In the 2025 growing season, a cluster of 240 smallholder farmers in Kasungu district switched from traditional flat ridging to contour ridging supported by vetiver grass barriers. The result: average maize yields rose from 1.4 t/ha to 3.1 t/ha in a single season, and soil-moisture readings improved by 62% at 30 cm depth.
The technique — mapped by hand using an A-frame level and refined with an extension officer’s smartphone GPS — cost each household less than USD 6 in materials. Vetiver seedlings, sourced from a local nursery, held the ridges intact through two heavy-rainfall events that flattened flat-ridged fields nearby.
AgriConnect Hub is currently supporting three cooperatives with follow-up training on companion planting (pigeon peas between the ridges) and soil-testing kits. If you’d like to enrol your cooperative in the next intake, use the **Projects** tab in your dashboard.