Group Village Head Chilambwe of Traditional Authority (T/A) Chadza in Lilongwe and Alice Gubudu of T/A Kachere in Dedza – both of them smallholder farmers – are ecstatic about the prospects of eliminating pests in their respective fields.
They believe that dealing with pests will result in increased and improved production, which will help them to meet the food and nutritional needs of their families.
“Over the years, our yields have been declining steadily due to the outbreaks of pests, especially the destructive fall armyworms. I cannot quantify how much I have been losing to the pests, but the destruction has been very substantial,” narrated Chilambwe.
The SGVH and Gubudu made the sentiments at Bunda Campus of the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) where planting breeding and genetics experts are conducting trials on biotech (BT) maize.
Government-subvented National Commission for Science and Technology (NCST) and Open Forum for Agriculture Biotechnology (OFAB) are jointly financing the trials whose major objective is to find a lasting solution to pests that tend to lower yields of the staple grain.
Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics at LUANAR, Moses Maliro, who is leading the project implementation team, admitted that the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops like maize brings in a new aspect in addressing food security problems in Malawi.
It is a new aspect indeed because, in a country where fake news and prejudices against GM crops, experts will have an uphill task to convince the over 19 million population why it should embrace BT maize.
Of course, various studies, including those done in South Africa and Nigeria, spoke highly and positively about the use of GM crops to address problems of food insecurity and malnutrition.
In South Africa, for instance, research on BT and RR maize revealed higher output and less labor. On the other hand, non-GM maize used a significantly higher number of hours of land preparation, weeding, insecticide, herbicide, top dressing, and total labor per hectare than GM maize.
Inspired by these results, LUANAR, NCST and OFAB took an initiative to conduct a trial on BT maize in order to identify a variety that would become a lasting solution to perennial hunger due to droughts and fall armyworms.
On March 11, 2024, the three institutions took members of Parliament (MPs) and dozens of smallholder farmers from different districts to appreciate the progress being made on the confined field trial (CFT) site at Bunda Campus.
Dr. Kingdom Kwapata, one of the lead researchers in the project, said biotechnology has proven to be the most effective way to manage pests, especially in the maize crops.
Kwapata advised the MPs and the farmers to ignore the fears and rumours associated with GM maize, reassuring that GM crops are safe for human consumption.
In his remarks to the MPs and the farmers, LUANAR Vice Chancellor Professor Emmanuel Kaunda lamented that fall armyworms have left many farmers destitute in the country.
Kaunda said the study will therefore benefit of a lot of farmers because it will spawn genetically modified maize that is resistant to adverse climate change conditions.
“Agriculture is the first pillar of our development to achieve 2063 agenda and we want to increase maize production. So, through this trial, we want to find ways through which we can increase maize production and address poverty in Malawi,” he said.
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Caucus on Women, Roseby Gadama, expressed satisfaction with the technology, stressing that this is the only way to go as the country is going through various challenges emanating from climate change.
Gadama urged the government to provide and empower researchers with all the necessary materials so that they are able to achieve their goal.
And speaking after touring the site, Gubudu said as a mother, who bears the burden of fending for the children whenever hunger strikes a home, she will gladly embrace BT maize once the government commercializes it.
“I am ready to grow BT maize even today. Why would I hesitate when I have seen for myself how resistant the variety under trial is to pests and diseases?” said the bemused farmer.
