UN demands change in agriculture
By Audrey Kapalamula:
United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, has said the country should find ways that would make it less dependent on rain-fed agriculture.
Lowcock, who was in the country on a two-day visit, said climate change is having a negative impact on people’s ability to earn a living.
He made the remarks when he visited Salima District, where he interacted with people impacted by the 2018/19 lean season.
“The population is much higher than it used to be and it’s harder for people to make a living using traditional means of farming. Therefore, we need to make farming more productive and become less dependent on rain-fed agriculture,” he said
Malawi has an estimated 3.3 million people facing hunger due to, according to the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee, heavy rains and the fall armyworm.
Director of Response and Recovery in the Department of Disaster Management Affairs, Paul Kalilombe, hailed the UN for its commitment to promoting food security.
“The UN is giving us some of the resources, in terms of funds,” he said
First-round crop production survey estimates have shown that the country may harvest a total of 3,387,587 metric tonnes, depending on weather conditions.
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