Smallholder Farmers in Malawi Lose Up to 27 Percent of Harvest Due to Poor Post-Harvest Handling Practices - Denhere
World Food Day was established in 1971 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO).
LILONGWE, Malawi-As the world commemorates World Food Day (WFD) on October 16th, Deputy Country Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Malawi, Simon Denhere, highlighted the concerning issue that smallholder farmers in Malawi experience up to a 27 percent loss of their harvest due to inadequate post-harvest handling practices, writes Esther Banda.
Denhere emphasized that this loss results in Malawi squandering 600,000 tonnes of maize each year, enough to eliminate hunger in the country.
"Food is lost because of the way we are storing. Unfortunately, some of the crop is lost as it is transported from the farm to the table. So providing farmers with technology such as hermetic bags will improve food storage," Denhere stated during the Curtain Raiser of WFD at Peak Gardens in Lilongwe on October 11, 2023.
Denhere underscored the importance of training farmers to align their food production with agroecological zones to ensure food security and strive towards the goal of achieving Zero Hunger by 2030, even in the face of climate and economic challenges.
He further revealed an alarming statistic, stating that there has been a 15 percent increase in the number of people requiring food assistance in 2023 compared to the previous year.
"The annual food security assessment conducted by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) in June and July this year found that over 4 million people, representing 22 percent of Malawi's 19.6 million population, are unable to meet their annual food requirements," Denhere added.
Sam Kawale, the Minister of Agriculture and Guest of Honour at the event, emphasized the need to transform the way food is produced, processed, supplied, and consumed in Malawi.
He called for diversification of diets and a move away from sole dependence on maize as the primary food source.
"This diversification must start from production. We should start producing a diverse variety of high-yielding healthy crops that will give us healthy diets while safeguarding our environment," Kawale said.
The government of Malawi is promoting diversification through the development of policies, strategies, and legal frameworks favoring intensified production of legumes, horticulture, livestock, and fish in partnership with stakeholders such as the EU, which funded the Afikepo and KULIMA projects.
This year's WFD celebration will focus on the theme, "Water is Life, Water is Food. Leave No One Behind," aiming to emphasize the critical role of water for life on Earth and its function as the foundation of food.
It seeks to raise awareness of hunger and the need for action in securing the future of food, people, and the planet.
Additionally, the theme highlights the significance of managing water wisely as population growth, economic development, urbanization, and climate change threaten water availability.
World Food Day was established in 1971 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO).