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Land Restoration
& Environment

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Growing food, water and hope together.
Rural families in Chantulo, Malawi depend on farming, and they are facing drier seasons, tired soil and rising costs. Handing out inputs does not solve that. So we are building a living demonstration site. People can see, practise and adapt methods that use local materials and local knowledge, then teach their neighbours. Our mission: to empower communities to restore and sustainably manage land and water, produce diverse and nutritious food, and build resilient livelihoods through permaculture, practical learning and locally appropriate solutions.

About the foundation

Umodzi Sisonke means “unity".

USF is a Malawian non-profit organization that promotes permaculture, working to build resilience, dignity, and opportunity. Our Mission To empower communities to restore and sustainably manage land and water, produce diverse and nutritious food, and build resilient livelihoods through permaculture, practical learning and locally appropriate solutions.

Through permaculture and environmental action, USF supports communities to restore their environment, strengthen livelihoods, and become more resilient. Through unpredictable rainfall, drought, extreme heat, declining soil fertility and pressure on natural resources.

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What we focus on

Practical work.
Lasting change.

Climate change is already affecting communities through unpredictable rainfall, drought, extreme heat, declining soil fertility and pressure on natural resources. Umodzi Sisonke Foundation believes communities should not have to choose between feeding their families today and protecting the environment for tomorrow. Our approach brings these challenges together. We promote climate mitigation, water security, regenerative agriculture, carbon-conscious development and resilient livelihoods while creating landscapes that work with nature. Through agroforestry, water harvesting, renewable energy, soil restoration, permaculture, youth skills development and women’s economic empowerment, we aim to build communities that are better prepared for environmental and economic shocks. Our goal is not simply to respond to climate change. Our goal is to help communities become stronger because of how they respond to it.

01

Microclimates

Trees, windbreaks and mulch create cooler, moister pockets on the land. Crops grow better in that shelter, and our demonstration site shows farmers how to design it.

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02

Resilience

Diverse crops, healthy soil and reliable water mean a family can get through a dry spell or a flood and recover quickly. Training and village savings groups make that strength shared.

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03

Nutrition

Household gardens, diverse crops and a feeding home for malnourished children.

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A thriving community garden

In their own words

“When we work together, we go further.”

Real change is built one relationship, one idea and one brave step at a time.

Where your support goes

Stories of impact.

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Farmers celebrating an onion harvest
Agriculture

From seedlings to harvest: a season in the community garden

A season of shared work turned prepared beds and young onion shoots into a harvest the team could hold in their hands.

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Volunteers working together
Community

Volunteers are the backbone of this work

USF recruits globally and trains locally so every pair of hands aligns with the mission.

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Community members together
Story

Umodzi and Sisonke still mean together

The name is not decoration. Togetherness is how we decide, plant and stay accountable.

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COMMUNITY LEADERSONE HEALTH MALAWI