Processing the seeds

Our factory is in full swing, the seeds are being shelled, threshed, winnowed, cleaned and graded ready for  packing.

Shelling groundnuts

Winnowing groundnuts

Grading, cleaning and dressing maize seed

Threshing pigeon peas

Ox cart loaded with groundnut shells used for cattle fodder

                                      



Coffee
Our neighbours in the South of the country grow coffee, which they are harvesting at present.  The succulent red flesh is removed from the green beans which are subsequently fermented, washed, dried, exported and roasted to taste.

Red coffee berries ready to pick

Green beans from inside the flesh

Mount Mulanje
At 3000 metres, shrouded in mist and legend, Mount Mulanje, (southern Malawi), is the highest mountain in Central Africa.   The mountain, a granite intrusion, is a landmark for agile tourists who, with the assistance of porters hike and climb.  In mid July the porters race 25km up the mountain on rocky terrain, many in bare feet and the girls in skirts as Malawian women don't wear shorts or trousers.  Following the race there is great entertainment in the form of music and dance throughout the day.

The winning porter

Visitors
Terri's brother and his wife spent almost 3 weeks sharing our life on the Lakeshore.  They, along with the remainder of our a family, have funded the repair of the local school  roof.
 Roger and Hannah are mathematicians and computer scientists and shared their knowledge with 200 learners at the local secondary school.

Roger and Hannah conducting a robot workshop at Lisumbwe Secondary School, Monkey Bay.

 Fixing the roof

Work in progress

Almost complete

Locally trained carpenters working on the roof beams

During our remaining time in Malawi we will see the growing season through and  explore the northern plateau, following the trail of the C19th missionaries including David Livingstone!

T and I

Tobacco Auction

Shelling maize cobs

One of our few mechanised processes is shelling maize cobs, a similar principal to a stationary combine harvester, seeds are bagged and the cobs stored for cattle feed.

Shelled cobs used for cattle feed

Maize sheller

Tobacco

Over 70% of Malawi's foreign earnings are from tobacco, it is grown by both large estates and  small holders.  Drying takes place in open sheds (burley) or in heated barns (flue cured).  From April to September the leaves are transported in 100kg bales  to auction floors in Mzuzu, Blantyre and Lilongwe.  Following sale, the bales are trucked to Beira (Mozambique) and exported to the smokers of the world.  Few Malawians can afford to smoke.

Tobacco auction floor

Porters race to the floors

We visited the auction floors in Lilongwe where 10,000 bales are sold daily. It was dusty, noisy and frantically busy.  Much of the handling is done by sack barrow.

Electronic weighing

Average price $1.72 per kilo

Burning

It is traditional to burn the fields after harvest. Much of the bush is set alight, the sparse regrowth of grass is soon parched and dry.

Picnic

We took Ophen, who looks after us at home, for a picnic on Funwe Farm, he was interested to see crops grown and processed on a large scale; he grows sufficient for his extended family in his small garden.

This weekend is the Malawi yachting  marathon up the west coast of the lake; we will wave as it passes our door.

T and I

The Dry Season

Our crops are in store awaiting the processing factory to start up.

The bush is at its highest before it desiccates and thins.   Local vegetation makes ideal thatching material and is very saleable.

Early morning on the way to market with dried thatching grass.

Malawi International Trade Fair is an annual event in Blantyre with a bias on agriculture akin to UK county shows.  Funwe Farm  took a stand and we spent a morning at the Fair which showcased a number of enterprising Malawian cottage industries including those marketing baobab not only as a superfood but also as a  skin product, compost and fabric, also a charity selling donated ex Royal Mail bikes ideal for use on dirt roads.

Ian at the Trade Fair

Trade Fair, entrance fee 85p

  







School
Terri's Standard 8 Class have taken their Junior Certificate Examination, the entrance qualification for secondary school, the pass rate is low and many will finish their education and seek work aged 14+.

Inventive counting aid, bamboo sticks.

Attendance figures for ONE class

 
Southern Region
We took a brief trip to the higher and wetter area south of the lakeshore where hectares of tea have been grown for the last 130 years; the original seeds came from the Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh.  Malawi is the second highest tea producer in Africa after Kenya. The landscape is mountainous with rolling foothills planted with tea and coffee.

