Fertilizer in Malawi

Chimanga (maize). Both fields were planted around the same time, but the maize on the right has been treated with fertilizer.

The Malawi government's fertilizer program has received great acclaim in the NY Times and elsewhere, but the reality is far from simple. For one, the commercial fertilizers are inferior to home-grown methods (i.e., nitrogen-fixing crops such as bean plants and mango trees). This is mainly because the fertilizer must be applied every season, while nitrogen-fixing will replenish the soil more completely, and for a much longer period of time. Secondly, despite the subsidies offered by government, the fertilizer bags are still outside the means of most subsistence farmers, even if they can manage to get their hands on the fertilizer coupons. Finally, repeated use of chemical fertilizers can be quite damaging for the soil. Obviously a higher crop yield is nothing to sneeze at - particularly for subsistence farmers, who make up an overwhelming portion of Malawi's population - but the program is not a long-term solution.

(Nankhunda, Zomba, Malawi)

duffell [at] gmail dot com.