Mangochi Agriculture Office has urged farmers to adopt organic manure to conserve the environment and improve agricultural productivity amid rising costs of chemical fertiliers.
The district’s agriculture crops officer Masautso Njolomole made the call on Tuesday at Hamisi Makanjira Headquarters in the district during Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency (Csat) community mobilisation campaign for flood disaster response.
| Ayamba Kandodo
“Using organic manure enriched with urea and NPK provides farmers with a balanced nutrient supply that improves soil fertility and microbial activity while boosting crop productivity,” he said.
Njolomole said the initiative promotes long-term sustainability by boosting soil resilience and contributing to environmental conservation.
He also urged farmers to harvest and conserve water locally in light of the predicted El Niño weather by practising contour ridging and constructing swales along marker ridges.
Traditional Authority (T/A) Hamisi Makanjira thanked Csat for the mobilisation campaign and humanitarian support, saying it will help communities adjust their farming practices based on weather forecasts.
“This will cushion the affected families by giving them something to fall back on as they get back on their feet,” he said.
One of the farmers, Hajira Hanifu, who is also a member of Fort Maguire Area Development Committee, pledged to adopt organic manure and other modern farming practices to maximise crop production.
Csat Right to Food project lead Moffat Phiri urged communities to follow the technical guidance provided by the agriculture team.
He said the recovery initiative has come at a time when difficult weather conditions were forecast, urging farmers to cooperate to achieve positive results.
Csat is conducting community mobilisation ahead of the distribution of cash and farm inputs to flood-affected households in T/As Lulanga and Hamisi Makanjira.
The organisation is implementing the Right to Food in Africa: From Policy to Plate project in the district with support from the Germany Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through Welthungerhilfe in the district.
