Farmer-led Research for Food Security and Nutrition in Malawi
SFHC Team
SFHC Farmer Trustees
SFHC has 8 Trustees who oversee the running of the organization. The team members are all farmers from within the Ekwendeni villages.
From left to right: Iris Mkandawire, Thomas Mkamanga (Village Headman Chisangano), Ireene Mhoni, Price Ngâ’oma, Maria Mayuni, Colby Thawi (Village Headman Luhomero – Trustees Chairperson), Jane Salanda, Stocker Ngulube (Vice chairperson).
SFHC Staff
Esther Lupafya
Director of SFHC
Esther Lupafya has been with SFHC since before it started in 2000. She has contributed to the successes of SFHC in food security and nutrition over the years. She has also worked very hard to facilitate the mainstreaming of gender training in the implementation of agroecology. She is greatly committed to improving the livelihoods of Malawians, as evidences by the amount of time she spends on her many projects. She previously worked as HIV/AIDS Coordinator with Ekwendeni Hospital. Esther holds a Master’s degree in Social Development and Health obtained from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. After working hours, she enjoys talking and spending time with her children and friends.
Laifolo Dakishoni
Deputy Director, Finance and Administrative Manager
Dakishoni, or ‘Dak’ as he is commonly called, started working with SFHC in 2001. Dak studied at the college of accountancy, Blantyre. He has contributed to the successes of SFHC in food security and nutrition over the years. His passion for community involvement and participation drove him to become involved in with the project. Since 2001, he has enjoyed being part of the project’s evolution, and has been greatly motivated by the farmers’ eagerness to learn and try new things. He is also one of the country managers for the InnovAfrica project. During his free time he enjoys visiting with his friends and family.
Rodgers Msachi
Head of Community Promoters
Rodgers Joined SFHC in 2000 as a participating farmer and FRT member. In 2005, he become a community promoter because of his passion and dedication to the agroecological work. He has worked very hard to train fellow farmers in agroecology, which has led to the improvement of their soils, food security, nutrition and gender relations. He is a new apostolic church leader. During his free time he enjoys preaching, singing, dancing and making jokes.
Esther Maona
Community Promoter
Esther Maona Joined SFHC in 2000 as a farmer and FRT member. She became a community promoter in 2009 because of her eagerness to train fellow farmers in agroecology, with the aim of improving soil fertility, food security and nutrition. She visited Canada in 2013 to receive training at an organic farm, as well as to speak at several churches. During her free time she likes cooking and dancing.
Tinkhani Gondwe
Community Promoter
Tinkhani joined SFHC in 2000 as a participating farmer and FRT member. He became a community promoter in 2011 because of his eagerness to train fellow farmers in agroecology. He has very good leadership skills. During his free time he enjoys chatting with friends.
Paul Nkhonjera
Community Promoter
Paul is joined SFHC in 2000 as a participating farmer. He became a promoter in 2012 because of his interest in training fellow farmers. During his free time he enjoys chatting with friends.
Anita Chitaya
Community Promoter
Anita joined SFHC in 2001 as a participating farmer and FRT member. She became a promoter in 2009, and is a very involved community leader and highly skilled farmer. She practices all what that she sees and learns in her own fields, apart from training her fellow farmers in agroecology. During her free time she likes singing and chatting with her family.
Mwapi Mkandawire
Community Promoter
Mwapi joined SFHC in 2001 as a youth participating farmer and FRT member. She became a promoter in 2012 because she was eager to train her fellow youth in Agroecology in order to improve food security, soil fertility and good nutrition. She was involved in several projects, notably taking on research responsibilities for FARMS4Biodiversity. During her free time she enjoys chatting with her friends and family.
Lizzie Shumba
Agriculture and Nutrition Manager
Lizzie joined SFHC in 2003. She has contributed to the success of the project by working to improve food security and nutrition. She has also contributed greatly to the training of farmers in agroecological practices. She holds a BSc in Agriculture Extension obtained from LUANAR. During her free time, she likes listening to gospel music and chatting with friends.
Pressings Moyo
Community Promoter
Pressings joined SFHC in 2009 as a participating farmer and FRT member. He became a community promoter in 2014 because of his eagerness to train fellow farmers in agroecology. He has very good leadership skills, and is one of the promoters in the FARM4 Biodiversity project. During his free time he enjoys chatting with friends.
Innocent Mhoni
Community Promoter
Innocent joined SFHC in 2012 as a participating farmer and FRT member. He became a community promoter in 2014 because of his eagerness to train fellow farmers in Agroecology. He has very good leadership skills. He is one of the promoters in the FARM4 Biodiversity project. During his free time he enjoys chatting with friends.
