Dr Noliya Mponya thinks Malawi need to domesticate the Thabalaba plant. The plant which produces thick yellow roots and hairy stems and leaves whose scientific name is Jateorhiza palmata, looks like any other tuberous root. The plant native to tropical South Eastern African countries namely Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, looks like cassava for its brownish outlook. The tubers are processed into slices which are then dried. It is the dried pieces that are sold to vendors.
However, Thabalaba which is also known as Miers, is no ordinary root. It has monetary value as it is used in the manufacture of various medicines for various ailment. It is therefore not surprising to find vendors from across the country flocking to Matandwe area in Nsanje, Malawi’s Southernmost district, near the border with Mozambique.
No wonder, the government of Malawi has been investing in scientific research to ascertain the viability of domesticating Thabalaba so as grow it can be grown as a cash crop in the area known for its high temperatures.
Mponya, is the lead scientist in the domestication study of Thabalaba. She says after 12 months of research, Thabalaba has proven it can be grown as a domesticated crop and it is up to government and other stakeholders to promote its cultivation by local farmers.
“Thabalaba is a high value plant which Malawi as a country should promote as it offers many benefits to the local people in particular and also for the country as a whole.” Said Mponya who is the Principal Research Scientist at Malawi Plant Genetic Resources Centre.
Vendors flock to Matandwe where they buy the roots from locals at as low as US$0.05 taking advantage of the local people’s ignorance about the actual value of the root. The vendors resell the Thabalaba roots to exporters at over 800 percent profit to exporters who earn between US$2 and US$3 per kilogramme in Asian markets. According to 2020 Malawi Annual Economic Report, in 2023-2024 financial year, Malawi exported a total of 41,000 kg of Thabalaba roots to various countries where they are processed into pharmaceutical products.
According to Dr Mponya, cultivation of Miers by local people, which takes eleven months to mature and is drought resistant, can also address issues of ecology disturbance as a result of people digging up the soil in search of the roots which have proven to contain codaine, morphine, anti-cancer and anti-venom properties. It has a potential to replace cotton as the main crop of Shire Valley sub-region since cotton is increasingly becoming less attractive to farmers due to low prices offered by buyers.
“Another pleasing thing is that Miers can be grown alongside other crops. If we domesticate it, cases of ecological disturbance as a result of digging up soil in the forest reserve will tremendously decrease.” She says.
With such value, the government of Malawi thinks the tuber plant need to be grown at household level so that people are able to make money from it and improve their lives in a country which the United Nations classify as one of the Least Developed Countries due to its lowest indicators of socioeconomic development.
“Thabalaba is the country’s newly found gold which has a potential to contribute to the country’s economy by generating foreign exchange. It is profitable and surely we need to domesticate it so that we can empower our people economically which in turn could go a long way in saving the forest reserve from deforestation.” Says Dr Owen Chomanika who is the Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change.
Chomanika said in order to combat exploitation of natural resources, his ministry through the Department of Environmental Affairs developed the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) guidelines to ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of genetic resources in line with the Nagoya Protocol to which Malawi a party to.
Deforestation, disturbance and destruction of ecosystems and landscapes coupled with loss of habitats have led to declining biodiversity in Nsanje in particular and Malawi as a whole. This has necessitated conservation efforts in order to salvage the little that remains. So far there are three conservation groups in the area who are taking care of various lots within Matandwe Forest Reserve. Among the group is Mwanda Thabalaba Conservation Association whose chairperson is Lucy Donasi explained that Miers tuber have transformed their livelihoods such that they are able to provide for the needs of their dependents.
“Thabalaba tubers have changed our lives as most women in this area who joined our Conservation Association, have seen their economic life tremendously improved as a result of proceeds from the sale of tubers. I am no able to pay for my children’ school fees after selling Thabalaba.” Says Donasi
Shire Valley Transformation Programme (SVTP) has provided resources into the conservation efforts of Matandwe Forest Reserve which is home to the endangered pygmy chameleon which was thought to be extinct. SVTP is a government ambitious flagship project aimed at transforming the Shire Valley sub-region of Malawi into an economic hub through commercial irrigation agriculture and transportation.
The project is being co-financed by the Malawi Government, World Bank, African Development Bank, and Opec Fund for International Development (OFID) and upon completion will irrigate 43,330 hectares of land by extracting water from the Shire River at Kapichira Dam and convey to the irrigable fields in Chikwawa and Nsanje districts through canals. The objective of the programme is to transform subsistence smallholder farmers into commercial ones. It is expected to directly benefit 220,000 people in the 48,000 households in of the two districts.
SVTP says it felt duty bound to join in the conservation of Matandwe Forest Reserve because conservation and natural resources management are an integral parts of the irrigation project they are undertaking. SVTP decided to enhance livelihoods of people surrounding the SVTP irrigation area by promoting natural resources management interventions which include cultivation of Thabalaba.
“Irrigation on its own cannot be sustainable if we fail to conserve the environment. If Matandwe Forest Reserve is depleted of its forest cover, there will be increased cases of siltation in the canals at some point which could disrupt farming activities.” Says Limbani Gomani who is the SVTP Project Coordinator.
Gomani goes on to say they since Thabalaba is marketable and the people have been empowered by cutting out middlemen who were exploiting people by offering lowest prices for the commodity which in turn is making households earn decent income from the trade, he hopes communities will stop cutting down trees in the protected area of Matandwe Forest Reserve. The 26,000 hectare forest was gazetted as a reserve in 1931. It is a source of multiple rivers which act as tributaries of the Shire River, Malawi’s biggest river which empties its water into the Zambezi.
Matandwe Forest Reserve is a vital resource for biodiversity. It is part of Malawi’s rich biological diversity encompassing a wide array of species, habitats and ecosystems. Globally, biodiversity is under threat from many factors. Despite the fact that humans make up a tiny 0.01 percent of all life on planet earth, they have destroyed 83 percent of wild animals and half of the plants. It is everyone’s duty to do their part in conserving the little that remains.