Appendix 9 ~ Post Malawi flood report Feb 2016

Appendix 9 POST FLOOD PROJECT REPORT - MALAWI Date Report submitted: 22 February, 2016 Period covered by the report: July 2015 to February 2016 Contact person for follow-up (Name, Job title, phone number & e-mail): Overall Project Administration by: Faith Muisyo Head of Region – Southern Africa Network Email: f.muisyo@fairtradeafrica.net

On Ground Implementation by: Alinafe Simon Kasinja Coordinator – Malawi

Fairtrade

Email: kasinja.alinafe@live.com

INTRODUCTION In January 2015, heavy rains were experienced in Malawi leading to severe flooding across the country, causing a lot of damage especially in the Southern region of Malawi. 5 Fairtrade certified producer organizations were among the communities severely affected by the floods. Through a proposal developed by SAN Fairtrade Foundation through a fundraising exercise realized $ 55,840.31 to support farmers affected by the floods.

The specific outcome of the project is: Fairtrade certified farmers crops stabilised, through provision of agricultural inputs.

This report records the progress of activities and outputs to date leading to achievement of the outcome above.

ADMINISTRATION OF TE PROJECT: The Southern Africa Network (FTA-SAN) entered into a binding agreement with Malawi FairtradeNetwork (MFTN) on 17 June 2015 through the signing of an MOU. The aim of the MOU was to provide a guide into the working relationship and collaboration between FTA-SAN and MFTN. The agreement also spelt out the joint responsibility of FTA-SAN and MFTN on the implementation of post flood interventions to be undertaken in Malawi.

KEY ISSUES ARISING: There was an overall delay in the disbursement of funds. Firstly when the amounts were received by SAN on 7th July, due to South Africa central bank procedures, SAN was unable to transmit the funds to MFTN. Therefore the full amount was returned back to Fairtrade Foundation (FTF) on 26th July for onward transmission directly to MFTN by Fairtrade Foundation.

These funds were received by MFTN in mid-September even then there was a delay in disbursing the amounts to the producer organizations as one organization – Kasinthula Cane growers association had not received any allocation and the board of MFTN withheld the funds until KCGA would be included as beneficiaries.

Due to delayed disbursement of funds, it proved challenging to source fresh cassava cultivars for Msuwadzi Tea Association as the cassava growing window had almost closed.

The tea planting exercise has not yet started in two produces in the tea sector, despite this being the rainy season. The rain that the southern region of Malawi has received so far is not sufficient for tea planting. As a result, the farmers have received the tea seedlings and fertilizers but planting has not yet started.

The distribution of tea seedlings is still ongoing at Eastern Outgrowers Trust (EOT) as they have many farmers and they live in distant places, which is a challenge to reach them. However the exercise will be concluded this month.

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Appendix 9 More beneficiaries than originally planned for were added onto the activities leading to budget adjustments to accommodate the extra beneficiaries. This was the case in all 5 producer organizations PROJECT BENEFICIARIES: A total of 8226 beneficiaries from 5 Fairtrade organizations have benefited from this support.

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Appendix 9

ACTIVITY IMPLEMENTATION: This section details progress per each association until 10th December 2015 Name of association

No. of Beneficiarie s M F

Planned activity (list as per proposal)

Propose d time line

FTA-SAN, MFTN and Fairtrade Foundation FTA-SAN, MFTN and Fairtrade Foundation

Submission of revised budget and action plan

June

June

Signing of Agreements

June

June

MOU

FTA-SAN, MFTN and Fairtrade Foundation FTA-SAN, MFTN and Fairtrade Foundation Msuwadzi Farmer Association

