By Upile Muhariwa,
The Crisis Response Initiative (CRI) has distributed 10 kgs of maize, soya, and ground nut seed and 50 kgs of UREA and NPK Fertilizer to farmers. The project has also been distributing goats, chicken, and rabbits to cushion farmers affected by the cyclone Freedy. The initiative is set to benefit 12,000 farmers in the selected districts.
CRI is a one-year program that started in April 2023 and was initially implemented in the three Sustainable Agriculture Production (SAPP) implementing districts, namely Blantyre, Chiradzulu, and Balaka, in the Southern Region of Malawi. Using additional financing, the project expanded to other districts of Lilongwe and Dowa in the Central Region and Chitipa in the Northern Region. The program is financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Malawi Government, and the program beneficiaries.
Emily Simika is one of the beneficiaries of the Crisis Response Initiative (CRI) project. She is in her late 50s and is physically challenged. She got her disability after she had a bad fall, which led to torn ligaments in her legs. She now walks on crutches to support herself when walking.
She was selected as one of the beneficiaries of the CRI project when her farm got washed away due to the cyclone Freddy. The impact of the hurricane on her farming was that she only harvested three bags of 50kgs maize instead of 10 bags of 50kgs, which she used to harvest on the same piece of land.
“My main source of income is farming. Before the injury, I used to do some piece work and did business to supplement my income. But ever since I got her injury, I have been unable to supplement my income. I also was building a house which got washed away during the cyclone Freedy”, narrates Simika.
Because of harvesting a few bags of maize in her field after the cyclone Freddy, she had problems finding food. The coming in of the CRI project has helped her a lot, and she is hopeful that she will harvest enough bags of maize for her consumption and be able to sell the surplus. Simika was expecting to benefit from the government’s input subsidy program, which didn’t happen, but through the CRI, she received 50kgs of UREA and NPK fertilizer and 10kgs of maize seed. As part of crop diversification to mitigate the effects of drought, she has also planted sweet potatoes in her field.
Kitty Siliya Kaliza, from Ntonda Extension Planning Area in Blantyre, Malawi, is another maize seed and fertilizer beneficiary. She received 50kgs of UREA and NPK fertilizer and 10kgs of maize seed. She is married and has four children. Kettie narrated that her field got washed away during the cyclone Freddy and lost all the maize and sugar cane she had planted. This disturbed her emotionally as it was sudden, and she did not expect it to happen. She has been surviving by the grace of God and the help of well-wishers ever since the cyclone hit.
She is thankful for the CRI project, which has given her hope for the future. Her family and community members will have food for the future when they did not expect to have food this year. She is expected to harvest 45 bags of 50kgs each from her field instead of the three bags of maize she harvested during the cyclone.
Ms Kitty Siliya Kaliza, working in her garden
Rhoda Zulu, who hails from Binali village, Ntonda extension planning area, Blantyre in Malawi, is also one of the beneficiaries of the Crisis Response Initiative Project (CRI) project. She received 25kgs of soya from the project. Rhoda explained that finding the seed before receiving the soya bean was hard because she was buying from the local market. However, with the assistance that she received from CRI, she had enough seeds to plant in her field.
Zulu narrates the ordeal of the cyclone Freedy on her farm. “Before the cyclone Freedy, I had planted 2 hectares of soya. On one fateful day, there was a heavy rain pour; when I woke up, I went to the field to inspect my crops. I was shocked when my whole field was covered with water, and my crops washed away. I was distressed and cried bitterly over the crop I had lost, considering I had also applied fertilizer”. She lamented.
Ms Rhoda Zulu working in her Soya Bean garden.
Zulu is grateful for the CRI project and IFAD's support for the soya she has received. She expects to harvest 60 bags of 50kgs in the 2023/2024 growing season. She plans to sell some of the soya and use the rest for consumption. Zulu is using Land Management and Conservation techniques taught by their area extension worker to prevent future flooding and drought spells.
Matthews Binali is another beneficiary from Juma village, Ntonda extension planning area, Blantyre in Malawi. He received five rabbits from the CRI project. He is 20 years old and is the fourth born in a family of four. Before the cyclone Freedy, Matthews used to rear rabbits. Unfortunately, when the hurricane came, it destroyed his khola, and he lost everything. He saw the light at the end of the tunnel when he was selected as one of the program's beneficiaries. Matthews explains that the livestock officer trained him to construct a modern khola and manage feed and diseases in rabbit production.
Matthews Binali, one of the rabbit beneficiaries under the CRI Project in Blantyre, Malawi
In terms of immediate benefits, Matthews explained that he collects the droppings from the rabbits and uses them as manure in his maize and pigeon pea fields. He is expecting an increase in yield because of the supplementary manure. Matthews benefits both financially and nutritionally from the rabbits because he occasionally eats and sells the rest.
Matthews plans to pass on the rabbits when they multiply to other farmers in the village. He intends to buy more livestock, like cattle, from his current rabbit production.
The author is a knowledge management and communication specialist at the Sustainable Agriculture Production (SAPP) and Malawi's CCARDESA ICKM Focal point person.
