For over 3 years, rice farming has been a gamble for farmers in the Limphasa Rice Scheme in Nkhata Bay as the river has fallen culprit to perpetual flooding.

In 2021 to 2022 growing season about 60 hectares of rice fields were submerged or swept away by the raging torrents of a very pregnant and bursting Limphasa River.

Maxwell Kayuni started rice farming at the age of 17 some 15 years ago. This was a dream come true for him as he had managed to buy a Toyota Sienta at the tune of 4 million Kwacha, 16 cows and is currently constructing a 6-bedroomed house, all from the money realized through farming.

“I have already spent about 2.5 million Kwacha on the house project,” he says

Maxwell says the harvest was improving each year until 2021 when part of his field was submerged and good crop was lost.

“I was taken unawares but still hoped things would be different the subsequent year,” he says with obvious nostalgia”

With a dream drawn toward agripreneurship and a dream to create more jobs through rice farming, Maxwell bought more seeds and other inputs for the 2022 growing season. The target was 200 bags of 50 Kg each. After investing in and carrying out all the necessary activities, he was set to harvest more than his target.

“After planting, my crop was envy to many. My fellow farmers said I had made it this year and I was confident I had,” he shakes his head resignedly.

“But fate wouldn’t have it. Rains poured for 5 days nonstop. Warning about a probable flood reached us but we hoped against hope that it would just be a flash flood like the previous rice-growing seasons. Until one morning we woke up to see a “lake” over our fields,” recalls Maxwell with a touch of sadness.

He explains that the floods stayed for more than 3 days.

“At this point I knew the tables had turned. There was no way my crop was going to survive the waterlogging. I had to prepare for the worst. But I didn’t know how as all resources and energies had already been spent on the crop,” he discloses.

When harvest came, Maxwell harvested 150 instead of the targeted 200 bags as five plots had entirely been submerged at a period when the crop was almost ready for harvest.

Another farmer in the scheme Maggie Chisi says the scare was real as the Limphasa River raged on.

“It was unbelievable. Fortunately, unlike some of my friends, my field was a bit far from the protection band,” she says in disbelief.

But all is not lost for the two and their fellows as the government have brought Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS-EPWP) to facilitate catchment and model catchment projects to restore the environment in hotspot areas Lingw’inya which is the source of Limphasa River.

About 1069 farmers are benefiting from the Limphasa Scheme every year. The scheme is in the area of Traditional Authority Mankhambira to the West and Traditional Authority Mkumbira to the North West of which 436 farmers are women who together with their male counterparts share 17 rice blocks.

The CS-EPWP which is a component of the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project (SSRLP) which the government is implementing, facilitated through the National Local Government Finance Committee and funded by the World Bank, is covering 14 catchments in Nkhata Bay and estimated to target not less than 11,233 people from ultra-poor households that have labour who will be working in the catchments for 12 days per month for a period of 2 years.

According to the director of planning and development for Nkhata Bay, Isaac Mkandawire, the catchments were selected out of many because of the effects they have on such environmental factors as erosion and flooding which causes damage to crops and road infrastructure.

“We considered level of degradation, population, food security and poverty levels. The programme is deliberately designed to achieve the dual objective of strengthening household resilience to shocks and creating durable assets” he explains.

Isaac further explains that preparatory works such as field verification exercises with extension workers, listing of potential projects, appraisals and environmental screening have been done and full council has since approved the micro-safety net plan.

Other catchments include Licheremu, Chikwina, Lifupa, Mpamba, Lufutazi, Kavuzi, Chintheche and Tchesamu

Story Credits : Patrick Botha, District Information Officer, Nkhatabay