To promote the application of IoT technology on wetland management, this research project and experience learnt has been shared throughout the project by:  

• Organizing webinars for conservation managers and wetland stakeholders  
• Installing outdoor interpretation panels in MPNR  
• Promoting through social media platform and media engagement  
• Producing promotional video  
• Publishing technical report of the project  
• Organizing public and school tours to introduce the application of IoT technology in wetland management at MPNR 

Through technical partners such as the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Forests, the partnership ensures members of the Malawi Green Corps will
benefit from peer learning, transfer of employable skills, and opportunities for youth engagement
in environmental networks and coalitions. Members of the corps receive training in social
accountability, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and civic engagement in order to take
advantage of opportunities from the bidder and/or other available training. Gender
mainstreaming will also feature prominently by offering equal opportunities to young women
and men to join the Green Corps, while also delivering protection and gender equality training
including on SGBV and HIV/AIDS, to all members. While the CO has experience with each of these
organizations, a RFP will be released to inform the final selection of service providers and
performance milestones. Outcome 4 will also identify opportunities to build the skills of youths
so that they are able to develop and pursue nature-based businesses, including through grant
applications to the new Zanchito initiative starting in 2021. This approach will expand the focus
beyond employability to green business development. The bidder will collaborate with UNDP
and the Zanchito initiative to promote access to skills development and entrepreneurship
training.

Up to 5,000ha of degraded land will be restored by the Malawi Green Corps, including through
clean-up of illegal dump sites containing non-hazardous waste. Recyclable materials will be
diverted from the waste stream for repurposing, recycling and/or sale, providing further job and
income generation opportunities. Afforestation and reforestation of degraded sites will focus on
vulnerable watersheds and maximize use of fast-growing indigenous species of trees, shrubs and
grasses suitable to the sites, with linkages to ongoing integrated watershed management and
land restoration initiatives being delivered through government and development partners,
including ecosystem-based adaptation initiatives financed through the GEF. For example, Green
Corps members may work in similar locations to participants in the national social protection
programme to ensure that restoration efforts are complementary, and may link to lake and river
basin interventions under the existing Transformational Action for Resilience in Malawi
(TRANSFORM) initiative.

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.