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FARMING IN MALAWI PRISONS BACKGROUND INFORMATION Farming in Malawi Prison started in 1950 at Mikuyu. The Nyasaland Government (under the British Rule) took over Mikuyu Estate from private ownership. At this time the estate was underdeveloped, with little bit of maize and vegetable grown near the Likangala river. Most of the estate was in woodland. In January 1955, the Federal Government took over the estate and a policy of planting blue gum and sisal began. The estate was closed in 1959 during the State of Emergency. In 1964, the Malawi Government re-opened the estate and maize and vegetable were again grown near the Likangala river. No intensive management took place and between 1966 and 1970, no vegetables were grown. In April 1966, a plan for the farm was developed which recommended the division of land into four arable areas so that crop rotation could be introduced. An orchard, Vegetable Garden and afforestation was embarked upon in order to be more efficient. However, this was not implemented. In 1970, with the change of staff, a policy was adopted for the Southern Region Prison Service to become self-sufficient in food stuff as a means of reducing burden of state funds. The cost of feeding a prisoner annually by then was K32.00 (then about £16) and the annual ration to a prisoner was as follows: 550
lbs Maize - K13.15 The same items would now cost a total sum of K7309.00 (about USD52) Bush clearing and expansion of the arable area took place systematically from 1970. In January 1974, the land husbandry branch in the Southern Region helped the expansion. The characteristics of farming then was monocropping with continuous use of 20-20-0 and heavy dressings of Sulphate of Ammonia. The practice eventually depleted the soil fertility and maize production never responded as it used to do despite heavy application of fertilizers. Low productivity at Mikuyu prompted the Service to open farming at Mpyupyu and Domasi prisons to supplement in feeding prisoners in the Southern Region. Farming at Dzaleka was to cater for Central and Northern Region. Later Dairy farming started at Mpyupyu in addition to maize production. However, the farming system had not changed and the maize production rapidly declined. Government funds became inadequate. There was therefore a need to develop proper plans which were to benefit the prisons in terms of productions of food supplies at the same time ensuring that soil fertility is preserved.
Steps were taken to neutralize the acid through use of dolometic lime. Crop Rotation was introduced as a means of preserving the soil. Calcium Ammonium Nitrate was recommended to replace Sulphate of Ammonia. However, between 1992 - 1994, there occurred some drought and coupled with inadequate funding, the crop production was affected. Noting the problem faced by the Malawi Prison Service and also the democratization that took place in 1994, a field trip was made by the Secretary General of the Penal Reform International (PRI). This visit facilitated the introduction of various farming projects in the Malawi Prison Service. PRISON FARMS PROJECTS Over the past years the Government’s need to provide adequate and nutritious food to inmates has had an adverse bearing on the expenditure. Inadequate financial resources have had a number of cases contributed to failure by management at the Prisons to provide adequate and nutritious food to inmates. The monotony diet and food insufficiency for a long time had been a standing problem in Malawi Prisons. There was also a problem on the supplying of food to prisons due to transport shortage. The situation has been tense at times resulting in outcries by all those concerned. Prison authority has had no choice but to accept whatever little was allocated to meet inmate food supply. In March 1995, a field trip to Malawi was made by the Secretary General of the Penal Reform International. The visit was intended to familiarize herself with the problems the Malawi Prisons was facing and how her organization could assist. In November of the same year the Malawi Government commissioned a NEEDS ASSESSMENT STUDY, which was conducted by a criminal lawyer with international experience from the United Kingdom, senior prison officers from Malawi, Zimbabwe and some Malawian Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and it was again coordinated by the Penal Reform International (PRI). The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funded the programme. The study revealed among other things that:
This resulted into the prison service spending more money in buying food, which was not possible with little funding. Food suppliers, engaged in providing foodstuffs to prison, failed to continue supplying, as they were not being paid in time. Furthermore there was a lot of unrest in prisons as a result of idleness of prisoners. In March 1996, the President of the PRI made a follow up visit to Malawi in order to address the situation that came to light after the NEEDS ASSESSMENT STUDY. As a result of this visit the Agricultural Rehabilitation Programme in Malawi Prison was put in place. Mission To develop a sustainable system that ensures an improved and diversified diet for inmates and enhance their rehabilitation. The core project objectives were:
The strategy was/is to increase crop hectarage, use early maturing variety seeds to get two to three crops a year, introduce irrigation, improve dynamic security in the farms, get the prisoner population rapid growth under control and manage the farms commercially.
The Pilot Project The Pilot Project produced crops for both consumption and for sale at Mikuyu and Domasi. It started in December 1997 funded by Penal Reform International (PRI). However other farms were provided with farm inputs so that they should not remain idle during the pilot project study period. Mikuyu Prison Farm 10 hectares of Maize were interplanted with Pegion Peas at the seed rate of 25kgs and 8kgs per hectare respectively. 200kgs of basal fertilizer was applied per hectare followed by 200kgs of top dressing fertilizer and produced a yield of 51 metric tonnes maize achieving 5.1metric tonnes/ha and 44.5 metric tonnes of pegion peas. The 51 metric tonne was sold to the Ration Account at K195 .00 per bag instead of K250.00 which was the current price by then and was paid through struggle . It was then decided that no food crop should be sold to the Ration Account in future. 1.0ha of tobacco was planted and applied 600kgs of compound D fertilizer as basal and 200kgs CAN per ha top dressing fertilizer. 3.7 metric tonnes of tobacco was produced and realized K 125,283.69 after sales. Domasi Prison Farm 1.2ha of various types of vegetables was grown at Domasi and produced 21.7 metric tonnes and realized K 41,988.96 after sales. Other Farms 79ha
of maize and pegion peas were grown on other farms. 100kg per ha. of
basal fertilizer was applied followed by 100kg of top dressing
fertilizer. Total yield
produced The result of the Pilot Project proved a success. A total of 154 metric tonnes was produced during the pilot project and that contributed to 9% towards the total maize required to feed 4650 inmates for the whole year. Department for International Development: DFID The successful result of the pilot project attracted the Department for International Development (DFID) to fund the programme for a further two years through PRI with an assistance of an external Agricultural Consultant who would visit Prisons once per growing season . First Year DFID During 1998/99 well over 32% of the total convicted inmates were usefully employed in farming activities that helped them cultivate the habit of regular work and self-respect of each other. 260 metric tonnes of grain was produced which contributed 15% towards the total maize requirement for the whole year. 2nd YEAR DFID During 1999/2000 growing season over 62.4% of the total convicted inmates were engaged in various farming activities. 505 metric tonnes of grain has been produced which could have contributed 45% towards the total maize requirement for the whole year but due to population influx of prisoners during the year, the contribution had come down to 30.9%. Fruit production, which includes a banana plantation; livestock farming; fish farming and a woodlot were also introduced. |
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Programmes of soil and water conservation, afforestation, fishing, poultry, livestock and swamp reclamation
were planned for implementation. The greatest need of the prison is therefore
adequate working
capital for modernizing and expanding operations and
application of strategic management style that unifies; development of comprehensive
and integrated plan designed to ensure that the basic objectives of
farming are achieved.
from other farms were 103 metric tonne maize at 1.3 metric
tonne/ha, 0.7 metric tonnes pegion peas and 132.1 metric tonnes of
green vegetables.