New sustainability initiative to keep chickens

We are embarking on a new sustainability initiative to keep chickens on land at the Hope Skills Centre site.

Chickens are great for the environment and offer many surprising eco-friendly benefits. They help to promote soil health, naturally control pests, and provide nutrient-rich soil for compost.

The first step was to build chicken coops in a quiet area on the land. Building work started on March 1st to build two coops for 50 chickens separated by a store room.

This project gives Hope4Malawi’s Youth Development Programme (YDP) students on work placements the opportunity to learn new skills from the Hope4Development building team. 

Keeping chickens will serve several purposes:

Manure production: At the skills centre, chicken manure is used in compost production, as it's locally available and a cheaper alternative to fertiliser. We want to ensure all our farming is sustainable and train local villagers, so this is an effective way to farm. 

Compost is used at the skills centre to grow maize, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit trees, and vegetables. Having chicken manure available locally will save on transportation, as the high fuel costs currently make the compost expensive.

Egg production: Each hen will lay around one egg a day. We will use these eggs for lunch at the skills centre. It’s a win-win as we can sell extra eggs to local villagers at a reasonable rate, which helps cover our costs for the chickens.

Animal husbandry: Keeping chickens provides training opportunities for our YDP students and the local communities. They can learn about day-to-day husbandry and the benefits of keeping chickens in a sustainable, cost-effective way, so they remain healthy and happy.

Most people who keep chickens allow them to roam free, which can cause issues with crops, but it also means they don't catch the nutrient-rich manure. Passing on the skills to create a well-built coop made of low-cost, readily available materials can help others to do the same.

The team at Hope Skills Centre look forward to the many benefits these feathery friends will bring in the future.

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Can you help a child in Malawi?

Thanks to the kind support of our partners, sponsors, fundraisers and volunteers, Hope4Malawi's Youth Development programmes, school building, resourcing projects, and student sponsorships continue to provide life-changing opportunities for children growing up in rural Blantyre.

For further information and ways to get involved, please contact us.