A small farm run by 6 permenant members of staff is the base for the Manda project. This farm works as a testing ground for new agricultural techniques that may be implemented and tuaght to farmers who are part of the trust. João Bernado Manyamba (Farm Manager, Agricultural Training Specialist ) (pictured below) and Hilda (Agriculture training specialist at MWAP) (pictured right) travel to an agriculture college in Zimbabwe where they are taught many forms of permaculture and sustainable livestock techniques.
The main focus of the Manda trust is to provide a system for teaching sustainable agriculture to farmers in the communites that are part of the trust. Agriculture building centres in three of these communities allow interaction between Manda and the community much more freely and provide seed banks for the farmers each season.
Once a month the six members of staff go out to the villages who are part of the MWAP and spend a few days with the farmers of each community teaching them permaculture. In this way the projects are always evolving with new information on a regular basis keeping farmers involved and benefiting from the programme.
In the last three years, school gardens have also been built to be used as educational bases. Providing lessons in permaculture to both the teachers and students using the gardens as a practical resource.