1.078 per litre, petrol £1.04 per litre. Ian drives this Toyota land cruiser which is ideal for the farms and the roads, we have almost as many pot holes as  UK roads, lots of speed traps and police road blocks.  Driving can be hazardous, roads are not busy but unpredictable; there are animals, people, pick up trucks, buses in all shapes and sizes and of course bicycles to dodge.


We share our garden with a number of monkeys, mothers, babies and adolescents who are very naughty and given half a chance will sneak in, steal food and shred curtains, doors to be kept closed at all times.

We have an artificial Christmas tree which will go up sometime next week, also some cards  brought from home and gifts from the children.  This will be our first Christmas on our own for 40 years!
Have fun.
T and I

Early Days awaiting the rains

We are still waiting for the rains and the temperature hasn't dropped below 30 degrees since Terri arrived. The field cultivations are all complete and the staff are anticipating a good planting season.

Planting groundnuts by hand with Funwe Hill in the background; this is  done before the rains. Tractors are available but spare parts are difficult and much time is spent on breakdowns. Hand planting provides work for the rural population. 

Sunset over Lake Malawi looking east. the mountains are the Eastern escarpment of the African Rift Valley. The lake is a busy spot, there are always fishermen, laundry and bathing to be done plus recreation and water sports. The crocodile has been sighted in our bay!

Bicycles are used for many purposes and are an essential part of daily life. They are the cheapest taxi and are often heavily loaded with anything from live animals to fencing posts and large bags of charcoal.




Ian is well integrated with the farm staff, the working language is English, Chichewa, the local language is difficult but we are trying!

There is not much evidence of Christmas here but we are thinking of you all busy preparing for the festivities.
T and I

Hopefully this will all work!

Terri has arrived at Nkudzi Bay just south of Monkey Bay.
Ian is well orientated on both the farms,Funwe and Mitongwe, which are some distance from the house which is on the lake. Funwe Cottage is well appointed and comes with a treasure called Ophan who is a great cook and bursting with local knowledge.
We are still awaiting the rains which are overdue but should arrive at the weekend when the temperature should drop! The maize legumes and groundnuts are planted to coincide with the wet weather.
The local people are pleasant and welcoming.
Photos to follow!