Community hails irrigation scheme

People of sub-Traditional Authority Masache in Chikwawa District have commended Round Table Malawi for establishing a K16 million irrigation scheme to enable community members to grow crops throughout the year.

Speaking on Tuesday during the handover of the scheme, Nenani Malunga, a community member from Geliyasi Village, said irrigation farming will improve food security in the district.

“Chikwawa experiences either floods or dry spells, as such, irrigation farming is a solution to food-insecurity,” he said.

Malunga said many people in the area lost their crops to Tropical Storm Ana-induced floods and were looking forward to replanting maize on the scheme.

Chikwawa South legislator Ilyas Karim (Malawi Congress Party) said the scheme will encourage people to live in upland areas because they will be able to grow crops.

“Most people live in flood-prone areas to cultivate crops, which is risky during the rainy season,” he said.

Round Table Malawi president Jason Pereira said they drilled a borehole and installed a solar water pump system to easily direct water into channels.

“We wanted to support about 700 households with sustainable means of getting food and earning their livelihoods as it is not good to always depend on handouts for survival,” he said.

Scottish Malawi Foundation chairperson Robert Anderson, whose organisation funded the project, said they partnered the tablers because they believe it is vital that philanthropy is led from Malawi.

“Since 2005 the Scottish Malawi Foundation has supported development of local philanthropy in Malawi such as Likhubula House on Mulanje Mountain,” he said.

Other donors include Quarry King, SS Rent A Car, General Tinsmith, Blue Cloud Dynamics and New Idea Water Pump Services.