Perma-A-Outreach in association with The Glasshouse Sustainability Center, Blantyre
Mathews Shaba Mpofo is a passionate educated educator with a Bsc(Mw) and more who has a piece of land next a river just on the outskirts of Blantyre. He has a nursery and banana plantations which shows great potential. His house is situated on one of the tributaries of the Shire River which lies to the West of Blantyre. This little river is dry so water is a challenge and he is forced to buy water from his neighbour until his application for a connection is approved and installed in order to keep his household and garden growing during the dry seasons and drought periods.
I see a great need for grey water treatment and catchment areas in the rural districts. With ponds of tilapia fish and water plants. It is a great concern of mine that the Malawian people have to rely on municipal water when there is clearly a natural resource lying beneath the surface. The water table is high and many residents dig wells to access water which is great. I'm not dissing the system but am positive that there is a wiser way of doing it. I've seen some incredibly hazardous well installations of late. I'm hoping to visit the Research Station this week with Tanya from Perma-Grow and will bring feedback from the people in the know. More about Perma-Grow when I've been there.
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| Perma-A-Outreach herb shop with Mathews Mpofo and Ida |
Mathews introducing me to his Moringa tree. This tree was bare of fruit and I wondered why compared to Joe's, which is close to the river, I think it is lacking water.
Golden Orb spiders looking after pest population
The Glasshouse Sustainability Center is run and owned by Chris Walker. His vision is to create a training environment for sustainability bringing hope to the people in the rural areas and outskirts of Blantyre. Currently still under construction the center offers a modern feel with stone cladding extensions to the original building. Out back a bio-fuel pit is in the process of being completed next to the ablution blocks. So far I see no evidence of composting toilets.
Here you can find a large range of fruit trees such as Avocado, Peach, Mango, Moringa, tree potatoes and much more. The entire property is surrounded by a boundary wall separating the outside world. I see this as a challenge for Chris since in my mind it cuts off the sustainability potential and has a small scope for crop generation.
The water/aqua system is beautifully designed. I hope it gets up and running soon.
Training facility with Chris Walker
Tree potatoes fall from the canopy
Tranquility
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