The Tiyeni Fund

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. The continuing degradation of the countryside in general and of the soil constitutes a serious national crisis for Malawi.

Tiyeni’s innovative deep-bed farming system has the potential to be life changing for many of the poorest, most marginalised and most vulnerable people in northern Malawi. We provide a solution:
Tiyeni works with local communities to identify their farming needs and challenges, and to demonstrate how the deep-bed system can improve their livelihoods. Conservation Agriculture and Agroforesty form key parts of the Tiyeni deep-bed method. Components include:
• Contour ridges with closed ends
• Deep and wide beds with zero tillage
• Soil never compacted
• Mulching not burning
• Compost and manure
• Companion planting The effect:
• Ever increasing soil fertility
• Food security in rural villages
• Surpluses provide farm income
• Foreign Food Aid programmes reduced

The Tiyeni method reverses soil degradation by stopping erosion and building soil fertility. Tiyeni encourages simple farming improvements, which can prevent hunger and help villagers to be self-sufficient.

Tiyeni means “Let’s go! ” and our ultimate aim is to replace the need for hand-outs through fostering food security.