Sixty kilometres north-east of Lilongwe city, past the last stretch of tar road at Kasiya trading centre, the farms along the Bua River run on a different rhythm — tractors fuelled by jerry cans, produce moved by ox cart, and a 200-hectare estate that grows maize, legumes, and vegetables while running bee pollinator services and contract land preparation on the side. I spent a day inside one of them.
Sunrise breaks over a farming village north-east of Kasiya trading centre, Lilongwe rural.
Fueling the tractor
The day starts before the village itself wakes properly. A tractor belonging to Sani Ltd is parked outside the chief’s house overnight for safekeeping. It is contracted out to till land for tobacco farmers in the area. There’s no filling station for miles in any direction, so fuel travels in by jerry can, carried out to wherever the tractor is working next.
With no filling station for miles, diesel is carried in by jerry can to keep contracted land preparation work on schedule.
Cows and ox-drawn carts are plenty in the area
On the banks of the Bua
Water drawn from the Bua River irrigates the estate’s crops
The last stretch to the farm crosses a dry riverbed, its surface uneven and sun-cracked from cattle hooves. Beyond it, a 200-hectare estate sits on the border of Lilongwe and Mchinji districts, irrigated by water drawn from the Bua River. A narrow gap in the reeds marks the water pumping point; a short distance away, a wooden boat still shuttles people and goods across the river between the two districts.
Vegetable farming
Sani Ltd grows tomatoes, onions, and green peppers in a vegetable patch near the river, harvesting them every few days for sale in Lilongwe city.
By the time the day’s inspection is done, a fresh tomato harvest is already loaded and ready for market.
Beekeeping
Scattered through Sani Farm’s woodlots are more than a hundred beehives, positioned to take advantage of the forest cover and the river running alongside it.
Macadamia pollination
In the afternoon, the work moves to Gala Macs Agriculture‘s Kalokwe Macadamia Estate nearby, where a portion of Sani Farm’s hives are contracted out for pollination. Sites are checked regularly with estate staff to keep pollination on track throughout the season.
By mid-afternoon, the day’s work is done, and the road back to town stretches out ahead. An ordinary working day inside a part of Malawi’s farming economy that rarely gets seen up close.
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