Transfer of first tranche of funds

June

Septembe r

MOU

FTA-SAN, MFTN and Fairtrade Foundation

Septembe r

Septembe r

Purchase of Cassava Cuttings

July

Septembe r

104

79

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Actual time of delivery

Planned inputs

20,750 plants to cover app 2 Ha of land

Actual delivered

183 farmers received a total of 3 MT of cassava cultivars

Comments and Explanation on variance

 MOU between FTF and FTASAN  MOU between FTA-SAN and MFTN

 Initially the planned cuttings were going to benefit 150 farmers. However a detailed needs assessment identified 38 additional farmers that needed assistance  All 183 farmers received a bundle of cassava vines that were planned end of September/beginning of October  Cassava will take 9 months from planting to be harvested in June/July 2016 with an average of 20-40 bags of 50kg

Appendix 9

Tea seedlings to restore 2 Ha of tea plots

July/Augu st

Nov 2015 – Jan 2016

880Kgs of fertilizer 10, 375 tea seedlings/Ha on 2 Ha

183 farmers received 234 tea seedlings







Phata

163

139

Purchase and distribution of Maize and Bean seed

August

October

555 people*5Kg Maize and 2Kg Bean seed

A total of 606kg maize seed was purchased benefitting 303 farmers each receiving 2 Kg 11*50Kg Urea Fertilizer each farmer receiving 1.8 kg.

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

per farmer (1MT -2MT harvested). This will be used for local consumption and some used for seedlings and replanted in the next season in July 2016 Due to late disbursement of funds tea seedlings were only bought in November and the distribution exercise has just finished Seedlings were purchased at a discounted rate of 35MWK per seedlings (£0.050) from Satemwa tea estate nursery instead of the market price of 50MWK (£0.083) A new clone of tea variety has been purchased that will only take 1 year from planting to plucking A total of 555 framers were affected in the Phata area.

However due to limited funds, only the most affected farmers from Phata Fairtrade cooperative (303 out of 430) that had their farms close to the Shire river and suffered major crop loss benefited from Maize seed.

Appendix 9

Sukambizi Trust Association

Kasinthula Cane Growers Association

29

457

67

305

Tea seedlings to restore 10 Ha of tea plots

Purchase of 5kg maize and been seeds Purchase of rice seed Purchase of fertilizer Purchase of 30 goats

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Nov-Dec 2015

Septembe r, 2015

Not yet done

OctoberNovembe r, 2016

11,100 tea seedlings

5Kg maize and bean seeds 30 goats

No bean seed purchased All seedlings are in store

381 goats

 This association is in Mulanje area that is usually cold and wet most of the year. However after the floods in January, this area has not received any rains. Ordinarily they have 10 months of rain with an average 2000mm annual rainfall. However since the floods in January they have not received any rain therefore no ta seedlings can be replanted.  Tea seedlings are being grown by Lujeri (Fairtrade Tea estate and processor). Once the rains have been received seedlings will be distributed to all 96 farmers.  1500 tea seedlings will be distributed to the farmers whose total plots were washed away and 1000 tea seedlings to those that had partial tea loss.  The tea variety clone PC 168 will be planted and it will take 3 years from time of planting to picking  Due to droughts situation and low levels of water at the shire river, farmers could not plant rice. Additionally, the farmers were counting on irrigating their maize fields but due to

Appendix 9

Eastern Outgrowers

2615

4267

Tea seedlings to restore 15 Ha of tea plots Sulp[hate of ammonia fertilizers Transportation of inputs

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AugustSeptembe r, 2015

Dec 2015 – Feb 2016

11,100 tea seedlings Two 50Kg fertilizer bags/Ha 158,286 tea plants to 6,882 farmers

256,164 tea plants have been distributed to all the farmers

low water levels this was not feasible.  All monies were channelled to purchase of she goats.

