Recruitment of youth prioritizes localizing economic benefits to host communities and
districts, with preference to engaging workers living adjacent hotspot areas. Leveraging UNDP’s
partnership with Malawi’s National Registration Bureau (NRB), biometric national ID cards will be
used by the service provider to validate personnel and ensure transparency of labour inputs and
remuneration. Recruitment guidelines will be finalized by the service provider in consultation
with UNDP and GoM, incorporating gender, disability and income-poverty considerations.
Consistent application of health and safety protocols, including those for COVID-19 as well as
protection safeguards for vulnerable people, will be adhered to by all partners. The service
providers must include personnel protective equipment (PPEs) as part of its procurement plan.

UNDP signed partnership agreements with the Government of Malawi and the selected service provider to deliver core objectives, including: identifying and rehabilitating environmental hotspots aligned with national watershed, forest, and landscape restoration priorities; confirming roles and responsibilities for district and community engagement; establishing a salary accountability and tracking system (linked to national ID); designing and sharing an online mentor and peer platform (co-supported by the UNDP Acceleration Lab); and an M&E framework for measurement.

When the harvest season comes, farmers using Deep Bed Farming benefit from crop yields that are more than doubled, starting from the very first year of adoption!  Farmers have reported a ninefold increase in income​ in this first year as well. Healthier soil and diversified crops also provide more nutritious and balanced diets, helping to tackle malnutrition. Many Malawian farmers and their families have achieved food security through Deep Bed Farming, eating an average of one extra meal every day ​compared to their peers using conventional farming. ​Farmers continue to harvest these heightened crop yields year after year.

Weeds are often thought of as a nuisance, but in climate-smart agriculture they have a valuable role to play! Alongside the residue of crops and other plant materials, weeds are cut or pulled up and laid on top of the land as a form of mulch. Mulch is another type of ground cover that helps protect soil by minimising impacts of big raindrops and conserving moisture. Weeding is lighter work than digging, and whole families can help! Meanwhile, other organic materials like crop residues, leaves and grasses, and household food waste are made into a rich compost.
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Farmers may also add animal manure to the compost. To make sure that all farmers have access to animal manure, Tiyeni organises a livestock pass-on programme of pigs or goats to first-time farmers. Animal offspring are passed on to other members of the community, contributing to Tiyeni’s legacy effect that ensures our work is self-sustaining in communities after our departure. Farmers’ interest in the successful breeding programmes brings village communities together and increases uptake of Tiyeni’s methods.
 

Mulch and compost add valuable organic matter to the soil that promote healthy soil microbiomes. They also enable farmers to transition away from synthetic fertilisers by providing the soil and plants with the necessary nutrients for healthy growth. Transitioning from synthetic fertiliser to mulch and compost also benefits farmers economically, as synthetic fertilisers are expensive. Plus, some of the methods that Tiyeni teaches to farmers can produce compost that is ready for use in as little as 21 days!  ​

Next, farmers plant their crops in the Deep Beds. Deep Bed Farming encourages farmers to move away from the monocropping that is practiced across much of Malawi. In monocropping, a single crop, in this case maize, is planted exclusively year after year on the same plots of land. Monocropping weakens the structure of the soil and depletes it of nutrients and leads to the growth of weeds and pests that are difficult to manage. To move away from monocropping, Deep Bed Farming diversifies crops through the application of intercropping and crop rotation.
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Intercropping means that additional crops are planted alongside the staple crop of maize in the same season. These crops provide a natural ground cover that conserves soil moisture and also protects the land from the impact of large raindrops, which contributes to soil erosion. Crop rotation refers to changing the crops that are grown on a plot of land over the course of multiple seasons. In Deep Bed Farming, typical choices for intercropping include low-growing crops like pumpkins and ground nuts. For crop rotation, farmers will often rotate between legumes (e.g., beans) and cereals (e.g., maize).

Both intercropping and crop rotation regenerate the land, including undoing some of the damage caused by monocropping. Diversified crops restore depleted soil nutrients, increase soil fertility, improve soil structure and prevent erosion, and provide natural pest management. Together with the use of mulch and compost, this step enables farmers to transition away from the use of synthetic fertilisers.

Next is the creation of the Deep Beds. These beds are designed to minimise water runoff, to maximise water retention, and to prevent a new compacted layer of soil from developing. With the soil hardpan broken, Deep Beds and the crops grown on them regenerate the land to allow roots, water, and air to penetrate into the soil indefinitely.

To prepare for the creation of Deep Beds, farmers make careful measurements to plan and then form marker ridges in harmony with the natural terrain. Each ridge has a ditch running alongside it, created with soil excavated when the ridges were formed. Ditches become holding reservoirs for rainwater and allow the water to slowly enter into the soil, helping to improve local water tables through a process called groundwater recharge. If the farmland is on a slope, the ditch is constructed uphill of the ridge so that it can serve as a dam for water after heavy rains. The ridge is then stabilised by planting vetiver. This non-invasive grass establishes deep root networks that contribute to sturdy soil structures, which also helps to mitigate erosion.

