In Malawi, we help farming families to grow their own food. We call this the Food For LiFe project (FFF). We teach them how to do this and give them the necessary seeds and fertilizers. The project harvest has grown over a period of seven years from 7 tons to 4900 tons of corn kernels.

The traditional system, which farmers have always used, yields them a harvest of 10 bags per acre. In our project, this is an average of 70 bags, with peaks of 105 bags per acre. The results of the project can therefore be called astonishing without exaggeration.

Our system is a derivative of Farming God’s Way, a farming method based on Christian principles. The principle is that we only use what nature gives us. We use enriched compost and the daily dew.

Food For LiFe – practical

We provide the participants with the necessary seeds and fertilizers. We teach them how to grow their corn. In return, the participants donate a descending percentage of the harvest to our organization. The proceeds will be used to fund more participants the following year and to fund the FFF organization.

In 2020, the proceeds from this returned corn was 40,000 euros. Management in Malawi is carried out entirely by the management teams themselves, without intervention from the Netherlands. Local unpaid volunteers manage the entire FFF project. And … they do that very well.

The participating farmers work together in groups of seven per acre. Each group has a leader. The seven leaders form a leader group and seven leader groups together form a committee. A committee has 343 (7x7x7) participants and is led by a director.

A learning team has been formed in Central Malawi to transfer knowledge and skills about the method to all new places throughout Malawi. That is a very successful way of working. The team consists of highly motivated and committed committee members.


Plans 2020 – 2024

The objective is that by 2024 so much own capacity has been built up that the project can be managed and expanded profitably without financial help from the Netherlands. We call this ‘Mansholt in Malawi’.

Download here our plans: Projectplan 2021-2024 def funding

Food For LiFe – starting point

  • Respect and take into account your own knowledge, needs, habits and culture

  • Starting from what people themselves can and want

  • Using the existing organizational structure

  • Leverage existing organizational structure Deployment of local and regional committees

  • Small independent groups spread all over the country

  • Simplicity, simple, flexible, transparent, use common sense

  • Sustainable use of what nature offers on site

  • Neutralize climate change

  • Transfer of knowledge from main committees to smaller committees to local groups

  • Let people perform activities in their own way

  • Let people make their own choises

  • Wat we doen heeft impact

  • Leiders in staat stellen hun beloften waar te maken

  • Zelf voedselzekerheid laten creëren door rendabele landbouw op eigen land

  • Lossen eerst grote problemen op, en dan verder

  • Zorgen voor groei van trots en veerkracht van mensen

  • Omzien naar elkaar, werken in groepen, delen met anderen, aandacht

  • Levensvreugde voor vrouwen en kinderen

  • Bevorderen van economische zelfstandigheid