Chimwemwe Ndau
Accounts Assistant
Chimwemwe joined SFHC in 2012 as a project accounts assistant. Apart from financial work, he has a passion for agroecology and assists with the training of farmers.
Community Promoter
Christina Hara
Christina Joined SFHC as a youth community promoter in 2013 because of her commitment to improving the lives of young people around her. She brings that commitment to her work, guiding the youth she works with. She enjoys her free time with her family.
Burton Gama
Community Promoter
Burton joined SFHC in 2014 as a youth community promoter. He was one of the youth who trained fellow youth in microenterprise with the aim of improving their livelihood. During his free time he goes to watch football.
Vic Kumwenda
Community Promoter
Vic joined SFHC in 2014 as a participating farmer. She became a community promoter in 2017 because of her hard work and eagerness. During her free time, she likes singing and chatting with friends.
David Banda
Data Entry Clerk
David joined SFHC in 2016. He is responsible for entering all the data from different research activities, including all documentation of project activities. He has a diploma in Psychology.
Griselia Kalilombe
Community Promoter
Griselia joined the SFHC project in 2016 as a participating farmer in agroecological practices, and later became a promoter because of her hard work and interest in teaching her fellow farmers.
Thomas Daila
Community Promoter
Thomas joined the Carasso project in 2016. He joined the project as a participating farmer in agroecological practices and later became a promoter because of his hard work and interest in teaching his fellow farmers.
Kondwani Moyo
Caretaker for the Center
Kondwani joined SFHC in 2017 as caretaker. He is a very hard working, responsible man, and looks after the center very well. During his free time he likes working in his field.
EnalaKasambala
Community Promoter
Enala has been a member of SFHC since 2020, serving as a dedicated community promoter. Her commitment to her role is greatly appreciated. In her leisure time, she finds joy in singing, praying, and reading about topics around farming practices.
Victoria Chunda
Community Promoter
Victoria or “Mercy” has joined SFHC in 2022 as a community promoter. She is very motivated and hardworking. In her free time, she finds joy in singing and interacting with friends as well as spending time with her family. Notably, she is passionate about teaching her agricultural expertise to her children.
Edward Singini
Assistant Agriculture Coordinator
Edward Singini joined SFHC in January 2023, and has passion for agroecology. He holds a Diploma in Environmental Management and has just recently completed his BSc in Agricultural extension pending for graduation. During his free time, Edward enjoys spending time with friends and also watching soccer.
Tadala Mukhuna
Agribusiness Officer
Tadala joined SFHC in May 2023 as an agribusiness officer for the Harness Farms project. She holds a BSc degree in Agribusiness Management obtained from LUANAR University. She is passionate about agroecology and is a member of the Malawi Agroecology Hub.
Rowland Watipaso Mhone
Field Officer
Watipaso joined the organization in May 2023 for the SWIFT project. He is an experienced extension officer and holds a Diploma in Agriculture obtained from Mwimba College. In his free time, he enjoys playing football and reading newspaper.
Aaron Moyo
Community Promoter
Aaron Moyo is a community promoter and he joined SFHC in April 2024. He is passionate about Agroecology and would like to excel and set an example for other farmers. In his free time, he likes engaging in dialogue with people and listening to music.
Haswell Nelson
Livestock Manager
Haswell Nelson joined SFHC in November 2023. He is part of the SWIFT Project as well as a livestock manager. He is passionate about learning and using his skills to contribute to the organization’s growth. During his free time, he likes listening to music.
Wongani Nyirenda
Field Officer
Wongani Nyirenda joined SFHC in December 2023 as a Field Officer for the HarnessFarms Project. He holds a Diploma in General agriculture from Mwimba College of Agriculture (MWICA). He is passionate about farming and teaching others about agroecology. In his free time, he likes praying, listening to music and playing football.
Sylvester Kapondera
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
Sylvester Kapondera joined SFHC in November 2023 as Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for SKI project. Sylvester has passion for agroecology. He is experienced Monitoring and Evaluation Officer and holds a BSc in Communication and Cultural Studies obtained from University of Malawi. In his free time, he enjoys playing and watching football.
Julius Thwinda
Community Promoter
Julius Thindwa is a community promoter joined SFHC in May 2023. He is passionate about agriculture and helping other farmers. In his free time, he enjoys watching football and listening to the news.
Jimmy M. Gondwe
Community Promoter
Jimmy Godwe is a community promoter and he joined SFHC in May 2024. He is passionate about Agroecology and working with other farmers in the field. In his free time he likes listening to music and singing with his church choir.
