The Zomba Project

Rebuilding Food Security After Cyclone Freddy

Households

Received emergency food packages and essential supplies

Health Screenings

Medical and nutritional assessments delivered during relief distribution

Lead Farmers

Young agricultural leaders selected to drive the rebuild phase

Additional Farmers

Received seeds, training, and support through the lead farmers

Hectares

Of community land secured
for cooperative agricultural production

Region: Global
Sector: Emergency Response
Status: Completed

In the wake of Cyclone Freddy in Malawi the President Lazarus Chakwera said ““We need immediate help”.

The cyclone’s impact on food security in affected communities was particularly significant as it damaged key staple crops such as rice and maize prior to harvest. This was particularly devastating for smallholders farmers – who constitute 80% of Malawi’s population.

The Zomba Project helped farming communities in southern Malawi move from emergency relief toward agricultural recovery. The response was split into two phases:

Phase 1: Relief which focused on the provision of food to communities acutely affected.

Phase 2: Rebuild which focused on building a thriving agricultural cooperative to benefit young Malawians affected by the cyclone, while empowering young leaders to become drivers of agricultural growth in their communities. It provided training, coaching, access to irrigation equipment and agricultural inputs.

THE MODEL

Project Change Drivers

ReGrow’s model advances projects through connected Field, Innovation, and Policy drivers. The Zomba Project engaged all three.

At the field level, vulnerable households received immediate relief, while young farmers gained the resources, training, and support needed to rebuild agricultural livelihoods.

At the innovation level, the project demonstrated a phased recovery model that combined humanitarian assistance with agricultural development, helping communities transition from short-term aid to long-term food production.

At the policy level, the project showed the value of locally led, partnership-based recovery, demonstrating how governments, community leaders, NGOs, and agricultural organizations can work together to strengthen resilience after climate-related disasters.

ReGrow's
Knowledge
Blend

IMPACT STORIES

I didn’t struggle to find food and other basic needs for the family, and through the tomato sales, I have managed to pay school funds for my brothers and sisters at primary school. I also managed to buy Guinea Fowls, chickens, and a goat. Oscar is now working to buy a cow, expand his agricultural activities. In due course, he plans to renovate his mother’s house.

Oscar, Mwaluka

The tomato project has given me a chance to learn leadership. Before the program I didn’t know the proper ways of taking care of tomatoes but with the support and technical expertise that I have learnt […], I am able to transfer the knowledge to others. After selling her tomatoes, she was able to make MK 200,000. She has used the money to buy food and clothes for her family. She has also managed to buy a goat, a hen and school uniforms for her children.

Mebulo Thubuza, Mauluka Village

Before joining the […] program, as a single and divorced mother, I didn’t have enough money to feed my family. I was relying on casual labor to find money to support my family. But this was not enough. By selling her tomatoes, Alinafe was also able to save MK 928,000.00 by February 2024. She used the money to buy one cow and one goat. She has also managed to pay her daughter’s nursery fees. She is delighted that her daughter is attending a preschool. Her vision is to own a livestock and tomato business. In due course, she aspires to buy some land and build a house.

Alinafe Matope, Mwaluka