The bio-intensive garden that produces the majority of household vegetable needs. Small fruit species and quiet animals live here too. Commercial vegetable gardens are Zone 1 systems because they are energy intensive. This area is irrigated.
Memo
In local vernacular the word ‘Memo’ has been derived from Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and is a word Malawians use to describe a communal meal in which there is a memorandum of understanding that someone will, for example, bring the flour, another person will bring the vegetables, and another person will bring the fruit, etc. Because we share a communal lunch as part of our work day, we have planted a bio-intensive garden (Zone 1) as well as a forest garden (Zone 2) to supply us with vegetables, fruits, herbs, for memo as well as medicine, building supplies and fuelwood. These two areas are known to us as “Memo” and they have been designed and are managed by our local staff (with a little help from volunteers and interns!)
This garden is situated between our office and the home of Eston Mgala, his wife Carol Ngwira and their son Kelvin. It abuts the kitchen jungle. The Food & Nutrition Team, with assistance from the Implementation Team (and with some occasional help from volunteers, interns and apprentices), have designed and manage all aspects of this bio-intensive garden. From species selection, to soil fertility, integrated pest management and successive planting this garden supplies our communal lunches with delicious salads, vegetables and herbs five days per week, every week of the year. In this space, our staff have the freedom to choose what they want to plant and are encouraged to experiment, observe, learn, and share.
Kusamala Market Garden
Zone 1 gardens require the most input in terms of human energy, soil fertility, pest management, and observation. Subsequently, they yield they most produce. The Kusamala Market Garden is:
- Intensive
- Diverse
- Organic
- Profitable
We believe that the methods, techniques, and inputs that we use in the Kusamala Market Garden can be adopted by any Malawian with access to land and water. Click here for more information about the garden.
Residential
Our residential area is a converted horse stable that has been thatched and renovated to accommodate our interns and volunteers. A composting toilet and grey-water systems allows us to cut down on inputs while enriching our microclimate.
The residential garden serves as a hands-on learning arena for interns and volunteers to implement their new designs and creative ideas. We aim to have the residential garden be a complement to the other areas of production, providing a variety of items catered to the specific likes of our residential team. Over time, the designs from past volunteers have merged with current residents to create a living example of shared knowledge and creative solutions to hunger and nutrition problems.
