At Agricultural Community Foundation (ACF), the farm shop is more than a place to buy food. It is where our work comes full circle — from the soil, through member’s hands, and back into the community. The shelves are stocked with fresh vegetables and fruits, eggs, and milk — all produced through ACF projects. WeContinue reading “The Heart of ACF: Why the Farm Shop Matters”
Tag Archives: Malawi
Scotland’s First Minister Meets ACF & SAM
Strengthening Partnerships for Malawi’s Economic Future Last month, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney met with representatives from the African Lakes Company (ALC), Agricultural Community Foundation (ACF) and Saint Andrews Macadamia (SAM) at Mandala House, one of Blantyre’s most historic landmarks. Built in the early 20th century, Mandala House has long served as a cultural crossroadsContinue reading “Scotland’s First Minister Meets ACF & SAM”
Planting Beans and Sweet Potatoes for Healthy Soil
At the Agricultural Community Foundation, sustainability and empowerment go hand in hand. This past rainy season, our team planted beans and sweet potatoes across our micro-farm. These crops are doing more than filling fields—they are laying the groundwork for a flourishing vegetable garden in the coming spring while advancing our mission to uplift women inContinue reading “Planting Beans and Sweet Potatoes for Healthy Soil”
Brewing Prosperity at ACF
In the heart of Southern Africa, Malawi’s rich red soils and temperate highlands are proving fertile ground for more than just maize and tobacco. A quiet revolution is taking root—coffee cultivation—and the Agricultural Community Foundation (ACF) is hoping to be apart of it. Why Coffee? Why Malawi? Malawi, known as “the Warm Heart of Africa,”Continue reading “Brewing Prosperity at ACF”
Welcoming Cows to ACF
The ACF family is growing with the addition of dairy cows to the farm. ACF’s dairy project is designed to give members first hand training and experience caring for cattle and producing milk that will be sold in the farm shop and supply the nursery school’s morning meals. Sales from the milk will be investedContinue reading “Welcoming Cows to ACF”
Graduation Day
Last month ACF saw 24 students graduate from its nursery school. The graduates will attend primary school in September with a head start knowing their letters, numbers and some english . Currently, there are 78 students, aged three to five, at ACF’s nursery school. Students receive daily breakfast and lessons. Starting as a small farmContinue reading “Graduation Day”
One year of ACF
It’s been an eventful first year at ACF. Our few acres have been busy with construction work, planting and planning. As we build ACF from the ground up our core team of five women have developed new ideas and projects. Finishing touches are being made to our farm shop, office and meeting room. As wellContinue reading “One year of ACF”
Adding some spice to the garden
ACF’s garden has been thriving with two harvests of juicy tomatoes, onions, cabbages and rape. These vegetables are staples in Malawian diets. The harvests were quick to sell on the farm but at low value. Most of ACF members have been growing these vegetables since they were children. To increase ACF’s revenue through its vegetableContinue reading “Adding some spice to the garden”
First Honey Harvest
ACF was a buzz with its first honey harvest this week. None of ACF’s members had worked with bees before, so the process of setting up the hives, working with the bees and harvesting honey was a huge learning curve for us all. Through a series of trainings ACF learnt each step of beekeeping. Finally,Continue reading “First Honey Harvest”
A Water Problem
Water at ACF has been our biggest challenge. During ACF’s first year we had floods followed by drought. Last year saw Cyclone Freddy dump unprecedented rains on ACF’s garden destroying our first planted crops, damaging roads and buildings that were under construction. This year, el Nino has cut the rainy season and left our soilsContinue reading “A Water Problem”
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