Chakwera banks on partners for resilience
President Lazarus Chakwera says he believes international partnerships are key to strengthening Malawi’s resilience against the impact of climate change.
He said this in Lilongwe yesterday when he presided over the opening of a two-day Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (Sacau) Annual Conference.
Being held under the theme ‘Putting farmers at the centre of climate resilience through multi-stakeholder cooperation’, the conference comes after Malawi faced a bombardment of natural disasters, sending shockwaves across the food production lines.
Chakwera said international partnerships have been critical in building the country’s resilience.
He said: “Working together with our international partners, including through Sacau, we can develop robust strategies to mitigate these impacts across our region, because the climate change impacts that have been ravaging Malawi are the same that are ravaging your countries.”
The President said his administration was eager to have insights, through the conference, as to how to line up a defence system to protect farmers.
Meanwhile, Sacau president Sinare Sinare said in an interview that the disasters facing countries in the region cannot be addressed at national level.
He said: “The cyclone that hit Malawi, the El Nino effect, you realise that these are the big issues that are affecting farmers today. These cannot be solved at country level. The solution is in looking at them regional, continental and global level.
“That is why this particular year we are focusing on loss and damage. How can we compensate smallholder farmers and agricultural value chain players.”
National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (Nasfam) and the Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) are hosting the conference.
It will explore critical topics such as technological innovations in agriculture, climate solutions, and opportunities for young agri-preneurs, according to FUM president Maness Nkhata.
Sacau comprises 19 members drawn from the Sadc countries other than Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola.