Farmers topped up finances from their Fairtrade premium funds to purchase a total of 381 goats. One goat will be shared per two farmers.  Distribution of 361 goats had been done by 10 Dec only 20 goats are yet to be distributed   Those farmers whose fields were completely washed away were given more plants ranging from 150 to 500 depending on the size of the field as compared to those farmers whose just part of the fields were washed away  However the farmers had requested training on climate change adaptation from the funds allocated to them This was not approved but may be considered as part of a larger intervention by FTA-SAN

Appendix 9

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO ACHIEVEMENTS: Overall, there was a general feeling of appreciation from the beneficiaries. Despite the delay in funds disbursement and actual implementation, one farmer has this to say: on the support “I thought they had forgotten us. We wanted to see some support from the top people in Fairtrade and now they haven’t disappointed us. This support will go a long way in our memories. This cassava once mature will help feed our families for a good three months. As for me, I will use it for eating as well as selling to realize some cash for buying soap and kitchen salt. When the rains start, we will replant the tea that got washed away with the heavy rains. This will ensure that we still maintain our tea fields, which is our greatest source of income. So we are really grateful of this support”.

The implementation in general can be considered a success. There was good ground coordination and communication between the implementer (MFTN) and producers from the five associations and good working relationships among all the parties involved contributed to the success of this project. Involvement of all farmers through their block leaders on how the activities should be run helped the farmers to own the decisions and actions contributing greatly to the smooth delivery of activities.

LEARNING: In future projects that involve farming and production, component of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and adaptation should be factored into the delivery to ensure a more holistic approach and that farmers are equipped with adequate skills and knowledge of disaster preparedness and response.

FINANCIAL REPORT: This section will highlight how the funds for the project were used. Reference should be made to the attached receipts.

Phata Sugarcane Outgrowers Coopertive Name of association

Phata Cooperative

Planned activity

Allocation per Amount spent per Variance activity activity

Purchase of MK1,186, Maize 723 seedlings and fertlizer 7 | Malawi Post Flood Report December 2015

MK1,146,050

MK 40,673

Variance activity

explanation

per

The purchase of bean seedlings was not done. The remaining money will be used

Appendix 9

for transport for supervision of the crop

Sukambizi Association Trust Name of association

Planned activity

Allocation per Amount spent per Variance activity activity

Sukambizi AssociationTrust

Purchase of 6,715,500 Tea seedlings

6,438,000

Purchase of 165,000 fertilizers Transportation

165,000

277,500

Variance activity Less tea purchased planned

explanation

per

seedlings were than originally

Msuwadzi Tea Association During the time of writing this report, Msuwadzi had just finished the distribution of the tea seedling to its members. As such financial data on that will be made available in the second draft of this report.

Name of association

Planned activity

Allocation per activity

Amount activity

Msuwadzi

1st meeting

10,000

10,000

0

Cuttings purchase Distribution exercise

915,000 25,000

915,000 50,000

0 25,000

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spent

per

Variance

Variance explanation per activity

The executive were overlooked to do the supervision and it was though necessary to include them instead of leaving the project to block leaders. This

Appendix 9

Transportation

67,000

120,000

53,000

Follow up meeting

10,000

10,000

0

made the cost of distribution double Distance from where the cuttings were sourced raised the cost of transport

Kasinthula Cane Growers Association Name of association

Planned activity

Kassinthula Cane Growers Purchase Association Goats

Allocation per Amount spent per Variance activity activity of 391,871.865

5,735,000

Variance activity

explanation

per

All the funds were channelled towards the purchase of the goats. This was due to persistent drought which made the planting of maize and rice impossible.

Kasinthula topped up its own money to purchase the extra goats

Eastern Outgrowers Trust The distribution exercise is still on-going at EOT. As such, their expenditure will be better reflected after competition. However, it is important to note that they did not manage to get tea seedlings from their usual sources Tea Research Foundation (TRF) and Eastern Produce Malawi (EPM).

These two suppliers had no tea seedlings available. As a result, EOT used its own tea seedlings from its nurseries to distribute to its members at no cost. EOT is also distributing natural tree seedlings to its members for planting to minimise environmental degradation.

