The Malawi Prisons Service (MPS) has adopted greenhouse farming to improve food security and inmate rehabilitation with Kachere Female Prison producing vegetables year-round despite limited space.
Steve Meke, the service’s publicist said that the technique has proven to be valuable especially in urban prisons where land is scarce.
“Greenhouse farming is proving to be very important for the Malawi Prisons Service, more especially in prisons where we have limited spaces, for example at Kachere Female Prison,” Meke said.
Meke clarified that greenhouses allow prisons to cultivate vegetables continuously, regardless of weather conditions and it improved inmates’ access to nutritious food throughout the year.
“We are employing greenhouse farming techniques and this is proving to be very effective as we are able to cultivate vegetables all year round regardless of the weather, but same time giving our inmates nutritious and healthy foods throughout the year,” he explained.
He further linked better nutrition to the Service’s core mandate of reform, explaining that healthy inmates respond better to rehabilitation programs, which eases their reintegration into the community.
“Inmates who are healthy are able to respond well to the rehabilitation, reformation, and community reintegration efforts,” Meke added.
Kachere Female Prison is among several facilities exploring greenhouse farming as a solution to both food supply challenges and limited agricultural space.
The Malawi Prisons Service has not indicated how many other prisons will adopt the model, but Meke’s remarks suggest the initiative could expand.
