When the Soil Moves, So Must We!

By Kudzanai Chimhanda

Where did all the soil go? How do we protect the landscapes that must keep feeding families long after today’s projects have ended? What does it take for a promising practice seen on a demonstration plot to become something farmers can confidently use season after season? Most importantly, how do researchers, governments, communities and development partners work together so that their combined effort makes a tangible difference in farmers’ everyday lives? These questions followed participants from the field into the meeting room during the Water and Soil Accelerator (WASA) Pause and Reflect workshop held in Salima, Malawi, from 15–17 September 2026. It was deliberately designed as three days of reflection, from taking time to step away from workplans and targets, look closely at what is happening on the ground, confront what is not working and agree on what needs to change.

The first day brought those conversations directly to the field. Farmers, researchers and implementing partners walked through sites where soil and water management practices are being put to the test. The experience gave numbers and technical discussions a human face. Across the program, demonstrations, farmer learning and landscape restoration are already underway, but the workshop challenged partners to look beyond activities toward a more coherent journey from evidence to implementation, learning, and ultimately responsible scaling.

“The real route to sustainability is to integrate what we are doing into government programming. Partnerships with the Ministry of Agriculture and Water are really important for us, as is working closely with extension services. For these interventions to be sustainable, farmers need market access, strong market linkages, and a clear economic case. The key message from the field visit is the importance of being farmer-led. No amount of technical interventions will be sustainable if communities don’t own and don’t buy into these interventions. What we are seeing in Salima today is very much that communities and farmers designing interventions based on the challenges that they share,” remarked Inga Mata-Jacobs, Strategic Program Director – Water, Growth and Inclusion at IWMI.