Wyson Maleta
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
Wyson Maleta joined SFHC in July 2024 as a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer. With a strong background in research and development, food systems, sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, and community development, he has successfully applied his skills to drive impactful outcomes in these areas. Wyson has an MBA in Project Management and an MSc in Agricultural and Applied Economics (Pending graduation). He is deeply passionate about agroecology and participatory research. In his free time, he enjoys reading.
Friends of SFHC
Dr. Rachel Bezner Kerr- SFHC Collaborator, Professor at Cornell University
As a collaborating researcher, Rachel is committed to the participatory, interdisciplinary and social justice focus of the SFHC project. Rachel helps to design, conduct and analyse SFHC research, and conducts her own related research on varied topics, from seed access, to AIDS-affected agriculture, to agricultural history. Now based in the Department of Development Sociology at Cornell University, Rachel has a PhD in Development Sociology, a MSc in soil science and international development and a BSc in International Development. Rachel is married to Wayne and they have three children, Carmen, Miriam and Isaiah. She loves reading, gardening, hiking and practicing her Tumbuka!
Dr. Isaac Luginaah – SFHC Collaborator and boardmember of Friends of SFHC
Professor of Geography at Western University, Canada, Canada Research Chair in Health Geography, member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.
Isaac has been a long-time collaborator with SFHC, and is a Co-PI on the Malawi Farmer-to-Farmer Agroecology project. The main focus in his work with SFHC has been on the evaluation of the impact of project interventions on food security, household income, and dietary diversity, but he has also been involved in project design and implementation. Isaac’s other research interests include environment and health, population health, and GIS applications in health (http://geography.uwo.ca/faculty/luginaah/). In his free time, Isaac enjoys spending time with his family and cheering on Arsenal!
Catherine Hickey – Project Coordinator, Friends of SFHC
Catherine joined the SFHC/MAFFA team at the outset of the MAFFA project. The main focus of her work with MAFFA is on project reporting, monitoring and evaluation. Aside from working with the exceptional project team, Catherine’s favourite part about working on MAFFA is talking to farmers and learning from their experiences within and outside the project. Catherine has a Masters degree in Geography and in addition to her work with SFHC has worked on projects in South America, West Africa, and East Africa. In her free time, Catherine prefers to be in the mountains – hiking, snowshoeing, and camping!
SFHC Team
SFHC Farmer Trustees
SFHC has 8 Trustees who oversee the running of the organization. The team members are all farmers from within the Ekwendeni villages.
From left to right: Iris Mkandawire, Thomas Mkamanga (Village Headman Chisangano), Ireene Mhoni, Price Ngâ’oma, Maria Mayuni, Colby Thawi (Village Headman Luhomero – Trustees Chairperson), Jane Salanda, Stocker Ngulube (Vice chairperson).
SFHC Staff
Esther Lupafya
Director of SFHC
Esther Lupafya has been with SFHC since before it started in 2000. She has contributed to the successes of SFHC in food security and nutrition over the years. She has also worked very hard to facilitate the mainstreaming of gender training in the implementation of agroecology. She is greatly committed to improving the livelihoods of Malawians, as evidences by the amount of time she spends on her many projects. She previously worked as HIV/AIDS Coordinator with Ekwendeni Hospital. Esther holds a Master’s degree in Social Development and Health obtained from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. After working hours, she enjoys talking and spending time with her children and friends.
Laifolo Dakishoni
Deputy Director, Finance and Administrative Manager
Dakishoni, or ‘Dak’ as he is commonly called, started working with SFHC in 2001. Dak studied at the college of accountancy, Blantyre. He has contributed to the successes of SFHC in food security and nutrition over the years. His passion for community involvement and participation drove him to become involved in with the project. Since 2001, he has enjoyed being part of the project’s evolution, and has been greatly motivated by the farmers’ eagerness to learn and try new things. He is also one of the country managers for the InnovAfrica project. During his free time he enjoys visiting with his friends and family.
Rodgers Msachi
Head of Community Promoters
Rodgers Joined SFHC in 2000 as a participating farmer and FRT member. In 2005, he become a community promoter because of his passion and dedication to the agroecological work. He has worked very hard to train fellow farmers in agroecology, which has led to the improvement of their soils, food security, nutrition and gender relations. He is a new apostolic church leader. During his free time he enjoys preaching, singing, dancing and making jokes.
Esther Maona
Community Promoter
Esther Maona Joined SFHC in 2000 as a farmer and FRT member. She became a community promoter in 2009 because of her eagerness to train fellow farmers in agroecology, with the aim of improving soil fertility, food security and nutrition. She visited Canada in 2013 to receive training at an organic farm, as well as to speak at several churches. During her free time she likes cooking and dancing.
