Kolping Society of Malawi has launched a nine-year intervention to strengthen food security and reduce poverty among smallholder farmers in Kasungu amid rising fertiliser costs and limited access to extension services in the district.
In his remarks on Friday during a District Executive Committee meeting in Kasungu, the society’s managing director Leah Nyondo said the initiative seeks to promote economic development and social protection among smallholder households in rural Malawi.
She said the project mainly targets smallholder farmers because they constitute the majority of farmers in Malawi and are among the most vulnerable to hunger and poverty.
| Cynthia mphepo
Nyondo observed that despite being the backbone of the country’s agriculture sector, many smallholder farmers continue to struggle to achieve meaningful productivity due to poor farming practices and inadequate technical support.
“The government is doing its part through extension services, but the number of farmers is far greater than the available extension workers. As a project, we are coming in to bridge that gap so that together we can fight hunger and poverty among our farmers,” she said.
Nyondo further said the organisation will also train farmers in organic farming as an affordable alternative to inorganic fertiliser, whose high cost has become a major challenge for many rural households.
Kasungu district director of planning and development Simeon Labana described the coming of Kolping Society of Malawi in the district as timely and crucial in addressing agricultural and socio-economic challenges affecting the area.
“We have high expectations because their focus on agriculture and economic development aligns with some of the priority areas the council is working hard to achieve,” she said.
Besides Kasungu, the project is also running in Chitipa, Karonga, Rumphi, Mzimba, Ntcheu and Dedza.
The initiative, which is to run from 2026 to 2035, is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through Kolping International.
