Pauline Mbukwa | February 19, 2018
Like many farmers, Daudi Seleti has been troubled by the threat of aflatoxin. He heard on the radio that aflatoxin is hazardous to human health and wanted to know how to keep it out of his soybeans.
Aflatoxins are poisons produced by certain types of mould. They appear in a wide variety of foods, including groundnuts and maize, which are staples in Malawi. Aflatoxin contamination can happen in the field, or after harvest, during handling, processing, storage, and transport if the conditions favour it.
During the 2016-17 farming season, Mr. Seleti grew soybeans on two acres of land. His crops looked very healthy in the field. But he knew he had to learn how to prevent aflatoxin in stored soybeans before harvest time.
Mr. Seleti listens to a popular radio program called Tipindule ndi Mtedza Komanso Soya, or “Let’s make profit with groundnut and soybean,” that airs on Mudziwathu Community Radio every Monday and Friday from 3:30 to 4:00 p.m. During the program, he learned about the Mlimi Hotline Call Centre. Farm Radio Trust set up the hotline in November 2015. The phone service allows farmers from across the country to speak with extension agents for free.
So Mr. Seleti dialed 8111 and immediately heard a female voice on the other end saying, “Hello. May I help you?” He asked the extension agent how he could prevent aflatoxin in soybeans after harvest.
The extension agent told him that, after harvesting his crop, he should thresh it and place it on a tarp or clean sack. Stored soybean must be very dry—so dry that it doesn’t stick when farmers hold it in the palm of their hand. He was also told to pack it in bags and store it in a dry place. Further, he was advised to place the bags on a raised platform to allow air to circulate and minimize moisture.
Mr. Seleti is happy that he received good advice—and that the advice was so easy to get. He says: “I followed the advice and my soybean was saved from aflatoxin. I am now one of the regular callers to the hotline. I no longer have to wait to get answers from our agricultural extension officer because I can just dial the number 8111 and it is free.”
The Mlimi Hotline Call Centre is a busy place. The extension officers who answer the phones offer advice about different crops and a variety of farming challenges. Recently, many farmers have been calling about one particular issue: Fall armyworm.
Fall armyworms have destroyed up to 270,000 hectares of maize and sorghum crops in Malawi. In response to the outbreak, the Mlimi Hotline Call Centre is providing information to farmers on how to manage this new pest.
Steven Junior is a farmer from Mangochi District, in Malawi’s Southern Region. His maize crop was infested with Fall armyworm, so he called the hotline to find out how to control the pest. The extension agent advised him to use a pesticide called cypermethrin. After following the advice, he called back to thank the extension staff for helping him save his maize.
Mr. Junior said, “I would like to thank you for the advice you gave me. I used cypermethrin as was advised by the call centre extension office, and I saved my crop from further damage.”
Joyce Ngalande manages the Mlimi Hotline Call Centre. She says hotline staff have been overwhelmed with queries on how to manage Fall armyworm, as well as how to avoid aflatoxin in soybean and groundnut.
Since the Fall armyworm outbreak in December 2016, the hotline is busier than ever. Over the past year, agents working at the hotline answered an average of 3,000 calls per month. More than 85% were about how to identify and treat Fall armyworm.
Graduates from Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources answer the phones, alongside experienced extension officers.
Mrs. Ngalande adds: “The team is connected to a wide range of experts to clarify complex questions. Once the call agents get the response, they provide feedback to farmers. The answers to complex questions and other frequently asked questions are also amplified through the existing radio programs, which Farm Radio Trust is airing on a number of radio stations in Malawi.”
Farmers from across Malawi and neighbouring countries like Mozambique and Zambia are calling to get information on a wide range of crops and challenges.
The hotline enables farmers to get real-time answers to their farming questions, including market price information, crop and livestock issues, weather forecasts, and agricultural products and services. Farm Radio Trust hopes the hotline will help even more farmers like Mr. Seleti and Mr. Junior to resolve problems on the farm.
Photo credit: Philip Chinkhokwe
Pauline Mbukwa is a communications specialist for the USAID Feed the Future Malawi Agriculture Diversification Activity, for Farm Radio Trust.