Despite being located in a hot district of Mangochi, Mangochi prison has defied the odds of such high temperatures by introducing an irrigated maize farming. The maize garden which is located very close to the prison is quite attractive and promising with its strong stocks and plump cobs. The expertise applied on the garden proved that there are indeed great Agriculturalists in the Malawi Prisons Service.
Sergeant Steckman Madziataika is a man behind the success of all this and he said inmates at the facility are taught modern methods of farming and other reformation and rehabilitation activities.
“As you can see we use debris from biogas as manure and that is why our maize is very attractive. On top of that we also apply some amount of fertilizer as supplement. Inmates learn these skills as part of reformation and rehabilitation so that they would apply the same when they are released,” he said.
He further said that they use water from the borehole after washing dishes to water the crops. He added that they planted one maize seed per planting station locally called Sasakawa for bumper yields. From the half an acre land that they have, Madziataika estimated to harvest about 25 to 30 bags of 50 kilograms of maize.
However, he expressed some challenges they face in the course of farming such as inadequate watering canes, shortage of land for cultivation and lack of a water pump. He then expressed optimism that if accorded enough land to cultivate, the station would perform wonders in as far as farming is concerned.
Mark George, an inmate at the prison serving 24 years for murder, and whose expected date of release is 2023, narrated that he had learnt a lot regarding new methods of farming saying he would utilize all the skills and knowledge acquired after release.
“Frankly speaking, I have gained a lot on irrigation farming and I promise to use such skills when I go back home after completion of my sentence. I have learnt the importance of using manure in the garden and most importantly tactics in irrigation farming,” he said.
Apart from maize, the station also cultivates leaf vegetables, tomatoes and egg plants among others for Inmates consumption.
From what Mangochi prison has embarked on, it is apparent that the Department of prisons can sustain its food basket by feeding its inmates throughout the year. It is therefore, proper for other prisons which have the capacity to venture into the same but have not yet started to emulate the modern irrigation skills from Mangochi
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