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Thyolo Chief hails Card

Traditional Authority (T/A) Mbawera of Thyolo District has hailed Churches Action in Relief and Development (Card) for complementing government’s effort to ensure food security in the country.

Mbawera was speaking at a manure and conservation agriculture fair organised at his headquarters recently by Card under Enhancing Community Resilience Programme (ECRP).

Conservation agriculture results in a healthy crop like this one
Conservation agriculture results in a healthy crop like this one

He said since ECRP came in with conservation agriculture in his area, people are realising bumper harvests despite the issue of climate change.

Said Mbawera: “Though the food might not be enough due to other reasons, as chief, I can testify before the media that I can now harvest 20 bags of maize from a garden where I used to harvest five bags only.”

He encouraged other chiefs to convince their subjects to use conservation agriculture as it has proved to be effective in his area.

He said: “I believe if all my subjects took conservation agriculture as their mode of farming in four years to come, the issue of hunger would be history in my area and it would also help us become self reliant economically as surplus harvest would be sold.”

He said conservation agriculture also helps to control soil erosion as rain drops cannot cause splashes because the soil is covered by grass.

Card project officer, Chifundo Macheka said conservation agriculture has changed many families’ lives in the district.

She said despite climate change, people must survive through having enough food.

“In the past we could predict that in this particular month we will have rains but nowadays it is unpredictable and the rains are erratic but people must still have food,” she said. Noting that conservation agriculture also helps to keep moisture.

Under ECRP, Card is also promoting village banking, small-scale agribusiness and disaster risk management, among others.—Mana

 

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