M’mbelwa Council urges Mzimba to adopt deep bed farming technology
People of Mzimba have been encouraged to embrace deep bed farming, a technology Tiyeni Charity Organisation is championing in the district.
M’mbelwa District Council Agricultural Service Committee chairperson Goodnews Banda said this on Thursday during a field day at Ehlekweni where he led crop inspection.
Mzimba, like other districts, has experienced drought due to erratic rains, forcing the council, agriculture office, Tiyeni and its partners, Farm Income Diversification Programme (Fidp) and Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to organise the field day. He was optimistic about food security if people embraced the technology.
Deep bed farming involves the use of locally sourced maize stocks, goat’s droppings as organic manure and weed control with box ridges made for soil and water conservation.
Said Banda: “I am impressed with the maize crop in few farms as a result of this technology.”
He said going by the theme Building Farmers’ Resilience Against Climate change Through Climate Smart Agriculture, the technology has the potential to avert hunger.
Assistant district agricultural development officer for Mzimba North, Perrina Phewa advised people to diversify and embrace drought resistant crops such as cassava, sweet potatoes , among others.
Tiyeni’s filed manager Namelod Phiri said the aim of the field day was to help farmers gain skills on how to counter effects of climate change through use of the improved technology.
