Mangochi coalition urges district council to commit to food policies
The initiative, supported by the German government through WHH Malawi, aims to empower communities to advocate for their right to food.
MANGOCHI, Malawi— The Mangochi Right to Food Coalition is pressing local authorities to implement policies ensuring food and nutrition security in this southeastern Malawi district, writes Martin Kamlaike.
Joseph Chamambala, vice chairperson for the Mangochi Civil Society Network, addressed district council officials Friday following a four-day training workshop on the Right to Food project.
"We have identified policies, strategies and issues that, if well implemented, would fulfill the right to food for people of Mangochi," Chamambala said.
He noted "limited commitment and weak coordination" at the council level hinder progress toward the global Right to Food for Everyone initiative.
Chamambala emphasized the council's crucial role in allocating resources to priority areas that can improve lives in the district.
He also stressed the importance of collaboration between government and non-state actors.
Hanel Manani, Mangochi District Agriculture Officer, acknowledged the need for enhanced collaboration and community awareness. "
The council and CSOs can be talking about the right to food in the offices without nothing tangible on the ground as a result of unawareness about the right in the communities," Manani said.
He committed to launching an awareness campaign throughout the district.
Maziko Nkhulembe, Programs Officer of Civil Society Agriculture Network (CISANET), highlighted Malawi's progress in adopting food-related policies over the past 20 years.
However, he noted persistent challenges: "We reflected also on the things that we think we could have done better, or we need a bit more attention and investment to ensure that we are closing off the gaps that are currently existing."
Summie Mwayiwasa, Project Coordinator for Welthungerhilfe Malawi (WHH), explained the choice of Mangochi for the project: "Mangochi is a very interesting district for us as WHH because I think we have been building on a number of food and nutrition security projects."
She added that the district's Traditional Authority Makanjira is "one of the underserved communities in Malawi," with limited access to social services.
CISANET, in collaboration with the Centre for Social Accountability Trust (CSAT), is implementing the Strengthening Rural Governance on the Right to Adequate Food for All project in Mangochi.
The initiative, supported by the German government through WHH Malawi, aims to empower communities to advocate for their right to food.