Vice President, Jane Ansah, has urged Malawians to adopt irrigation farming in response to the effects of climate change, emphasizing that it will help ensure food security and contribute to the country’s development.
Ansah was speaking on Friday at Lufita Trading Centre in the area of Senior Chief Mwaulambya in Chitipa when she presided over distribution of relief maize, an initiative which the government is implementing through Lean Season Food Insecurity Response Programme.
She said only healthy people can contribute to the development of the country, hence advised people to be working hard in their fields by practicing irrigation farming coupled with improved farming technologies to attain sustainable food security.
“I know people of Chitipa are hard workers and that they have been stricken by hunger not due to laziness but due to several factors which are related to climate change. Some of these elements include late onset of rains, erratic rains and prolonged dry spells which affected most districts in the country in the 2024/25 farming season,” said Ansah.
She added that people should be always alert of disastrous rains and be prepared to reduce the impacts of such rains that may befall on them.
“The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services has forecasted that Chitipa and Karonga districts will this year experience a lot of rains. This is good for farming and we need water for farming, however this may come with side effects such as floods and storms. Therefore, let us always make sure that we prepare for such events to reduce loss of life and property,” she said.
She then assured Malawians that government will continue making sure that people have food during the lean period and come up with viable interventions for people who may be affected by disasters resulting from the rains.
“Let me commend our development partners, organizations and local financial institutions such as banks for complimenting government efforts in implementing the Lean Season Food Insecurity Response Programme,” Ansah added.
Commissioner for Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), Wilson Moleni commended district councils for registering needy people to access the relief maize.
“May I also urge all the councils to ensure that only deserving households benefit from this intervention,” said Moleni.
In his remarks, Senior Chief Mwaulambya urged the government to expedite the distribution of subsidized fertilizer in the district, noting that the rains have already started across the country.
At least four million people are expected to be food insecure between October 2025 and March 2026.
President Peter Mutharika declared a state of disaster in several districts and
