As one way of conserving the environment, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has trained people from SADC region and Chikwawa on building resilience to climate shocks.
Speaking at the end of the training on Sunday Asset Creation and Livelihoods Team Leader for WFP from Rome, Lorenzo Bosi, said the aim of the training was to protect the environment through building capacities of communities from Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, eSwatini and Lesotho.
“Across the world we are experiencing different disasters as a result of climate shocks as such as World Food Programme, we decided to train people on how they can protect the environment,” said Bosi.
“We have trained them in making deep trenches used to capture water and allow it to safely infiltrate into the soil, eyebrow basins/half-moon used to capture water for trees, stone bands which form a barrier that slows down water runoff and stone terraces among other things that are constructed where the land is sloping and erosion is a threat, ” added Bosi.
Director of Agriculture Environment and Natural Resources for Chikwawa Donald Ghambi commended WFP for the initiative saying it will help in farming.
“This is a great and welcome development because it will reduce soil erosion in the district and farmers will be getting a lot in return of their hard work because soil will be more fertile, ” said Ghambi.
A participant who attended the training, Rose Wilson from GVH Sande, T/A Ngabu in the district said she will apply the skills they have learnt from World Food Programme to conserve the environment.
Head of Earth Sciences at Malawi University of Sciences and Technology (MUST) Dr Isaac Tchuwa appreciated WFP for involving universities because issues of sustainability will be easier.
The training was facilitated by trainers from Malawi public universities and WFP personnel from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, eSwatini and Lesotho.
