Mayi Matindiri: Zaka 76, koma akuchilimikabe pa ulimi

Wolemba: Joseph KAYIRA

Mutakumana nawo koyamba mutha kuwaganizira kuti ndi m’modzi mwa amayi a m’mudzi amene sangagwire khasu koma kudalira thandizo lochokera ku mabungwe, mwinanso ku boma. Mutadikirabe ndi chidwi kuti mucheze nawo ndi kudziwa za moyo wawo kwa timphindi tochepa, mpamene mungadziwe kuti mayi Catherine Matindiri simunthu wamba.

Mayiwa omwe amachokera m’mudzi mwa Malula, Gulupu Mchirakwenda, Mfumu yaikulu Matola m’boma la Balaka ndi katakwe pa ulimi komanso chitsanzo kwa abambo, achinyamata kudzanso amayi anzawo kuti zaka za munthu zisamulepheretse kuchita bwino pa moyo wake.

Pakhomo pa mayiwa ndi pa mwana alilenji ndipo sipadutsa galu wakuda. Iwowa anayamba kulima ali achichepere koma ulimi womwe wawafikitsa poti dziko lidziwe kuti kunjaku kuli mayi Matindiri adauyamba m’chaka cha 2007. Koma chinsinsi cha ulimi wa mayiwa chagona pati? Iwowa akuti ali ndi ngodya zaulimi zimene amatsatira monga kasinthasintha wa mbewu, kuyala mapesi ndi kasakaniza wa mbewu – ndipo uwu ndi ulimi wa mtayakhasu.

“Pachiyambi timalima wopanda kutsatira malangizo a alangizi a zaulimi. Timalima mongoyetsera pena kumangolima chimanga munda womwewomwewo. Komanso kalelo chimene timadziwa unali ulimi uja wopanga mizere. Koma pano zinthu zinasintha, nyengonso ikusintha, kutanthauza kuti ulimi wathu ukuyenera kukhala wosamalitsa,” anatero mayi Matindiri.

Mayi Matindiri akupeza phindu lochuluka mu ulimi (Chithunzi: Joseph Kayira)

Mayiwa akuti masiku ano akuchita ulimi woyala mapesi m’munda chifukwa mapesiwa amathandiza kuti nthaka izisunga chinyontho kwa nthawi yaitali. Mapesiwa amathandizanso kuonjezera mphamvu mu nthaka. Mayi Matindiri akuti ulimiwu ndiwopumitsa komanso wa phindu chifukwa mlimi satopa ndi kugalauza ngati m’mene zimakhalira ndi ulimi wina.

“Chinanso chofunikira ndi kasinthasintha ndi kasakaniza wa mbewu. Pamene walima chimanga chaka chino pasakhalenso chimanga chaka chikudzacho ayi. Ukhoza kudzalapo mtedza, nyemba kapena nandolo. Mbewu zimenezi zimabweretsa michere yofunika mu nthaka. Minda yanga ndimachita ulimi wakasinthasintha ndipo mbewu zanga zimakula mwa mphamvu. Kasinthasinthayu amathandizanso kuti mbewu zisagwidwe ndi matenda monga m’mene zimakhalira ndi ulimi winawo.”

“Chaka chino ndadzala chimanga, mtedza ndi nandolo. Chimanga ndadzala minda ingapo ndipo pa phando ndikusiyanitsa kadzalidwe kake. Chimanga sitimangodzala  chambirimbiri pa phando. Komanso mlingo wotalikitsa phando ndiwofunika kwambiri – kufupikitsa kwambiri ndi kolakwika chimodzimodzinso kutalikitsa kwambiri sutha kukolola zochuluka. Zimafunika mlingo woyenerera umene alangizi a zaulimi apereka,” anatero mayi Matindiri.

Mlimiyu akuti ngakhale ali wachikulire samadziyang’anira pansi. Iye akuti ndi m’modzi wa alimi achitsanzo mdera lake ndipo phindu limene akupeza mu ulimi lasintha pakhomo pake. Iye akuti pakhomo pake pali ziweto monga monga nkhuku ndi mbuzi. Chaka china mlimiyu walima maekala atatu a chimanga, atatu a mtedza komanso atatu a chimanga.

“Kale timatha kulima malo aakulu koma kukolola zochepa. Masiku ano zinthu zinasintha. Chifukwa chotsatira malangizo amakono a ulimi, ndimalima malo ochepa koma kukolola zambiri. Chifukwa cha malingizo a ulimi wamakono, mbewu sizikokoloka ngakhale kutabwera mvula yowononga. Pamene tinkakolola thumba limodzi, lero tikukolola matumba asanu,” anatero mayi Matindiri.

Chifukwa cha kuchita bwino kwawo pa ulimi, iwowa anakapo-ndako m’dziko la Amerika komwe anakafotokozera anthu za momwe amachitira pa ulimi wawo. Akupe-mpha amayi anzawo ndi ena onse kuti ndizotheka kusintha miyoyo yawo ndi ulimi monga m’mene iwo akuchitira.

“Kudzera mu ulimi womwewu ndinakaponda ku Amerika. Kudzera mu ulimi ndapeza katundu ndi chuma chomwe sindikanakwanitsa kuchipeza ndikanakhala kuti ndikuchita ulimi wachilimelime wachikalekale.

