Soils, Food and Healthy Communities

In April, SFHC staff organized two Field Days and one Recipe Day in order to promote awareness, share knowledge and celebrate the successes of the project. The Field Days, which were hosted by farmers in the Emazinyeni and Ekwaiweni areas, attracted hundreds of people, including participating and interested farmers from surrounding areas, and representatives from the Malawian Broadcasting Corporation, Bunda College of Agriculture and the Ministry of Agriculture. Selected farmers showed off their fields, explaining the cropping methods that they use and answering questions from the audience. After the demonstrations, enthusiastic community members performed skits, songs, and dances.Once the entertainment had finished, everyone enjoyed a meal of nsima (the local staple food, made from maize), chicken, and cabbage, while reflecting on what they had learned throughout the day.
The Recipe Day was hosted by farmers in the Encongolweni area. The Nutrition Research Team (NRT) worked hard to organize the day, and many interested farmers from the surrounding areas attended.Using the different legumes from the project, NRT members demonstrated how to prepare various nutritious recipes, including soy meatballs, soy milk, and ground peanut balls. Canadian PhD student, Lauren Classen, also demonstrated a recipe using green soy beans, causing much excitement, as farmers had never known how to use green soy beans! They eagerly accepted the new, nutritious recipe. After the demonstrations, everyone shared a meal and tasted the new recipes, and then enjoyed some traditional drumming and dancing. All three days were very successful, and SFHC staff is looking forward to the upcoming Recipe Days in May!