Japanese Embassy Commissions FISD Implemented Solar Powered Irrigated School Garden for Sustainable School Meals Project

There is no denying that Malawi needs sustainable solutions to end problems which are routed right from our schools. December 3^rd 2019 will go down in the history as the day on which the Foundation for irrigation and Sustainable development together with the Japanese Embassy Commissioned and handed over the ground breaking  Solar Powered Irrigated School Garden for Sustainable School Meals Project at Machentche L.E.A School. The quest of the project is to iron out hunger related absenteeism, drop out and attention loss during lessons by providing learners with meals, at the school which is in T.A Chiseka’s area on the outskirts of Lilongwe.  

The project was funded by the Embassy of Japan and was implemented by FISD. The project is a sustainable homegrown model which emphasizes on a school based agribusiness initiatives where the schools grow their high value horticultural crops under solar powered irrigation system which they sell and use the proceeds to procure food items with which they use to feed the learners. The challenge that the traditional homegrown school meals model has faced is that due to the climate change related effects of un-predictable rainfalls, dry spells and droughts the schools didn’t have enough food. But this model ensures on going agriculture production on a rolling basis under irrigation.

Overall the following are the major achievement components of the project:

• Installation of solar powered irrigation system; the project facilitated the installation of a solar powered water reticulation irrigation system which is comprised of a high yielding borehole which has been equipped with a solar powered SQ2-2 Solar Powered Water pumps which extracts water from the bore into 2 10,000L tanks. The 2, 10,000 liter tanks have been connected to 4 hydrants water delivery system which are used for irrigating up to 1.5ha school garden
• Construction of kitchen facilities: a 15 x 5.5meters kitchen facility has been constructed using ecofriendly cement blocks. The kitchen is comprised of a cooking area which has been equipped with 2 energy efficient cook stoves and a storage area which has been stacked with small shelves for sticking of materials from the garden harvests.
• Kitchen water reticulation system: A water reticulation system which is comprised of a water delivery line, a tap and a washing basin facility. The pipeline has been extended to the school kitchen for the purposes of providing water for cleaning of utensils at the kitchen as well as water for cooking and for washing of hands during meals.
• Capacity building for the school garden committee : the project facilitated the institutionalizing of the school garden committee and the committee has been provided with trainings in sustainable school garden for school meals program management; financial management; operations and maintenance of solar powered irrigation system; irrigation water management etc.