Tinkhani Gondwe
Community Promoter
Tinkhani joined SFHC in 2000 as a participating farmer and FRT member. He became a community promoter in 2011 because of his eagerness to train fellow farmers in agroecology. He has very good leadership skills. During his free time he enjoys chatting with friends.
Paul Nkhonjera
Community Promoter
Paul is joined SFHC in 2000 as a participating farmer. He became a promoter in 2012 because of his interest in training fellow farmers. During his free time he enjoys chatting with friends.
Anita Chitaya
Community Promoter
Anita joined SFHC in 2001 as a participating farmer and FRT member. She became a promoter in 2009, and is a very involved community leader and highly skilled farmer. She practices all what that she sees and learns in her own fields, apart from training her fellow farmers in agroecology. During her free time she likes singing and chatting with her family.
Mwapi Mkandawire
Community Promoter
Mwapi joined SFHC in 2001 as a youth participating farmer and FRT member. She became a promoter in 2012 because she was eager to train her fellow youth in Agroecology in order to improve food security, soil fertility and good nutrition. She was involved in several projects, notably taking on research responsibilities for FARMS4Biodiversity. During her free time she enjoys chatting with her friends and family.
Lizzie Shumba
Agriculture and Nutrition Manager
Lizzie joined SFHC in 2003. She has contributed to the success of the project by working to improve food security and nutrition. She has also contributed greatly to the training of farmers in agroecological practices. She holds a BSc in Agriculture Extension obtained from LUANAR. During her free time, she likes listening to gospel music and chatting with friends.
Pressings Moyo
Community Promoter
Pressings joined SFHC in 2009 as a participating farmer and FRT member. He became a community promoter in 2014 because of his eagerness to train fellow farmers in agroecology. He has very good leadership skills, and is one of the promoters in the FARM4 Biodiversity project. During his free time he enjoys chatting with friends.
Innocent Mhoni
Community Promoter
Innocent joined SFHC in 2012 as a participating farmer and FRT member. He became a community promoter in 2014 because of his eagerness to train fellow farmers in Agroecology. He has very good leadership skills. He is one of the promoters in the FARM4 Biodiversity project. During his free time he enjoys chatting with friends.
Chimwemwe Ndau
Accounts Assistant
Chimwemwe joined SFHC in 2012 as a project accounts assistant. Apart from financial work, he has a passion for agroecology and assists with the training of farmers.
Community Promoter
Christina Hara
Christina Joined SFHC as a youth community promoter in 2013 because of her commitment to improving the lives of young people around her. She brings that commitment to her work, guiding the youth she works with. She enjoys her free time with her family.
Burton Gama
Community Promoter
Burton joined SFHC in 2014 as a youth community promoter. He was one of the youth who trained fellow youth in microenterprise with the aim of improving their livelihood. During his free time he goes to watch football.
Vic Kumwenda
Community Promoter
Vic joined SFHC in 2014 as a participating farmer. She became a community promoter in 2017 because of her hard work and eagerness. During her free time, she likes singing and chatting with friends.
David Banda
Data Entry Clerk
David joined SFHC in 2016. He is responsible for entering all the data from different research activities, including all documentation of project activities. He has a diploma in Psychology.
Griselia Kalilombe
Community Promoter
Griselia joined the SFHC project in 2016 as a participating farmer in agroecological practices, and later became a promoter because of her hard work and interest in teaching her fellow farmers.
Thomas Daila
Community Promoter
Thomas joined the Carasso project in 2016. He joined the project as a participating farmer in agroecological practices and later became a promoter because of his hard work and interest in teaching his fellow farmers.
Kondwani Moyo
Caretaker for the Center
Kondwani joined SFHC in 2017 as caretaker. He is a very hard working, responsible man, and looks after the center very well. During his free time he likes working in his field.
Enala Kasambala
Community Promoter
Enala has been a member of SFHC since 2020, serving as a dedicated community promoter. Her commitment to her role is greatly appreciated. In her leisure time, she finds joy in singing, praying, and reading about topics around farming practices.
Victoria Chunda
Community Promoter
Victoria or “Mercy” has joined SFHC in 2022 as a community promoter. She is very motivated and hardworking. In her free time, she finds joy in singing and interacting with friends as well as spending time with her family. Notably, she is passionate about teaching her agricultural expertise to her children.
Edward Singini
Assistant Agriculture Coordinator
Edward Singini joined SFHC in January 2023, and has passion for agroecology. He holds a Diploma in Environmental Management and has just recently completed his BSc in Agricultural extension pending for graduation. During his free time, Edward enjoys spending time with friends and also watching soccer.
