Neno residents intensify hunger fight

Planting of early mature and drought-resistant crops has been singled out as one way of tackling perennial hunger caused by erratic rains in Neno.

Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) community-based facilitator Tamikani Mughogho said this last week during a field day at Kasamba Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Symon in the district where farmers are implementing new farming methods under the Strengthen Community Resilience to Climate Change Project.

The project engages farmers in planting of hybrid and local drought-resistant crops, irrigation, manure making and fertiliser multiplication, tree planting and natural forest regeneration, soil and water management, and crop diversification, among other components, to adapt to climate change.

Mughogho said farmers should embrace hybrid and drought-resistant crops to harvest enough even in the wake of erratic rains.
“These varieties mature with fewer rains and offer farmers bumper harvest. It is high time we diversified our food basket, not only maize. Plant local drought-resistant crops like sorghum, pigeon and cow peas, millet and cassava that we can depend on when maize fails,” she said.

Mughogho further said communities should implement other conservation agriculture practices to enhance their resilience to climate shocks.
One of the community members from Malimba Farmers’ Field School, Chiyanjano Moyo, hailed EAM for the project that has increased farm yields in the area.