Eliza Uledi, from Malawi, completed the Marshal Papworth 10-week Short Course in July 2014. Since graduating, Eliza has helped to develop a 7.7 hectare plot that now yields rice, maize, tomatoes and pumpkins in her home town.

Development of the plot involved Eliza working with 62 other farmers to assess the soil type for each crop, and recover neglected irrigation pipes and canals – using a number of skills that Eliza had learnt during her course.

Eliza also workes with farmers to share some of the business techniques she had learnt in the UK, encouraging them to treat the farm as an enterprise.

Eliza said: “Each farmer has taken responsibility for a portion of the plot and we have been able to sell our produce in the marketplace and directly from the farm; making a profit of K950,000 (£103).”

The farm project has allowed Eliza to help improve the skills and knowledge of 62 farmers, who can now pass these valuable techniques on to their children.

She concluded: “Marshal Papworth has allowed me to make a difference in my local community and my country. The original group of farmers are now starting their own small businesses, buying and selling fish near the lakes, trading vegetables, and investing money in new crops. This means that parents can now afford school fees, build better houses, and buy new clothes. They’re even eating better and feeling healthier.”