Farmers Laurence and Margaret Malikita are an inspiration to their friends and neighbours in Libwalo village, in Malawi’s Nsondole Project area, outside Zomba. They are members of the Libwalo Village Farmers Club established by Self Help in the late 1990’s to promote improved irrigation and farming practices in the community.

Laurence and Margaret have also become Self Help model farmers whose adoption of a range of sustainable rural development practices has been an example to others. As well as producing regular fields of mustard – a valuable local vegetable crop, Laurence and Margaret have planted their modest family holding with a range of mango trees, have a stand of improved maize, and a vegetable plot with potatoes, cabbage and peppers, amongst other things.

Laurence and Margaret share use of a manual treadle pump with the 15 other club members which enables them to easily get water to their crops from a nearby river tributary.In recent years Laurence and Margaret, whose seven children are in their teens and 20’s, have also developed a forestry nursery, from which they have been selling tree seedlings for fodder, homestead woodlot, and environmental regeneration purposes to their neighbours.