Chakwera emphasized that to improve the welfare of farmers in the region, collaboration is essential.
President Chakwera made these remarks during the opening session of the Annual Conference for the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) at the Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe.
“Malawi is committed to working with SACAU to improve the welfare of farmers since they are crucial to agricultural productivity,” he said.
Chakwera also stated that Malawi is dedicated to improving agricultural practices, market access, and infrastructure.
“Since agriculture is the first pillar of the Agriculture, Tourism, and Mining (ATM) strategy in Malawi, we will continue to build the capacity of our farmers through improved extension services, the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP), and other initiatives such as Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA),” he added.
Furthermore, Chakwera said Malawi is committed to promoting sustainable development practices to address disasters.
Chairperson of SACAU, Sinare Sinare, emphasized that the continent must dedicate its efforts to addressing loss and damage, which affect farmers almost every year.
“This regional agricultural body is very important since the continent faces almost the same challenges in terms of climate change and finances,” said Sinare.
He disclosed that one of the issues to be discussed during the conference is how farmers should be compensated when severely affected by climate change.
Chief Executive Officer of the National Smallholders Farmers’ Association of Malawi (NASFAM), Bettie Chinyamunyamu, said other issues that directly affect farmers stem from national policies.
“The conference will help us as a region to come together and formulate resolutions to advocate on policy issues so that farmers are well supported,” said Chinyamunyamu.
Farmers Union President, Maness Nkhata, noted that as one of the affected countries in the region, Malawi is expected to benefit from the conference.
“We expect to gain significantly from the conference because our work always involves direct contact with farmers on issues that affect them and how to address these for effective productivity,” said Nkhata.
SACAU is a conference for farmers across Southern Africa where agricultural experts and farmers meet to discuss successes, challenges, and issues, including climate change.
The theme for the two-day SACAU conference is “Putting Farmers at the Centre of Climate Change Resilience through Multistakeholder Cooperation.”
