A Garden Full of Possibilities
Beside the lush banana plants, rows of ripe tomatoes are growing. For Tiliya Salatiyele in Malawi, her garden is more than a place to grow crops. It provides food for her family, income for the household and an opportunity to dream of something more. But one obstacle still stands in her way.
We meet Tiliya Salatiyele alongside the other women in her savings group. They save money together and support one another in building a more secure financial future. For Tiliya, the group has become an important part of her efforts to create a better future for herself and her family.
After the meeting, we walk with her back home through the village. Goats run around and chickens cluck between the houses. We pass people busy with their daily chores before reaching an enclosed plot. Inside stands Tiliya’s small brick house, surrounded by tall fruit trees. Ripe, heavy papayas hang in clusters above our heads. Nearby, banana plants bend under the weight of their lush bunches of fruit.
Inside the enclosure, another surprise awaits: rows of thriving tomato plants, neatly tied to stakes. Tiliya proudly shows us around. Here, she grows both food for her family and produce she can sell.
From seeds to a livelihood
It was through IM’s partner organisation YICOD that Tiliya got the opportunity to develop her garden. Since 2023, the organisation has been promoting home gardening and providing people with knowledge about growing vegetables and fruit, as well as preparing nutritious food. Tiliya has received training and seeds, giving her the tools she needed to get started.
She is now on her second growing cycle. This time, she has bought new seeds herself and also planted banana and papaya trees. This marks an important step forward: she is using what she has learned and the income she has earned to develop her garden further.
A harvest of 20 litres of tomatoes can earn her 90,000 Malawian kwacha. The money goes towards food for her family and buying new seeds so she can continue growing crops. With the potential for three harvests a year, the garden can provide a regular source of income.
For Tiliya, this makes a crucial difference. She is responsible for supporting her family of six while her husband is in Lilongwe. Being able to harvest vegetables right next to her home means the family has food when they need it. Any surplus can be sold to bring in money for other essential expenses.
YICOD’s support is therefore about more than learning how to grow crops. It gives Tiliya the tools to take greater control of her own circumstances. With knowledge, seeds and the opportunity to save money, she can build on what she already has: her own land and her determination to provide for her family.
What it takes to grow
But there is one problem she cannot get around: water.
The nearest borehole is a ten-minute walk away, one way. To give her crops enough water, Tiliya has to make the journey back and forth many times every day. It is time-consuming work, and without water, it does not matter how lush the plants are or how many seeds she has.
Now she dreams of having a solar-powered water pump, something she may be able to obtain through YICOD in the future. But needs are great and resources are limited, so she will have to wait. She talks about her plans to expand the garden and grow more crops. She has already shown that she can turn knowledge and limited opportunities into something that flourishes. Through her local savings group, she can also set money aside and invest in her future.
When we leave the garden, Tiliya continues tending to her tomato plants. So much is already growing here. With better access to water, she could take the next step.
For her, it is about more than a bigger harvest. It is about putting food on the table, providing for her children and continuing to build a future on the land she owns. And about being able to decide for herself just how far that future can reach.
Text: Malin Kihlström