Now the farmers begin building the Deep Beds between the marker ridges! Deep Beds are designed to be larger than ridges used in conventional farming in Malawi. Each bed measures one metre wide, enough for two rows of maize or three rows of smaller crops. This wider bed enables a more agricultural land to be used for growing by creating a higher bed-to-ratio. Once created, the Deep Beds are never trodden on again, preventing re-compaction and the formation of a new hardpan.

Deep Bed Farming begins with the crucial step of using a pickaxe to break up the compacted soil or hardpan. Breaking the hardpan in and of itself delivers powerful benefits by allowing roots, water, and air to penetrate deeply into the soil. These benefits produce immediate effects towards curbing soil erosion, or even stopping it altogether, thereby allowing rich healthy soils to start developing. Crops with deeper roots tend to be stronger. They can also successfully deal with long periods of dry weather and drought, which have become increasingly common because of climate change. Now able to penetrate the soil further, the deeper roots can also store much larger quantities of water for longer periods of time. Greater water storage enables roots to nourish crops far into the dry season.
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This first step provides prompt, tangible benefits that are key to establishing credibility and raising enthusiasm for Tiyeni’s methods among farmers. The credibility and enthusiasm also build the momentum to interest farmers in additional aspects of Deep Bed Farming.

This building block captures the iterative research, prototyping, and testing process behind the design and performance optimization of Sparsa's compostable menstrual pads. The goal was to systematically address key challenges such as absorbency, retention, and hygiene using accessible, compostable materials and context-appropriate methods. 
 
During initial trials, the embossing of the word 'Sparsa' into the pad design caused production issues, as the added pressure led to small holes at the site of embossing. This aesthetic feature was removed in future die versions to preserve structural integrity. Material testing revealed that the non-woven cotton selected for the top layer was hydrophobic, preventing fluid from entering the absorbent core. Though soft and natural, it was unsuitable. It was replaced by viscose, a hydrophilic and compostable fiber. However, viscose caused another issue—it spread liquid too effectively toward the wings, where no absorbent material was present, leading to leakage. 
 
To address these problems, internal lab tests were developed and applied. The team created over twenty prototypes, varying in top layers, glue types, layer arrangements, and inclusion of guar gum. Some of these, like guar gum, improved total retention but introduced a gel-like texture that reduced comfort and slowed absorption. Tests showed that glue can either support or hinder fluid transfer depending on how and where it's applied—too much glue acted as a barrier and even left residues. Effective glue bonding improved layer connectivity but required careful quantity control. 
 
One critical hygiene failure revealed the presence of Staphylococcus aureus. Investigation found that gloves were not mandatory in the fiber factory, especially after cooking. Human skin was the primary contamination source. The team responded by revising hygiene protocols, making gloves mandatory post-cooking in both pad and fiber factories. This step eliminated the bacterial presence in follow-up tests. 
 
To better understand bacterial presence and reduction strategies, five process variations were developed—each changing the sequence of cooking, beating, and chlorine treatment. These were labeled Sample A to E and tested for bacterial load. The results provided insight into how specific steps and moisture conditions influence microbial contamination. 
 
Leakage from the wings was another key challenge, especially with viscose layers that spread liquid outward. Since wings lacked absorbent material, the team created different prototypes to control this spread. Solutions included modifying top layers, stretching or perforating materials, using starch or wood glue in targeted zones, and bonding absorbent materials more tightly. Some prototypes featured layered configurations with transfer paper. Tests confirmed that fluid distribution and retention improved only when materials were positioned effectively—paper layers under the core performed poorly, while those bonded near the surface aided absorption. 
 
Through every iteration, the team learned to question assumptions, test every new configuration, and document repeatable results. Design improvements were not driven by one-time outcomes but by data-backed testing, careful material selection, and practical lessons from production. 
 

The Ecrins National Park's online fauna and flora atlas makes available all the data collected by its agents over the last 40 years.

Agroecology is a holistic approach, often described as a practice, a science and a social movement. Agroecology is the base for all interventions suggested in this solution.

As the initiated mindset change requires a fundamental, global behavioural change, an essential part of the efforts are directed to advocacy and awareness building activities such as information spreading through media houses, social media channels and conducting field visits with stakeholders from government, policy makers, educational entities, NGOs, donors and the private sector. 

Malawi has a population of around 22 million (worldometer 2025), of which almost 18 million are smallhoder farmers. If the initiated grassroot movement can be strengthened, Malawi could act as a leader in the global agroecological movement.