Spreading Compost
Stages of Composting
Illustration: “Art by Emily Sands”
In recent years Compact have focused on the development of its composting program and for good reason. Composting offers significant value to rural farmers in Malawi, addressing soil fertility and promoting sustainable agriculture.
By recycling organic waste like crop residues and animal manure, farmers produce nutrient-rich compost, reducing dependence on expensive synthetic fertilizers. This improves soil structure, enhances water retention, and boosts crop yields. Composting also mitigates environmental degradation by preventing harmful agricultural runoff and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
For many smallholder farmers in Malawi, composting is a cost-effective and accessible solution, empowering them to improve food security and livelihoods. Moreover, it aligns with climate-smart agriculture practices, fostering resilience to erratic weather patterns. Encouraging widespread adoption of composting can transform rural farming systems, contributing to long-term agricultural sustainability and poverty alleviation.
Compact have been impressed at the spillover of the composting program as people from surrounding villages team up and come to either Kawiri or Ndalama to seek capacity building assistance in compost-making. This speaks to the rising demand for compost and other alternatives to inorganic fertilizer. The fact that the community members are talking to each other is a visible testimony of this success and should be a huge inspiration to you the donor.
Fertilizer
Paying Dividends
With the rural, annual national average wage of farm workers in Malaw at around $700- 800 USD, every cent counts. Traditionaly people have been coached in thinking commercial fertilizer will improve their crops but this comes at a great cost without giving the best results. Here is the cost of fertilizer between 2019 -2025 in in USD. (Figures approx.).
2019 - 11.50
2020 - 22.00 up 48%
2021 - 28.00 up 23%
2022 - 35.00 up 20%
2023 - 45.00 up 22%
2024 - 53.00 up 16%
2025 - 66.00 up 20%
The impact of scaling up the composting and sharing this knowledge is beginning to pay dividends.
