The Kusamala Market Garden is a demonstration of organic and sustainable food production and serves to generate income for Nature’s Gift Permaculture.
Kusamala: (1) to look after (2) to cherish (3) to conserve
First planted in September 2010 on a 180 square metre converted equestrian training ground, the garden now features 100 beds, with 25 different crops planted in a rotational system. Our emphasis is on growing seasonal, nutritious, organic and diverse vegetables and herbs, which we sell to Kumbali Country Lodge, various restaurants around Lilongwe and through our veg box scheme.
In addition to bringing income to the centre, the Kusamala Market Garden serves as a living classroom for our trainings and apprentice programmes. All of our gardeners have Permaculture for Gardeners certificates and participate in teaching our visitors, school groups, interns, volunteers, and apprentices.
We implement Zone 1 permaculture principles to make the most of local resources and space. All of our produce is chemical-free, thus we employ people to implement plant-based pest management and we use composting, crop rotation, seed saving and water conservation to mimic the balance of nature and improve biodiversity in the local ecosystem. We even incorporate a chicken tractor into our rotation to improve soil fertility and prepare the beds for planting.
