Leyla is 76 and has been a farmer in Mnembo all her life. The rainfall in Malawi is now increasingly unpredictable. With Oxfam, her community has set up an irrigation scheme and the newly irrigated land produces wheat, rice and tomatoes for both continuous food and income. The community are now totally self-sustainable.

“When I was growing up, agriculture was not as advanced as it is now. We didn’t know anything about irrigation. I remember the first time I sold my tomatoes. I made about £37.00. I look back to that being my proudest moment”.

"Before we started Oxfam took us to see a place that where the community were already using an irrigation scheme to grow rice and tomatoes. I realised at the very first moment that we could see that we would make a lot of money if we had that scheme. We started by digging the channels. Oxfam paid us to do the work. There were many of us digging. It took us two months to finish. Then we mobilised ourselves into a club so that we could pool our labour to cultivate large pieces of land. That way we can grow more and attract better customers – like the Mulanje canning factory.

I was born here and I have lived here all of my life. When I was growing up agriculture was not as advanced as it is now. We didn't know anything about irrigation. We only used to grow cassava and millet – to eat, not to sell. There were occasionally wild tomatoes but we had no method for growing them. I couldn't live without tomatoes now. When you cook without them the food tastes awful.

I remember the first time I sold all my tomatoes. I made about £37. It felt so good when I had all that money in my hand. I look back to that time as being my proudest moment. I used that money for the walls of my house. When the people from the canning factory come to collect the harvest they bring scales. They weigh how much each of us has managed to harvest and write our names next to the amount. We are paid according to the weight of tomatoes.

"I was paid in three instalments over a two month period - £13 the first time, £13 the second time and £11 the last time. It felt so good when I had all that money in my hand. I sent my grandson to Limbuni on his bicycle to buy iron sheets for my roof. If anyone else was thinking about setting up an irrigation system I would encourage them to go for it. If they do they will surely have a better future. My immediate plan is to build a very good kitchen. Then I will buy some chairs for my house. I hope the benefits of the scheme continue so that our children have a better foundation for the future"

Over the last five years, things have visibly changed for the better in Mnembo. New brick houses with iron roofs are springing up everywhere, replacing the old-style, thatched mud-houses. Paths are busy with bicycles, often loaded with coils of iron for new roofs or baskets full of vegetables enroute to market. This newfound vibrancy is the result of the Oxfam-funded irrigation scheme. The scheme was set in 2004 with ongoing support from Oxfam until 2006.

Malawi is a small country (about the size of the UK) with lots of people. The land is over-farmed and becoming increasingly infertile. Harvests are becoming smaller. And due to changes in the climate, the rainfall in Malawi is increasingly erratic. This leads to frequent and severe droughts, or destruction of crops when the rains are intense and unpredicted. Both result in food shortages. In a country with long dry spells but lots of rivers, irrigation is an obvious solution

The Mnembo Irrigation scheme has helped to improve the lives of 400 families by transforming their traditional small low-yield crops into year-round, high volume harvests that provide continuous food and a source of income. The community are now totally self sustainable.

With initial support from Oxfam, the farming village of Mnembo have managed to pool their labour to harvest and sell their produce in bulk. In addition to bigger and better maize harvests, the newly irrigated land enables the community to diversify and grow cash crops. They now grow wheat, rice and tomatoes.

Tomatoes are the most profitable crop. The community harvest twice a year and sell as a cooperative to the Mulanje Peak Foods Canning Factory (who sell canned tomato juice and tomato puree in supermarkets throughout Malawi). Last year, with no support from Oxfam, the community harvested 53,000 tonnes of tomatoes (twice) and made enough profit to really start changing their lives.

Country climate reference: The Winds of Change, Oxfam GB Research Report, June 2009. Magrath, John & Sukali, Elvis

Why not make your own life more sustainable? Visit Brighton & Hove Green Pages to find out more.