A harvest that ends the hunger struggle

By Jarson Malowa:

For years, Levison Kamleka harvested just three to four bags of maize from his fields.

In the 2025–2026 farming season, his harvest rose to 21 bags after he received support through an anticipatory action intervention implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP).

The 45-year-old farmer from Group Village Mkanda in Senior Chief Mulumbe, Zomba District, has used six bags for food and has 14 remaining.

“I see a future in such initiatives. This is because I am able to get food. It is possible to beat hunger through these initiatives. On a daily basis I plan how to get relish. The days of seeking maize for food are over. My life has changed,” Kamleka says.

His experience shows how timely assistance can help farmers maintain production and secure food supplies when climate shocks threaten their livelihoods.

His story is part of WFP Malawi’s Zero Hunger Village (ZHV) model, which brings together agricultural support, irrigation, school meals, nutrition services, climate information and anticipatory action to address hunger and malnutrition.

The community-driven, performance-based and phased initiative aims to improve food availability, household incomes, children’s health and school attendance while helping communities prepare for droughts, floods and economic shocks.

Launched in September 2025, the model targets 1,200 villages and 54,400 beneficiaries across 14 districts, including Nsanje and Zomba.

In Nsanje District, one of Malawi’s drought-prone areas, irrigation is helping farmers grow crops despite increasingly unreliable rainfall.

Chrissy Edward, 35, from Bithi 1 Village, is among those benefiting from irrigation support under the ZHV model, which WFP is implementing in partnership with Nsanje District Council.

Edward grows rice along the banks of the Shire River. Before accessing irrigation, she harvested two to three bags of rice from her 0.1-hectare plot. In the most recent farming season, she harvested nine bags from the same plot.

“For the first time I have adequate food with a surplus. I am able to sell some bags of rice. I use that money to support my children to go to school,” she says.

Her daughters, Deborah, 15, and Prisca, 11, are in Standard 7 and Standard 6 respectively.

A solar-powered pump draws water from the Shire River and supplies farmers’ fields, allowing them to grow crops beyond the traditional rainy season.

Aline Bingara, 52, from Bithi 2 Village in Traditional Authority Tengani, has also benefited from irrigation. She grows sweet potatoes, maize, rice and vegetables to feed her family and earn money from surplus produce.

“We are planting different crops like sweet potatoes, maize, rice and vegetables. We can sell our harvest and buy uniforms for our beloved children to go to school,” she says.

The single mother of six says irrigation has helped her feed her family throughout the year.

“I am one of the people who stopped relying on rain-fed agriculture a long time ago. I have utilised irrigation and get this chance to support my family. I have also been okay with it because I now plant throughout the year,” she says.

WFP’s integrated resilience interventions combine agricultural production with support for market access, savings and climate risk management.

In Traditional Authority Mbenje in Nsanje, irrigation schemes allow farmers to grow crops up to three times a year.

Established in March 2018, the Tapulumuka Irrigation Scheme covers 6.5 hectares and benefits 98 farmers from several villages in the Group Village Headman area. Each beneficiary has at least 0.1 hectares of land.

Farmers grow onions, tomatoes, eggplants, cabbages, mustard, rape and Chinese cabbage.

The scheme forms part of the Integrated Resilience Programme, which combines food assistance with longer-term measures to help vulnerable communities manage climate shocks, restore ecosystems and improve food security.

Activities include Food Assistance for Assets, climate services, Village Savings and Loans, market support, nutrition-sensitive programming and irrigation.

Annie Moyo, 81, from Mwanabowa Village in Traditional Authority Mbenje, has used the opportunities created by these interventions to improve her living conditions.

She has built a house and a shop, both with electricity, and bought a refrigerator for commercial use.

“I am able to buy my own cold drink and enjoy it. I am so proud because earlier I was very poor. I couldn’t even afford a packet of salt,” she says.

Seleman Mussa, born in 1975, also credits irrigation with improving his family’s circumstances. He has bought a bicycle and a mattress, supported his children’s education and built a house.

“Over the past years, I have been able to raise K1.5 million annually from irrigation. I am happy to say that there was no solution to my poverty then. But now the coming in of this project has rescued me,” he says.

Kamleka’s harvest also demonstrates the value of preparing farmers for climate shocks before they cause severe food shortages.

Malawi faces recurrent droughts, floods and cyclones that disrupt livelihoods and place pressure on emergency response systems.

WFP is working with the Government of Malawi to strengthen anticipatory action by using climate forecasts and early warning information to provide assistance before a predicted shock occurs.

In 2025, real-time drought monitoring was conducted in five districts. Pre-agreed triggers activated a response in four districts, including Zomba.

From November 2025, vulnerable farming households received agricultural inputs, extension services and climate advice, followed by multipurpose cash assistance during the peak lean season.

The support aimed to protect agricultural production and help families avoid harmful coping strategies.

Kamleka was among the farmers who received assistance. His harvest increased from three to four bags of maize to 21, helping his household secure food supplies and reduce the risk of recurring shortages.

School feeding is another part of WFP’s work to improve food security and nutrition.

The Home-Grown School Feeding programme provides nutritious meals to children and creates opportunities for local farmers to supply schools.

It connects agricultural production with education and nutrition, supporting children’s access to meals while creating a market for locally produced food.

In communities where farmers are increasing production and earning income from different crops, school feeding provides additional support for children and local producers.

The ZHV model brings these interventions together through a phased approach that encourages communities to take ownership of local priorities, participate in decision-making and track progress towards improved food security.

Its three core areas are a multi-sectoral approach to increasing agricultural production and incomes, a planet-friendly Home-Grown School Feeding programme to improve education and nutrition, and an integrated nutrition strategy for vulnerable people at different stages of life.

The interventions are introduced in stages to help households increase food production, earn income and meet their basic needs.

The changes are reflected in farmers’ harvests and household assets. Kamleka now harvests 21 bags of maize, compared with three to four previously, while Edward’s rice harvest has increased from two to three bags to nine.

Moyo has built a house and a shop and bought a refrigerator.

Children benefit from nutritious school meals that can support their health and attendance. Communities also gain access to irrigation, climate information and livelihood support to prepare for droughts, floods and other shocks.

Through the ZHV model, WFP and its partners aim to help communities secure reliable food supplies, improve household incomes and reduce their dependence on emergency assistance.