What I've been doing up north...

What am I doing here?

For the past week, I've been attempting to visit all of the agrodealers (people who sell seed, fertilizer, or chemicals to farmers) that have been trained over the seven years of this project. It's a big undertaking because over the past seven years more than 1,300 agrodealers have been trained. These agrodealers come in all shapes and sizes. Some of these agrodealers have businesses that are extremely successful, and some are still struggling to get their businesses going. Some agrodealers have received grants from CNFA to purchase equipment, or to renovate their shops. And, some have received assistance in order to stock their shops. We're trying to meet with all of the agrodealers to find out how their businesses are doing and what kind of assistance they feel they need (in terms of training and access to CNFA support).




It's been a really interesting process for me (and I'm only in week one of the three week project). I've interviewed over 20 agrodealers this week. Some of them have big shops in Mzuzu and they are open year round. Some agrodealers have very small shops and they are not open at this time of year (the main growing season will start in November when the rains come). Some of the agrodealers have received grants to purchase different pieces of equipment for processing maize and rice. We visited one maize mill in the hills surrounding Mzuzu this week (it's shown in the pictures). The maize mill processes maize into flour that is then made into nsima, which is the staple food in Malawi. People come to the maize mill and pay a small fee to have their maize ground into the flour. Without the mill, the women will spend hours pounding the maize into flour.



The mill that we visited is run by an agrodealer who is also a teacher. She has put her shop in one of the rural areas surrounding Mzuzu (this is encouraged by CNFA). Her mill has a very small shop attached. The shop sells small quantities of seed and fertilizer. Both the mill and the shop are manned by the woman shown in the photos. She keeps very basic records showing when the mill has been used and the number of electricity credits that were used. She was very happy to pose for a photo. Kids are always keen to pose when they see a camera. Perhaps you can't tell from the photos, but it's quite cold here in Mzuzu and even more so up in the hills.

I'd love to answer any questions you have... so fire away!

Indulging my wanderlust

Mzuzu!

It's beautiful here in the north of Malawi. Mzuzu is the smallest of Malawi's 'cities' (there are only three). I'm told it's designation as a city was a bit of a political bribe. But, even though it is pretty small it definitely has its good qualities. I have to admit that it doesn't have the bustling vibe that Lilongwe has, but the city has a very neat and tidy feel, and the people are even more friendly and easy going than they are in Lilongwe. The market and the stores are also stocked with lots of good stuff that has come over the border from Tanzania. Lots of people speak English here too, which is a good thing for me because the second most popular language in the north is Tambuka not Chichewa (admittedly, my Chichewa isn't that good either).

Mzuzu is surrounded by forest, which is rare in Malawi because there are so many people in so little space, and wood (often made into charcoal) is the main means of heating and cooking. The forest around Mzuzu is being managed, so depletion here is a little less of a concern than elsewhere. There is also a good timber business here... sort of reminds me of home. Mzuzu is also a little higher in elevation than Lilongwe, so it's a little cold (I need a few blankets at night).

Right now, I'm staying in a little motel just outside of town. My evening journey home is my favourite part of the day. I leave the office and walk five minutes to the market. I work my way through the market picking up my dinner as I go. As I enter the market I buy an apple (a bit of a luxury here - there are local oranges, tangerines, avocados, tomatoes, bananas, and more - but the apples are brought in from South Africa). As I wind my way through the market I'll pick up some combination of popcorn, freshly roasted peanuts, bread, bananas, sweet bread with some kind of sweet topping, local banana bread made with maize flower, and/or a lollipop. I'm not sure if it's a balanced meal, but it is quite delicious and it works well with my current lack of kitchen facilities.

After, I'm finished picking up my dinner I wander across the road to the spot where the minibuses and the taxis stop. The minibuses run long distances, so I share a taxi for the 5 or 6 minute drive out of town. I get dropped off outside of the Mzuzu University (a visit to the university is in my future plans), which is the last spot that the taxis stop. Then, I walk for another 5 minutes or so to the motel. The walk is up one hill and then into a valley. As I walk, the setting sun slides away under the hills in front of me. It's a wonderful way to end the day.

Independence Day in Malawi

Last weekend Malawi celebrated Independence Day and I went to Blantyre with some other volunteers to check out the festivities. As a side note, Blantyre is the biggest city in Malawi. It has a little bit of industrialization, and a city centre! (an exciting feature). The first President of Malawi (Hastings Kamuzu Banda - president from 1963 to 1994) decreed that there be no building taller than one story in Lilongwe (the capital city - and the city where I live). So, Lilongwe has the feel of a very, very large village or town rather than the grandeur of a capital city. All this is changing though - there is a promising amount of building going on in Lilongwe.

Three other volunteers and I headed to Kamuzu Stadium on Independence Day (Monday July 6th) to see the celebrations that had been planned. We arrived a little bit late (I think we got there around 9am) and joined one of the many lines snaking away from the building. Unfortunately, about a half an hour after we got there they closed the doors and we found out that we weren't going to get in. The stadium has a capacity of 60,000 and you can see from the pictures how many people didn't get in.

From outside the stadium, we watched the current president, Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika arrive. He was standing in the back of a car waving to the crowds. We also saw a marching band, and some soldiers in formation. The military also put on an explosive show that was very loud (you can see some people covering their ears in the pictures). I could feel the shock waves from the explosions hit me... I guess it also helped to keep the crowd in order.

Sadly, we missed the good stuff that happened inside the stadium. We heard that there was some traditional dancing and much oration. To console ourselves we headed to one of Blantyre's ice cream shops (I think they have two!) and we enjoyed our ice cream tremendously.

Hope everyone had a fantastic Canada Day!