Climate change is making itself felt in Malawi. Farmers used to know when the rains would come, when they should sow the seed in their nurseries, dig their fields, plant out the seedlings and when they would harvest. All this has become much more difficult. The rains may come early but then there could be long periods when there is no rain. Or the rains are so heavy that there is flooding, which could sweep away the seed. There may be lack of water at crucial stages of the rice plant’s development. And so on. In short: rice needs a steady supply of water to reach its optimal state and changing patterns of rainfall are making this very difficult to achieve if one is dependent solely on rain. The solution lies in a combination of rain and irrigation. In the Karonga area there is a plentiful supply of ground water at a depth of 5-6 m. This is fed not only by rain but from Lake Malawi. Farmers dig shallow wells, lining them with concrete rings which they cast themselves. They can then pump out water onto their fields using either solar or diesel pumps. JTS has received a grant from the Scottish Government and is working with Mzuzu University’s Centre for Water and Sanitation to train farmers in the proper management of water resources. They are also being assisted by Water Witness International, an Edinburgh-based NGO, which is working to get the farmers certification as responsible water users.