By Charles Mkula, Malawi WHF Media Contact
The life of 26 year old Mark Chauluka revolves around the open braai he uses to roast meat at Mponela Trading Centre in Malawi’s central region district of Dowa.
Lately, he says he sees his future crumbling right before his very eyes.
“Climate change is indeed real,” he says explaining: “Beef and goat meat are now in short supply because the butchery owners who bring them have now to travel long distances in search of the meat.”
Mponela and other surrounding areas do not rear cattle, goat or sheep for commercial purposes, he says.
“Now that climate change has destroyed the environment the animals do not have anywhere to graze,” Chauluka explains. He says that instead people have to travel long distances to places such as the Ngoni dominated lands of Mzimba, about 150 kilometres away.
Traditionally, Ngoni’s are a cattle herding patrimonial community and use cattle for dowry and festivities, a key issue in the tribe. They say, a Ngoni without cattle is useless and may have challenges to marry.
Chauluka explained his situation as the We Have Faith – Act Now for Climate Justice Malawi campaign, led by the Malawi Council of Churches (MCC), made a stopover at Mponela during its cycling awareness campaign which begun on the 8th October in the country’s central region district of Mchinji and is headed for the northern district of Karonga.
Studies indicate that climate change is hitting hard on poor and vulnerable communities and mostly small scale business people like Chauluka whose life depends on livestock production which is a key asset for poor people that fulfills many economic, social and risk management functions.
A study by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) acknowledges the impact of climate change is expected to heighten the vulnerability of livestock systems and reinforce existing factors that are affecting livestock production systems, such as rapid population and economic growth, rising demand for food (including livestock) and products,7conflict over scarce resources (land tenure, water, biofuels, etc).
Speaking at a We Have Faith – Act Now for Climate Change concert organised in the capital city, Lilongwe, MCC Acting General Secretary Gilford Matonga observed that most rural communities are losing their environment including their livestock assets which depend on the same environment.
He notes that since climate change became an issue Malawi has been experiencing higher temperatures and changing rainfall patterns, which has led to the increase in vector-borne diseases and macroparasites,as well as the emergence of new diseases. Hyphen News
