Nansen project boosts Malawi farmers' food security, income: Officials
The approximately K1.45 billion project aimed to improve access to nutrition-dense diets, reduce food loss, and increase production capacities of smallholder farmers in Malawi.
LILONGWE, Malawi — A one-year agricultural initiative in central Malawi has been hailed as a success by implementing partners, who say it has significantly improved food security and income for smallholder farmers, writes Martin Kamlaike.
The Nansen project, supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) through Norwegian Church Aid and DanChurchAid, targeted farmers in Mchinji, Kasungu, and Dowa districts.
Richard Museka, Total Land Care (TLC) Nansen Project Manager in Mchinji, told reporters during a media tour, "For the one-year running, I think this program can be rated as successful. Farmers or beneficiaries narrate good stories about the program."
The project, which reached approximately 1,800 beneficiaries in Mchinji and Kasungu, provided irrigation support, livestock, and farming inputs.
Takondwa Phanga, TRANSFORM project manager for Assemblies of God Care (AG Care), said the initiative has helped farmers view agriculture as a business.
"We have seen many changes, especially in the livelihoods of the farmers," Phanga said.
AG Care's efforts targeted 3,160 smallholder farmers across three districts, distributing goats, chickens, and drip irrigation kits to mitigate the effects of climate change and global food price fluctuations.
Dr. Gilson Njunga, Executive Director of Trustees of Agricultural Promotion Program (TAPP), emphasized the project's focus on irrigation, crop farming, and livestock management.
"We have increased the productivity of the farmers using the introduction of the canal irrigation system," Njunga said.
Stefan Jansen, Country Director for Norwegian Church Aid and DanChurchAid, described the Nansen project as an "add-on project for the Global South" in response to the Ukraine crisis and its indirect effects on food prices.
"The Norwegian government decided to counteract this, and we are trying to do something good for smallholder farmers in Malawi to counteract this price inflation and enhance food security in the country," Jansen explained.
Jansen assured continued support for Malawian farmers, even as the time-bound Nansen project concludes.
Despite challenges including a difficult rainy season and livestock losses, officials reported overall success.
The approximately K1.45 billion project aimed to improve access to nutrition-dense diets, reduce food loss, and increase production capacities of smallholder farmers in Malawi.