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Appendix 9

Name of association

Planned activity

Allocation per Amount spent per Variance activity activity

Eastern Outgrowers Trust

Purchase and On-going distribution of tea plants to all farmers i.e. 23 plants each Purchase of On-going natural tree seedlings Transportation of inputs

Variance activity

explanation

per

.

FEEDBACK FROM FARMERS: There was a great sense of joy from the farmers upon the news of the support. And there was much more joy and happiness upon the actual distribution exercise themselves. Below are some of the quotes from the farmers; “The January 2015 floods hit Kasinthula Cane Growers Association hard; farmers’ maize and rice fields were washed away leaving farmers with no source of food. When we heard about this support from you sir, it was a sigh of relief as we knew that part of our problems would be solved by the support. As such we budgeted for the purchase of maize, rice and goats for distribution to the farmers. However due to persistent drought, we could not plant maize and rice. As a result all the funds were channelled towards the purchase of the goats. Although the farmers did not get rice and maize seedlings for planting in their fields, the goats will also do them good as they are a source of income, and milk. On behalf of the whole KCGA, I would like to thank you sir for your efforts. We are also thankful to the Fairtrade Foundation, all donors who gave to this cause and Faith” – Mr. Robert Dziweni, Chairman, Kasinthula Cane Growers Association.

“There isn’t much we can say besides a thank you. The rains this year haven’t been impressive which might in turn affect our efforts to replant our tea fields. But the skies looks promising as the rainy season isn’t over yet. Once we get sufficient rainfall, we will plant the tea seedlings and expect improved yields. Without these funds, it could have taken sometime for us to acquire seedlings to replant our damaged fields. The support 10 | Malawi Post Flood Report December 2015

Appendix 9

came at the right time and I am sure if you ask each farmer around here, he/she will appreciate what the donors have done to us tea farmers.

Please convey our sincere gratitude to all the people you are working with. We are really appreciative. And please tell them not to stop keeping an eye on us. We will pray to God for good rain but if this doesn’t come to pass, more support will surely be needed in terms of food stuffs. And maybe a project on irrigation farming could also do as it would allow us to harvest food three times a year” – Mr. Fredrick Mkwapatira, Farmer, Sukambizi Association Trust.

“It is like a dream. We never thought our fields would be filled with tea again after those devastating floods last year. Thanks to Fairtrade for the financial support towards the procurement of tea seedlings for us farmers. We could no longer be regarded as smallholder farmers but now we are thankful to Fairtrade as we are still farmers due to the replanting of our tea fields. Though the 23 tea seedlings each farmer has been given free of charge at their doorstep are not enough, they are better than nothing. Moreover at the moment, the cost of tea seedlings being sold at tea research foundation is higher, which we farmers cannot afford to buy. So this fund has really helped us get the much needed tea seedlings free of charge” – Ms. Lucy Kudzala, Chairlady, Sukamaele Block, Eastern Outgrowers Trust PICTURE SPEAK:

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Appendix 9

House destroyed by floods in January 2015 not yet reconstructed. A farmer and his son were washed away by floods from this house and died. The widow has relocated to a different area (Sukambizi Association Trust)

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Appendix 9

One of the tea fields that was completely washed away. The tea field is now replaced by huge rocks that were rolled from the hills by the floods. (Sukambizi Association Trust)

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Appendix 9

Meeting with beneficiaries of tea seedlings at Sukambizi Association Trust.

The background shows the hill and erosion from the floods that washed the big rocks and deposited them at the tea field

Above bridge near the tea field washed away and in the picture below reconstruction of bridge ongoing (Sukambizi Trust)

Part of the seedlings that have been purchased for to theFlood farmers.

Also in the picture 14distribution | Malawi Post Report December 2015are some of the farmers

Appendix 9

The Chairman of Kasinthula Cane Growers Association (KCGA) Mr. Robert Dziweni delivering two goats to two women beneficiaries. In the background is a KCGA truck with the other goats

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Appendix 9

exercise at Eastern Outgrowers Trust (EOT)

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