In the hills of Ntchisi District, northern Malawi, the village of Chakulanjala was once known for its poor harvests and persistent food insecurity. Families worked hard, but old farming methods and unpredictable weather left most with too little to last the year. When resources ran short, children often helped in the fields instead of going to school — a reality that many saw as inevitable. Everything began to shift when the PROCLAIM project introduced the Farmer Field Business School (FFBS) model in 2020. But the real story of change didn’t come from new seeds or new tools. It came from the farmers themselves.
“Our lives have changed; we no longer farm like in the past,” says Ester Masaizi, chair of the Chakulanjala Farmer Field Business School.
The FFBS model was designed to put learning in farmers’ hands. Local lead farmers were trained not as instructors, but as facilitators — helping their peers test new methods, exchange knowledge, and make collective decisions.
The first year was slow. Many doubted that a “school without walls” could bring results. But those who stayed saw something powerful happen. They experimented together, compared plots, and learned how to plan for the season ahead. Even when heavy rains destroyed much of the community’s soybean crop, the FFBS demonstration plot — managed collectively by the group — thrived.
When the community harvested six bags of soybeans and twelve of groundnuts from a plot smaller than one acre, the message was clear: change works when it belongs to those who live it.
“We are learning a lot from the FFBS,” explains Zione Ndiwo, who now produces soy milk and bakes using local crops. “We share ideas, we make decisions together — and that makes the difference.”
The group now has 280 members, most of them women. They meet weekly to learn about nutrition, collective marketing, gender equality, and crop diversification. Every household manages a small vegetable garden, ensuring that families have food throughout the year.
“Before, people came to teach us,” says Maxwell Chumachiyenda, the lead farmer. “Now, they come to learn with us.” Their success has inspired others from neighbouring villages to join. New members arrive each week, not only to improve harvests, but to be part of a process where everyone’s voice counts.
Inclusion, for Chakulanjala’s farmers, is not a slogan. It’s the reason their progress endures. It means building trust, listening, and ensuring that those most affected by child labour and poverty are at the centre of every solution.
As the world prepares for the VI Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour (Morocco, 2026), the story of Chakulanjala offers a reminder: policies and commitments can only succeed when they reflect the realities of those who live them every day. Nothing for us, without us.