Article By John Saukira
Floods robbed Chrissy Thomson, a mother of two from the area of Traditional Authority Kachindamoto in Dedza during the 2014/ 2016 Growing season.
This season again, prolonged drought has milked his family leaving her desperate of where to get her next meal alongside her two children.
“We don’t know what will happen this year because have just harvested very little,” Said Thomasi.
The same scenario is Mangochi where people are surviving on local fruits called Chipombe.
Two Mangochi residents from the area of traditional authority Nankumba confirmed that maize gardens wilted when they were at tussling stage.
Bunda College, constituent College of Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Head of Department, Professor Alexander Phiri, says tussling stage in maize is very crucial because it requires more water for the cobs to develop.
Professor Phiri has since advised people of Mangochi, Dedza and other drought affected areas to start small scale irrigation.
Phiri advised Malawians not to wait from charity Organisations or from Government they start with little resources they have.
Zomba based Local NGO Namikango Mission of the Church has already rolled out a project aimed at reaching out affected people in Dedza, Mangochi, Zomba, Dowa and Lilongwe, Mulanje and Phalombe.
The NGO is distributing fortified Maize flour targeting orphans, the elderly people and physically challenged people, who cannot be able to move long distances fetching
for food.
Project officer, Wilson Tembo says; “We target orphans, the elderly and physically challenged
people because they are mostly disadvantaged. They have little effort to help themselves.”
Tembo says the project is targeting more than 6,500 beneficiaries.
Vulnerability Assessment Committee report project last year that 2.8Million Malawians would require food assistant.
Malawi President Peter Mutharika recently declared Malawi a State of Disaster on hunger following the hunger which looming across the country.
Different sectors have already called upon Malawi farmers not to sell maize to vendors.
World Food Programme project that 60 Million people faces hunger following the El Niño which hit most parts of the Southern Africa and Malawi was recorded as the worst.
Malawi is a signatory to Global campaign on the right to food.
The campaign is being champion by the Food Agricultural Organisation (FAO).
The report on right to food was launched during a two-day event organized in Rome by the
International Food Security Network (IFSN) on 30 and 31 March 2016.
