Bumper Harvest in Communities Affected By Cyclone Freddy
Seeds plant hope, food security and resilience after a disaster in Malawi
In the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Freddy’s devastating impact on Southern Malawi, the country faced the daunting challenge of rebuilding its agricultural sector. Devastated crops left communities grappling with food insecurity. However, hope blossomed as a beacon of resilience emerged."
Months have passed, and the once-barren fields have flourished resulting in a rich harvest. Thanks to the resilience of the Malawian people and the support of organisations like The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) with a mission to empower communities through sustainable agriculture. The organization stepped in to provide a lifeline.
The organization in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture in Malawi, took proactive measures to assist affected farmers by distributing 40 metric tons of pigeonpea and 5 metric tons of sorghum seed.
The cyclone did not only wash away crop land causing massive losses and severe food insecurity, but also the hope and dreams of a community. However; the mood in the villages has changed from despair to jubilation for those who bore the brunt of the disaster-women and children. In the midst of the bumper harvest, the seeds have sowed hope and brought to life the spirit of resilience of the Malawi Farmers.
Minister for Agriculture, Mr.Samuel Kawale, expressed gratitude to partners for the swift response to the challenges faced by the country’s food systems. He emphasized the significance of these seeds in enabling affected farmers to replant short-duration crop varieties, offering a crucial short-term coping mechanism for households.
“We are all working diligently to support the government’s agenda of improving and maximizing crop production. Our collective efforts are crucial to effectively combat climate change and enhance food security,” said Minister Kawale.
Janet, A farmer from Blantyre says they have experienced a mindset shift from planting traditional crop varieties to drought tolerant crop varieties. The quality of the seeds and the ability to withstand drought has made a difference between a harvest of sorghum and a harvest of despair and loss for other crops.
“Last year we were affected by the cyclone Freddy. Most of the crop in fields was washed away by flood waters, affecting many families. This year has also been difficult because the rains reduced, resulting in a drought. Most of the crops planted dried up. Based on this, I decided to change from other crops to Sorghum. I am happy I made that change because, I have a good sorghum harvest from a small potion. The need for food is still great because of the unpredictable weather especially drought. Many affected crops like maize were affected but at least sorghum survived. The effect of the cyclone will continue to be felt for some time but with these seeds, the impact will be lessened.
Norah from Shireh Valley in acknowledging the importance of seed said the seeds donation has helped her a lot.
“I have harvested more than I expected because of this good quality seeds. Many people who grew other types of crop realized very little or no harvest at all this season. I am happy I got a good harvest, I harvested 17 bags of sorghum. This is great because with this harvest, I will share the seed with my fellow farmers so that they can benefit too and together we shall be food secure.”
Dr. Sam Njoroge, ICRISAT country representative in Malawi says that the organization chose this intervention because high quality seed leads to different kinds of results for the farmers. Injecting basic seed into the community means that the farmers will multiply it and use it for more than one season, pass on this high-quality seed to other farmers thus scaling up the impact.
“We have not only have we improved on the quality of seed that is now present at community level, but also some of that would go towards their nutritional needs. These crops are very nutritious because they are loaded with micronutrients and have a low glycemic index.
Working with the ministry of agriculture, ICRISAT build the capacity of Crop Development Department in seed production based on the ICRISAT, revolving seed fund model. Under the model. The beneficiaries were identified at the local level, given quantities of seed with the understanding that they will pay back an amount of seed that will go to secondary beneficiaries.
Zoni Nyilongo, an Agricultural extension Coordinator in Phalura notes that the production of pigeon pea in the area has doubled despite the drought. Through this collaboration, the community has an empowered world view and shifted from dependency to independence. Come next season they will not beg for food or look for seed somewhere else because have it in their community.
Watch video testimonials below
Martin Muluka