Malawi: Food security for farmers key to feeding families

SILVER SPRING, Md. — With the number of hungry people reaching record levels in parts of southern Africa, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has been working in central Malawi to improve food access among some 600 farming households in a region of the country characterized by chronic food insecurity.

The Kalumba Food Security Project, launched in 2006 with funding from ADRA Canada, is providing emergency food distribution, agricultural assistance and training, health and nutrition education, improved water access through well installation, and better employment opportunities, which are helping to increase household incomes through goat rearing initiatives and the installation of a new corn mill. By its completion in July, the project will have provided immediate and long-term assistance for 231 villages under the Kalumba Traditional Authority, in the Lilongwe District.

"One of the first things that we did was establish farmers clubs in the region," said Emanuel Costa, country director for ADRA Malawi. "This helped our participating members to take ownership of the project and build on the communitarian culture of Malawi. It also helped to ensure the sustainability of the work that has been done here even after we have left."

Through the project, ADRA was able to distribute corn, beans, and peanuts to vulnerable families within the targeted region. ADRA also distributed farming tools and inputs, including hoes, corn, groundnuts and vegetable seeds to participating farmers to help them increase their productivity. Beneficiaries also learned new farming methods that helped them improve organic fertilizer preparation, seed selection, and food storage.

By installing the corn mill, several project members have been able to take advantage of a new source of employment within the community, as the mill has improved the economic activity in the area. The proximity of the new mill has also meant that residents no longer have to walk the more than seven miles (12 kilometers) to reach the closest mill, an essential part of village life before the project began.

Communities also took part in a health and nutrition training, where they learned about HIV/AIDS prevention and ways to manage vegetable gardens in order to improve the overall nutrition of their families.

The goat rearing activity helped beneficiary families improve their incomes, as the animals provided meat, milk, and new calves, which can be sold for a profit. ADRA also installed 21 wells, improving their access to clean water throughout the region. Beneficiaries also learned the importance of natural resource management, planting cassia trees, which have already begun to provide shelter within the communities and are also an excellent source of firewood and commercial timber.

"This project has had many benefits, the most valuable, I think, is the feeling of unity that the project has fostered within the community," said Costa. "However, despite all of the benefits, there is still room for continued growth in the region."

Since 1982, ADRA Malawi has been working in the areas of disaster relief, water and sanitation, HIV and AIDS, family planning, agriculture, primary health, basic education, and empowerment of vulnerable groups, such as women and children.

ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race, or ethnicity.