Malawi Agriculture Officials Push Farmers to Prepare Land Now
Officials particularly emphasized the importance of removing old cotton stems, which can harbour diseases.
NSANJE, Malawi — Agricultural authorities in Malawi's Shire Valley region are urging farmers to accelerate land preparation as the planting season approaches amid concerns about unpredictable rainfall patterns, writes Moses Thole.
Abraham Danton, communication officer for the Shire Valley Agricultural Development Division (SVADD), warned on Friday that farmers in Nsanje and Chikwawa districts are falling behind in critical pre-planting tasks.
"Every farmer who turned farming into a business as of now has to clear the land," Danton said.
"We are appealing to all farmers who until now have not gone through that process to do so quickly."
Officials particularly emphasized the importance of removing old cotton stems, which can harbour diseases.
"Those stems, when left unremoved, transmit diseases to the next season, leading to low productivity," Danton explained.
While some farmers have heeded the call, observations indicate many fields remain unprepared. Mofolo Njanji, a farmer from Bangula in Nsanje District, represents the proactive minority.
"I have prepared my land because rain nowadays falls anytime following climate change," said Njanji, who plans to plant millet across four acres.
The situation in Shire Valley contrasts with other regions of Malawi, including Blantyre, Ntcheu, Balaka, and Lilongwe, where farmers have already begun planting following recent heavy rains.
Agricultural experts worry that delays in land preparation could disrupt the farming calendar and impact yields during the 2025-2026 growing season, particularly given the region's increasingly erratic rainfall patterns.