Cyclone Freddy points to urgent need for climate-smart solutions in Malawi
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Farmers in southern Malawi have faced a series of climate disasters in recent years – from storms to drought – that has deepened the already troubling levels of rural poverty. In January last year, were affected by Cyclone Ana, followed two months later by Cyclone Gombe, which caused damage.
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Densely populated and agriculture-dependent, Malawi is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change – even under scenarios predicting only modest . As a result, experts are calling on the authorities to urgently and find “climate-smart” alternatives to better insulate smallholder farmers from climate-related shocks over the coming seasons.
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Last year, an expanded Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) of the agriculture budget, crowding out expenditure on irrigation and other much-needed farmer support services. The government was forced to the number of farmers it aimed to reach – from the planned 3.7 million to 2.5 million – partly as a result of rising global fertiliser prices.
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Last year, President Lazarus Chakwera promised a reformed AIP to better target the farmers who need the support and prevent rural dealerships running out of stock. “We need to have a better solution for such citizens [affected by food insecurity] rather than condemning them to a life of dependency on a programme that is not suited for them,” he said at the time.
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