Fields of abundance in space, structure and provisioning

These are backyard fields, almost all rural households make sure to have one during rainy season and they are also common in urban and peri-urban farming . 

They typically reflect the food needs of the households, every crop the family would want to eat at some point  in the season finds a space in there.

These fields are amazing and they don't disappoint. They accommodate a range of crops and they provide everything. They contribute a lot to the households food diets. They are mostly self regulating, usually minimal pest infestation levels, and the main input is organic manure.

Photo. A backyard field, found at one of the household in Mzimba district town

In Malawi common crops you commonly find in such fields includes: maize for dowe or mondokwa (green maize); legumes including beans, cowpeas, pigeonpea for leaves and fresh grains and vegetables, okra, pumpkin (photo). 

These fields are in abundance, they contain a diverse stand of crops and they provide fresh quality foods. We can learn and emulate such fields as we strive to build sustainable and climate resilient cropping systems.

 #farming #food #foodsystems #foodsystemstransformation