Kudzanai Chimhanda

CIMMYT scientist inspecting soil health in a farmer plot (Photo: CIMMYT) For many smallholder farmers in Central Malawi, the challenge is no longer only about producing more but about producing under increasingly difficult conditions. From unpredictable rainy seasons, declining soil fertility, rising input costs, and dry spells that can reduce crop performance even when farmers have done everything right.

Mother trial farmer inspecting the groundnut field in Lunte, Eastern Zambia (Photo: CIMMYT). When Zaccheus Mwale first looked at the four-row strip cropping system, its appeal was practical as it was easier to lay out, easier to manage, and less complicated than other crop arrangements he had seen. During the 2024/25 cropping season, his one-hectare plot produced 3,150 kg of maize and 700 kg of soybeans.

(Local farmer standing proud with her harvest in Northern Zambia. Credit: CIMMYT). In a good year, smallholder farmers’ decisions to plant maize, soybean, or groundnut are mostly about rainfall, labour, and timing. In a difficult year, it becomes a calculation of risk. Farmers read the season through what they see and previous experiences. From ragged maize leaves by fall armyworm, soybean plants weakened by rust, groundnuts discoloured by rosette disease.