International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) says there is need to ensure that farmers are provided with the appropriate and required technologies in line with the soil type together with financing for the agriculture sector to thrive.
IFAD Representative in Malawi Bernadette Mukonyora made the remarks during an Agriculture filed day at Chisepo Mega Demonstration Farm in Traditional Authority Kayembe in Dowa.
The project falls under the Sustainable Agriculture Production Programme (SAPP) II to be implemented over a seven year period from 2024-2030 with financing from IFAD.
Mukunyora said she was particularly impressed to see community members and farmers speaking research in their own simplified way, through various fertilizer and soil health technologies and good agricultural practices being applied by farmers.
She further stated that the farmers were able to explain what researchers are doing meaning they have a good appreciation of the benefits of the technologies and how this can improve their livelihoods and food security at the household level and being able to make a surplus to sell.
The IFAD Representative pointed out that from the crisis in Ukraine where there was a shortage of grain in African countries and globally, lessons were learnt and is upbeat of Africa’s potential to be the region’s breadbasket and being able to feed itself and the world.
She however noted this can only materialize unless agriculture research for development is taken seriously with proper investments whilst stressing that the research done should be driven by the markets.
During the field day, the use of area based fertilizer was one of the technologies that was being promoted alongside technology very specific for maize production in Dowa with a pledge that if that particular technology is applied, farmers would be able to produce about 5 tonnes per hectare.
“So the aspirations of IFAD as a financial institution with the sole mandate to support rural livelihood development, smallholder agriculture transformation is to see African countries Malawi in particular because of the huge agricultural potential, arable land we are also doing irrigation, markets and commercialization under trade; we want to see agricultural intensification, crop intensification.
“Currently Malawian farmers are not producing the yields that we expect even the 5 tonnes per hectare its huge its significant, but Malawi still remains behind when you look at the other neighbours Zimbabwe in terms of maize therefore using around 8 tonnes per hectare.
“The aspiration of IFAD is to see that farmers are provided with the right technologies that they require which are appropriate to their location, their agroecology, the soil type and also provided with financing because without the financing they’re not in a position to provide the inputs that they require and all the variable services that are needed for the agriculture sector to thrive”
Stella Momba, a cassava producer from Chimkoko village Traditional Authority Kayembe explained that she observes a 90 centimetres spacing for cassava meant for subsistence while for commercial farming a 45 centimetres spacing is implemented.
Among others, she uses the crop as flour and relish to promote healthy living especially among the school going children.
“Growing the cassava crop is not that costly as there is no need to buy chemicals for pest control because it just requires good care and it doesn’t need too much rainfall.
“As a result of me growing this crop, hunger is no longer a problem for my household and I’m self-reliant; have managed to buy goats, chicken and I’m very confident that the best is yet to come”
From the same cassava business, she is also able to pay for her children’s school fees.
About 80,000 smallholder farmers are being targeted under the project whose aim is to contribute towards wealth creation and improving food and nutrition security among Malawi’s rural population.
