KARONGA, The Community of Karonga district which is in the northern part of Malawi has on Saturday express satisfactory over the duties of Self Help Africa which is amongst the leading local organizations in the country for equipping the farming community with appropriate technologies that have assisted them to maximize their production.
Speaking during an exchange visit function at Vuwa and Chikombwe in the area of Village Headman Mchekacheka in Traditional Authority (TA) Mwirang’ombe which was attended by farmers from all five traditional leaders in the district, the chairperson for Mwirang’ombe Area Civil Protection Committee (ACPC) Mwembe Msowoya said with the knowledge they have been given from the organization they are now able to deal with issues of climate change which has mostly affected the farming production.
According to Msowoya, the newly learned techniques enables the community to detect the rain season patterns of the year in long run coming up with strategies that will be resilient to the rainfall hence farmers yields more regardless of the climate change circumstances.
“As farmers in Karonga we appreciate the work that Self Help Africa Organization through DISCOVER project is doing in our district because we can say proudly that hunger is now an old history due to the new farming technologies we have been equipped such as conservation agriculture which deals with drought meaning even if the rainfall is an adequate we can still harvest more,” said Msowoya.
“For instance 2014 to 2015 rain season the rainfall was inadequate but we have managed to aggregate an impressive 300 pails of maize per plot which is an impressive achievement in long run we are also helping government achieving the country’s goal of attaining food self sufficiency for every citizen in Malawi.”
Adding that “apart from this the organization also gave us pigs and goats through our clubs but as I am speaking to you I have 29 pigs from the two I was shared by the club, because of this all the financial problems I had before has gone as I am able to sell the pigs whenever I want the money, just imagine, the minimum price for a pig currently is K50,000 in our district.”
He then appealed to various stakeholders in the sector to emulate the example that the organization has demonstrated in supporting farmers in the country with all kinds of initiative in order to produce more yields.
In his remarks the Project’s Disaster Risk Management and Crop Officer Blessing Mlowoka urged the community to continue practicing the strategies leaned even if the project ends.
“Am very happy seeing that people in all the five Traditional Authority are appreciating the work of DICOVER as well as putting into use every technology leaned so that other people can emanate the good ways and notice its importance,” said Mlowoka.
Adding that “however as NGO’s we have leaned with great shock that most of times when the project fades away, the community also stop following the good ways of that organization hence am pleading with you farmers that when we end the project everyone should continue practicing the strategies so that it bears fruits all time.”
The Self Help Africa Organization is implementing a five years DISCOVER Project in Karonga with its main goal is to support and strengthening the resilience of smallholder farmers in the district through the diversification of agriculture production, including livestock to achieve improved household food, nutrition and income security and is expected to phase out in March 2017.
