Nsanje people urged to embrace irrigation

Nsanje district director of agriculture services James Litchapa has asked people to embrace irrigation farming to improve food security.

He said this on Thursday at Gooke Irrigation Scheme in Traditional Authority Mlolo on the sidelines of a winter field day that his office organised.

Litchapa said the district is facing acute food shortage emanating from the aftermath of the prolonged dry spells in the last growing season.

He said: “For instance on food security we are at 41 percent, meaning that out of 100 people, 41 people are not food-secure and they are depending on buying maize at markets.

“We have established that this month the maize price is ranging between K45 000 and K48 000. We anticipate that come December the price of maize could reach K60 000 and above.”

Litchapa said they are focusing on irrigation agriculture and the use of new farming technologies.

“We encourage farmers to organise themselves and source funding from National Economic Empowerment Fund and Agriculture Commercialisation to improve crop production,” he said.

Shire Valley Agriculture Development Division programmes manager Taurayi Mlewah said field days seek to share farming technologies with farmers.

“Farmers are able to learn conservation agriculture, irrigation aspects and fish farming,” he said.

A farmer Joseph Bello said he embraced new farming technologies.

“We also utilise the scheme to grow maize three times a year,” he said.

Another farmer Mpatsa Margaret Mpenga said she learnt a lot from the demonstrations.

Gooke Irrigation Scheme has 122 lead farmers.

The theme for the day was ‘Enhanced integrated farming: A key to sustainable climate change resilience, food, income and nutrition security’.