Mount Mulanje, foreground tea plantations.

 

 

We visited the Satemwa Tea Estate in Thyolo and washed down some carrot cake with local brew, a piece of England in the heart of Africa.

Huntingdon House, Satemwa a beautifully furnished guest house.

Two leaves and a bud, tea harvest.

Tea on the verandah.

More visitors are due this month, Roger and Hannah, Terri's brother and wife then Michael, Ian's brother; both brothers and Hannah have useful experience and expertise relevant to our project here in Malawi and we anticipate their arrival.

T and I

May in Malawi

Our crops are now drying in preparation for treating and packaging for next year's planting which will take place hopefully in December with the rains.  The maize cobs are moved from the field by ox cart and stored in a well ventilated area free from rodents
 

Storing cobs

Carting maize stalks

The harvest

The maize and legume stalks are stored, they provide  additional cattle fodder until the rains come.
Some farmers burn the stalks on the field; as they burn, small rodents escape, these are trapped providing sport and a high protein dinner.

Cotton
Semi drought resistant, native cotton  grows well in Malawi and is a popular cash crop.  The cotton industry has declined due to imported cloth from Asia, lack of maintenance at the ginneries and the arrival of second hand clothing bales from European, American and Asian charities.

 

This year's crop is poor due to the short rains

Cotton boll after 160 days

 Farmers will store their bolls until the price rises.  Price starts at 30p per kilo rising to 40p.









Harvest in the Garden

Ripe lemons

The citrus trees in our garden  are bearing and we race the monkeys for the ripe fruit.  Thus far we have managed lemonade and lemon curd.

Lemonade and lemon curd

Terri spent 2 happy weeks in UK catching up with family and friends, she is now back in the tropics. We are both enjoying the 'Winter' with temperatures sometimes below 30 degrees.

T and I

Harvest Continues

Groundnuts (peanuts) are now being harvested. They have a strange growth pattern, nodules appear from the flowers, above ground, and grow downwards into the soil where the nuts form.


The mechanical lifter loosens the soil and plants; these are pulled from the ground by hand, stooked to dry then the nuts are plucked from the plant.
A sheller is used to remove the nuts from the shells which are then hand graded prior to being packed for sale as seed.

The Baobab is a strange tree, Rudyard Kipling described  it as having been pulled from the ground and pushed back in again the wrong way up with the roots in the air.

Autumn colours are now appearing

Children risk life and limb to pick the fruits.

Baobab fruits are now recognised as a Super Food. They seem to contain one of everything we need and six times more than anything else!
The white pith contains a large number of seeds which taste very bitter. Does you good though.







Jonny and Jody visited for 10 days and we were able to show them what we have been doing on the Farms as well as a taste of what Malawi has to offer, including two nights at the Mvuu camp in Liwonde Game Park where we saw a good selection of animals.

This elephant suddenly appeared and decided it wanted to swim across the Shire river.
Trunks can be useful at times when you sink to the bottom

Anyone know of a good dentist?

Terri went back to England with Jonny and Jody to catch up with the family and see Emily and Thomas, our grandchildren.
Normal service will be resumed for the next Blog.

Harvest has begun

The cow peas, a small ground cover legume, were the first to ripen.  The pods dry to a biscuit colour on the plants and are plucked by hand into a sack then weighed on a balance scale suspended from a tree.  The pods are spread on a tarpaulin, threshed with sticks, winnowed and graded by hand.
The seeds are stored for next year's season when they are tested for germination, moisture and purity.

Picking

Weighing

Threshing

Storage

 Funwe Seed crops are now mature and we run  open field days showing off trial plots, these are opportunities for learning, networking and socialising.

Maize trial

Sales patter!

2015 Malawians

 

Hair extensions in  all colours are fashionable at present, this is Masozi, her name translated means tears, some other meaningful names are Njala (hunger) Maliro (funeral),  these were given in times of stress.  Some  joyful names include Hallelujah, the verger, Kupatsa (the giver) our banker, Precious Innocent and Gift.

Jonny and Jody will be here next week, they will enjoy the warmth of the weather and the Malawi people.  Terri will travel back to UK with them for a couple of weeks.

We understand that UK weather is improving and  this time next month the General Election will be over. 

T&I