Last Wednesday, I attended the Rose Cafe where Ruth Magreta discussed her research and fascinating personal journey growing up in rural Malawi to becoming a doctoral student.  She first discussed her childhood growing up in a village with no running water or electricity.  She had many responsibilities at home, including cooking for her seven siblings and walking miles to get to the market.  What struck me was that after she described one of the hardships in her life, she added that she became comfortable with these conditions, with a smile on her face.  

While many children in her village faced struggles that caused them to drop out of school, Magreta persevered all the way to university.  I was inspired by her story of a revelation she made with her father: all of our natural resources last forever “only if we take good care of them.”  This story encouraged her desire to study agricultural economics, and she now studies the role of agriculture in Malawi.  

Magreta brought up an important point about maize, Malawi’s staple crop.  Although maize is a key income generating crop, droughts can cause up to half of the harvest to be lost.  When droughts strike, farmers find themselves with no income stream, putting strains on their families, particularly when paying for school.  Magreta is pushing for agricultural banks which can help loan money and/or resources for farmers to store surplus crops and provide insurance during droughts to prevent income instability.  

Magreta also discussed how the climate is changing in Malawi, with significant deforestation, floods, and droughts.  This discussion encourages all of us to be responsible stewards on Earth to protect these farmers’ livelihoods which in turn affect everyone’s lives.