From parched land to productive farms: AID-I paves the way in Malawi

In Malawi’s Machinga district, irrigation and the AID-I initiative are helping smallholder farmers transform once-idle land into productive bean farms, boosting yields, incomes, and climate resilience year-round.

In the early morning light of Mdere, a quiet farming community tucked into Malawi’s southern Machinga district, rows of green bean plants stretch across what was once parched, underutilized land. Hanifa Kondwani walks between the rows with practiced ease, her hands brushing against the leaves. It’s a scene of promising one that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago.