AGRO-ECOLOGY - Farmers urged to step up manure production and cut pesticides usage
Promoting agro-ecology transition for enhanced resilient agriculture that runs from 2022- 2024, is discouraging farmers in Dowa from using pesticides urging them to use IK & biological control methods
DOWA, Malawi (Planet Defence) - Churches Action in Relief and Development (CARD) is spearheading animal husbandry to generate the much-needed manure to improve soil texture and in turn ensure robust agro-ecological farming areas that leads to better food, nutritional security and economically empowered subsistence farmers in Dowa district.
Through Promoting Agro-ecology Transition for Enhanced Resilient Agriculture (PAET-ERA) that runs from 2022- 2024, CARD is discouraging farmers from using pesticides urging them to opt for more environment friendly approaches to address challenges facing their crops while in the field and after harvest.
Other diversified livelihoods interventions include organic farming, conservation agriculture, fish and gravity fed farming, pig production, bee keeping, village savings and loans and disaster risk management interventions.
Under this project, CARD is supporting 1,600 farming households which comprises 80 percent women, youths and people living with disabilities.
Chifundo Macheka, CARD Project Officer based at Mponela under Dowa West Rural Development Programme explained in an interview that PAET-ERA came into existence due to effects of climate change.
“It is a known fact that farmers have not been able to access enough fertilisers to nourish the degraded soils hence leading to hunger among some households. We are working with 1600 farmers to ensure they are food secured and moreover over have nutritious food components to ensure good health to their bodies,” Macheka explained in an interview.
As we all know our soils have been heavily degraded and we know that fertilisers while expensive, they only provide mineral salts but they don’t improve texture in terms of mulching. Now under this programme, we are encouraging the use of organic manure to replenish the lost fertility in the soils.
We are also discouraging use of chemicals pesticides because they can be a danger to the people and environment. These pesticides affect us as people they can be over applied sometimes and can an effect on both humans and the environment.
“As part of improved agro-ecology areas, we are encouraging use of organic manure, as such when we are improving the soils making them health, they don’t need to be polluted by the said pesticides as these things are inter-connected,” Macheka explained after visiting their project sites in Traditional Mponela and Msakambewa areas.
According to Macheka Card is encouraging use of biological means that control the prevalence of other crop pests in the area. Further as part of catchment conservation, their field team is also encouraging them to plant more trees. These will ensure they conserve water that they can use for irrigation.
“As you can see with agro-ecology we are looking at good health, good soils and good environment. We are discouraging use of chemicals to be brought to the villages and encouraging farmers to use locally available materials that can sustain both their health and that of the environment,” she provided the insights.
In an interview at Msakambewa Malita George of Mtande Two village when asked whether Aflatoxin caused by a fungus on cereals is an issue, George explained that Aflatoxin can only be accelerated if maize is harvested with high moisture from the garden.
Sometimes the maize come from the field with moisture problems but often times here in the village maize is stored in the granaries to allow it to completely dry and get rid of moisture out of it..
On the use of indigenous knowledge George explained that to dust off other challenges that affected produce after harvest they are also using local available means. On of such means is tobacco when grinded and applied to maize to prevent weevils’ attacks as part of indigenous knowledge.
“We use tobacco and ash to apply to maize and beans and this is used to prevent weevils to attack the produce. Similarly, in the past we have seen our forefathers apply the same ash when you store potatoes underground, “explained George in an interview.
CARD PAET-ERA is in line with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) supported, Strengthening Institutional Capacity to Plan, Monitor and Coordinating the Implementation Strategies and National Programs for Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste in Malawi.
The initiative is being implemented by Environmental Affairs Department in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change.