Tadala Mukhuna
Agribusiness Officer
Tadala joined SFHC in May 2023 as an agribusiness officer for the Harness Farms project. She holds a BSc degree in Agribusiness Management obtained from LUANAR University. She is passionate about agroecology and is a member of the Malawi Agroecology Hub.
Rowland Watipaso Mhone
Field Officer
Watipaso joined the organization in May 2023 for the SWIFT project. He is an experienced extension officer and holds a Diploma in Agriculture obtained from Mwimba College. In his free time, he enjoys playing football and reading newspaper.
Aaron Moyo
Community Promoter
Aaron Moyo is a community promoter and he joined SFHC in April 2024. He is passionate about Agroecology and would like to excel
andset an example for other farmers. In his free time, he likes engaging in dialogue with people and listening to music.Haswell Nelson
Livestock Manager
Haswell Nelson joined SFHC in November 2023. He is part of the SWIFT Project as well as a livestock manager. He is passionate about learning and using his skills to contribute to the organization’s growth. During his free time, he likes listening to music.
Wongani Nyirenda
Field Officer
Wongani Nyirenda joined SFHC in December 2023 as a Field Officer for the
HarnessFarms Project. He holds a Diploma in General agriculture from Mwimba College of Agriculture (MWICA). He is passionate about farming and teaching others about agroecology. In his free time, he likes praying, listening to music and playing football.
Sylvester Kapondera
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
Sylvester Kapondera joined SFHC in November 2023 as Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for SKI project. Sylvester has passion for agroecology. He is experienced Monitoring and Evaluation Officer and holds a BSc in Communication and Cultural Studies obtained from University of Malawi. In his free time, he enjoys playing and watching football.
Julius Thwinda
Community Promoter
Julius Thindwa is a community promoter joined SFHC in May 2023. He is passionate
about agriculture and helping other farmers. In his free time, he enjoys watching football
and listening to the news.
Jimmy M. Gondwe
Community Promoter
Jimmy Godwe is a community promoter and he joined SFHC in May 2024. He is passionate about Agroecology and working with other farmers in the field. In his free time he likes listening to music and singing with his church choir.
Wyson Maleta
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
Wyson Maleta joined SFHC in July 2024 as a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer. With a strong background in research and development, food systems, sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, and community development, he has successfully applied his skills to drive impactful outcomes in these areas. Wyson has an MBA in Project Management and an MSc in Agricultural and Applied Economics (Pending graduation). He is deeply passionate about agroecology and participatory research. In his free time, he enjoys reading.
Friends of SFHC
Dr. Rachel Bezner Kerr- SFHC Collaborator, Professor at Cornell University
Professor, Department of Development Sociology, Cornell University and Adjunct Professor, University of Western Ontario. Website: http://devsoc.cals.cornell.edu/people/faculty.cfm?netId=rnb5
As a collaborating researcher, Rachel is committed to the participatory, interdisciplinary and social justice focus of the SFHC project. Rachel helps to design, conduct and analyse SFHC research, and conducts her own related research on varied topics, from seed access, to AIDS-affected agriculture, to agricultural history. Now based in the Department of Development Sociology at Cornell University, Rachel has a PhD in Development Sociology, a MSc in soil science and international development and a BSc in International Development. Rachel is married to Wayne and they have three children, Carmen, Miriam and Isaiah. She loves reading, gardening, hiking and practicing her Tumbuka!
Dr. Isaac Luginaah – SFHC Collaborator and boardmember of Friends of SFHC
Professor of Geography at Western University, Canada, Canada Research Chair in Health Geography, member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.
Isaac has been a long-time collaborator with SFHC, and is a Co-PI on the Malawi Farmer-to-Farmer Agroecology project. The main focus in his work with SFHC has been on the evaluation of the impact of project interventions on food security, household income, and dietary diversity, but he has also been involved in project design and implementation. Isaac’s other research interests include environment and health, population health, and GIS applications in health (http://geography.uwo.ca/faculty/luginaah/). In his free time, Isaac enjoys spending time with his family and cheering on Arsenal!
Catherine Hickey – Project Coordinator, Friends of SFHC
Catherine joined the SFHC/MAFFA team at the outset of the MAFFA project. The main focus of her work with MAFFA is on project reporting, monitoring and evaluation. Aside from working with the exceptional project team, Catherine’s favourite part about working on MAFFA is talking to farmers and learning from their experiences within and outside the project. Catherine has a Masters degree in Geography and in addition to her work with SFHC has worked on projects in South America, West Africa, and East Africa. In her free time, Catherine prefers to be in the mountains – hiking, snowshoeing, and camping!
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