A small-scale farmer in northern Malawi, Emily Nkhana used to discard over-ripe bananas or just let them rot, but she has now found a profitable use for them - banana wine.
Extreme heat was causing bananas to ripen too quickly, resulting in heavy losses for Ms Nkhana and many other farmers who live in Karonga district.
“Then we discovered how to make banana wine,” she tells the BBC, as she peels lemons that would be used to preserve the taste of bananas at the processing plant of Twitule Cooperative Group.
For the farmers, it is not just about making wine - but also survival, resilience, and embracing the new possibilities that come with a changing climate.
They used to farm next to the shores of Lake Malawi and their banana plantations were being washed away by rising water levels due to increased rainfall, forcing them to move to higher but hotter grounds, where temperatures soar to 42C.
“Down at the old farm, our challenge was loads of water from the lake. Some of the bananas used to drown in water. Some, you couldn't even see where we planted. The rise of banana wine in Malawi has been met with enthusiasm from both producers and consumers.
At local markets, bottles of banana wine, which sell for $3 (£2.30), are now a common sight, with vendors eager to showcase their latest creations.
“We sell them at markets across Malawi, in the capital Lilongwe and in the biggest city Blantyre and it is always sold out,” says Tennyson Gondwe, the chief executive of Community Savings and Investment Promotion (Comsip), a cooperative that has trained the women in wine production to ensure quality and taste.
Ms Nkhana says that making wine, rather than just selling raw bananas which often go to waste, has transformed her life, and those of the other women.
"Some of us built houses, some have livestock and some have chickens. We can afford to eat decent meals."
The Twitule co-operative produces between 20-50 litres of wine a month and is hoping to buy machines to help them expand. Continue reading
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