“Amayi amene akungokhala akutaya nthawi. Mu ulimi muli phindu; ife ndi mboni ya zimenezi. Mafumu kuno akudziwanso kuti ngati pali alimi amene akuchita bwino ndipo asinthika kwambiri, m’modzi wawo ndine,” anatero a Matindiri.

Wapampando wa Balaka District Agriculture Executive Coordinating Committee (DAECC), a Ibrahim Chilimampunga anati alimi akuchita zazikulu pa ntchito ya ulimi ndipo akukwanitsa kuchita zitukuko m’makomo mwawo. Izi zikugwirizana ndi nsanamira zabwino za chitukuko monga m’mene boma kudzanso bungwe la maiko onse la United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) ndi ena amafunira.

A Chilimampunga, omwe bungwe lawoli mulinso mabungwe osiyanasiyana omwe amaonetsetsa kuti ntchito zaulimi zikupita patsogolo m’bomali, komanso kuti alimi akuchita bwino popindula ndi ulimi, ati ndiwokondwa kuti Balaka akupita chitsogolo pa ulimi.

“Balaka sakhala chimodzimodzi. Alimi athu akuonetsa kuti akumva ulangizi womwe akulandira pa zaulimi. Ena akuchita ulimi wa ziweto enanso akuchita ulimi wambewu enanso akuphatikiza zonsezi. Cholinga ndikufuna kuthana ndi njala komanso kuti akakolola zochuluka zina azitha kugulitsa kuti miyoyo yawo utukuke,” anatero a Chilimampunga, omwe bungwe lawo linakonza tsiku la chionetsero cha ulimi ku Khwisa m’bomalo.

Alli: Anayamikira makalabu ndi makopaletivu a alimi (Chithunzi: Joseph Kayira)

Iwo anati DAECC ipitilira kuchita chotheka kuti alimi athe kuwafikira ndi mauthenga omwe angathe kupititsa patsogolo ulimi. Mkuluyu anati zinali zonyaditsa kuona kuti chaka chino alimi ambiri ali ndi mbuzi, akolola zochuluka, akwanitsa kulima fodya komanso ali ndi chidwi pa nkhani ya zachilengedwe.

Mkulu woyanga’nira ntchito zaulimi m’boma la Balaka, a David Alli anathokoza makalabu a alimi amene akugwira ntchito yotamandika potukula ulimi ndipo potero nkumatukula miyoyo ya m’mabanja mwawo. Iwo anayamikira DAECC kaamba ka ntchito imene komitiyi ikugwira powonetsetsa kuti mabanja ambiri akhale ndi chakudya chokwanira komanso athe kukwanitsa kukweza chuma chawo.

“Taona m’mene alimi akuchitira pa ulimi wawo ndipo zimene akuchitazo ndi zonyaditsa. Ena akulima fodya ndipo phindu limene apeza kumeneko akuchita nalo zinthu zabwino kwambiri. Enanso alima mbewu zosiyanasiyana ndipo tinene molimba mtima kuti amenewa akuthana ndi umphawi mosavuta. Alimiwa amanga nyumba zabwino, akutha kukhala ndi ndalama chaka chonse, akutha kuphunzitsa ana awo zomwe ndi zitsanzo zabwino za zipatso za ulimi wa makono.

“Mabwana ambiri amene ali m’maofesi anaphunzira chifukwa cha ndalama zochokera ku ulimi. Dziko lathu la Malawi limadalira ulimi pa chuma chake. Ulimi ndiwofunikira kwambiri ndipo tikachita bwino pa ulimi ndiye kuti tachitanso bwino pa chuma. Ndithokoze mwapadera a DAECC kuno ku Balaka posatopa kulimbikitsa anthu kuti adzitsatira mfundo zaulimi wamakono. Ulimi ukutipatsa chakudya komanso chuma,” anatero a Alli.

Bwanamkubwa wa boma la Balaka a Bibu Yusufu Mdala, anati zomwe alimi anaonetsa pa tsikulo zikugwirizana kwathunthu ndi masomphenya a khonsolo komanso boma la Malawi pa ntchito zaulimi.

“Tili pano lero chifukwa tinapita ku sukulu ndipo ndalama za fizi zimachokera mu ulimi. Tikamaona alimi akuchita bwino chonchi pa ntchito yawo timakondwera chifukwa zimenezi zikugwirizana komanso kupherezera masonphenya a boma,” anatero a Mdala.

Iwo anati ali ndi chikhulupiriro kuti alimi apitirira kupindula kuchokera ku mbewu komanso ziweto zomwe akuweta – kwinaku akusamaliranso chilengedwe monga m’mene alangizi amawauzira – pokhala kuti zonsezi zimapititsa chuma cha dziko patsogolo.

Kwa mayi Matindiri – ichi ndi chiyambi chabe cha moyo wapamwamba chifukwa iwo akuti ngakhale ena akuona ngati akalamba – iwo sabwerera m’mbuyo pa ulimi. Kwa mayiwa zaka 76 ndi nambala chabe, ndipo akhala akulimabe ndi kukhala chitsanzo kwa ena. “Moyo wanga ndi ulimi. Kuti china chilichonse chiyende ndi ulimi. Choncho ndidzakhala ndikulima mpaka kalekale. Mphamvu zidakalipo ndithu,” akutero mayi Matindiri, ndipo akuonejezera kuti omwe akuchita ulesi ndi ulimi akhala akapolo a njala.