‘Adopt new farming technologies’
Foundation for Community Support Services (Focus) field officer Tumbikani Munthali has urged farmers in Mzimba District to adopt new farming technologies to improve their yield.
She said this on Tuesday during a field day demonstration of integrated agriculture and nutrition activities Focus and Rise Against Hunger organised in Philemon Zungu Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Kampingo Sibande in the district.
He said they are promoting modern agricultural technologies such as pit planting and manure-making to ensure bumper yields to improve nutrition among community members.
“New farming technologies are more helpful than conventional agriculture methods,” he said.
Rise Against Hunger nutrition technical adviser Chelsie Azevedo called for collaboration among agriculture and nutrition implementing stakeholders to achieve their goals.
She said nutrition starts in the fields where different crops are grown, as such, it was unacceptable for farmers to grow food crops every year and still communities register poor nutrition.
“There is also a need to simplify nutrition information so that it is easily understood by community members to enable them to have nutritious food throughout the year,” said Azevedo.
Tiwonge Nkhata, a lead farmer who practices pit planting and manure-making technology, said she was expecting a bumper harvest this year.
With funding from Rise Against Hunger, USA, Focus is implementing a K200 million Harvesting Prosperity and Resilience Project in T/As Kampingo Sibande and M’Mbelwa in Mzimba and in Karonga District.
