The Vice President and Country Director of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, Dr. Candida Nakhumwa says farmers across the country (Malawi) are responding well in-terms of diversifying from relying on Tobacco only as a cash crop to other alternative value chains.

Dr. Nakhumwa made the remarks on Wednesday, 24 April 2024 at NRC – CAT Smart Farm during a farmer field day which was organized by the Centre for Agricultural Transformation (CAT) under the theme “Smallholder Farmers Crop Diversification Key for Mitigating Climate Change Shocks.”

Dr. Nakhumwa says they are overwhelmed with the response from farmers after they started working with CAT (five years ago), having seen a lot of farmers diversifying to other alternative crops like Soyabeans, Groundnuts, Cassava just to mention a few.

“You know, farmers are rational human beings. They can see the changes that are happening out there. They know that the market for tobacco is affected. They know that climate is changing. And all they need is a little bit of support in terms of knowledge, but also information as to what is it that we can do. And through the CAT, we are excited to answer your question that there’s a lot of change that we’ve seen that farmers are actually adopting. Behind me, you can see that there is a banana crop, a very good banana crop. In the past, people used to think you can only grow bananas, maybe along (districts of) Thyolo, Mulanje, or Nkhatabay in the Northern Region (of Malawi). But now it’s exciting to see farmers in Central Region growing bananas,” Dr. Nakhumwa explained.

She added by commending CAT for promoting both improved productivity, value addition as well as linking farmers to readily available markets.

“Farmers will always want to ask, if I grow bananas, for example, do I have a readily available market for this? And we want them to be introduced to those markets. And in doing that, they are encouraged to actually diversify. Farmers want to be assured that there is a readily available market for what they are producing. So, the response has been very good, and I’m happy that that’s also in line with what, you know, we’ve stipulated on our own in Malawi 2063,” She added.

The Smoke Free World Vice President and Country director expressed her optimism that crop diversification is also a key to mitigating the impact of climate change.

In his remarks, CAT Executive Director, Macleod Nkhoma re-affirmed their continued commitment in ensuring that farmers are equipped with new technologies that will help them increase production, as well as start earning profits through farming business.

Among others, Nkhoma thanked the Foundation for a Smoke Free World through the Agricultural Transformation Initiative (ATI) for their continued support towards the program’s, CAT is undertaking in the country.

The Farmer Field Day brought together various lead farmers across the country, government officials as well as private partners to appreciate different technologies available at NRC – CAT smart farm.

By Lester Mhone

Don Bosco Youth Technical Institute has on 22 April 2024 hosted the launch of communication strategy in the country as one of the countries under Don Bosco Tech-Africa.

Speaking at the event, the superior for the Salesians of Don Bosco in Zambia and Malawi, Father Michael Mbandama outlined the importance of the communication strategy to the youths and the citizenry.

In his words, Fr. Mbandama indicated how the youths will benefit from the strategy and also how Don Bosco youth Technical Institute empowers the youths with wisdom and knowledge on how best they can live their life.

He further explained how the communication strategy will help their school as it is a tool that will create a way on how they can communicate with their beneficiary.

“It is in this that we communicate what we do, in this that we want to set up a kind of a pattern on how we are going to defuse information and it is in this that will are going to catch those that we inform and it is in this also that we are going to penetrate our stakeholders especially the industry and it is in this that we are going to bring alot of those young people who are poor into our system so that we also empower them as we have done in the past,” explained Fr Michael.

Don Bosco Tech Africa includes all 24 technical institutions under Don Bosco in Africa and Madagascar and over 2000 students have patronized Don Bosco Youth Technical Institute in the country.

by Tiyamike Paul Chisale

Bungwe la Centre for Agricultural Transformation (CAT) lapempha alimi m’dziko muno kuyamba kubzala mbeu ya maungu akuluakulu (Giant Pumpkins) ndi cholinga chofuna kuchepetsa njala yomwe imakuta dziko lino chaka ndi chaka.

Izi zayankhulidwa lachisanu pa 16 February 2024 pamwambo wachionetsero cha mbewu ya mawunguyi, yomwe ikutchedwa NRC Giant Pumpkin, yomwe inalimidwa miyezi ingapo yapitayi ku munda wachitsanzo wabungweli ku NRC m’boma la Lilongwe.

M’modzi mwa akuluakulu a bungwe la CAT, Mayi Lizzie Kachulu ati mawunguwa athandiza alimi kukhala odzidalira pa chakudya komanso chuma.

Iwo ati kucha msanga kwa mbewuyi ndikothandiza anthu ambiri maka m’miyezi yomwe njala imavuta ya Janyuwale komanso February.

“Mawungu amenewa ndi osiyana ndi amene alimi amabzala, awawa ali ndi dzina loti Giant Pumpkins (Mawungu akuluakulu). Alimi akakhala kuti asamala bwino, ayika manyowa okwanira amalemera kuyambira ma kilogalamu atatu mpaka 30. Ndipo chimene timafuna kuti alimi adzaone ndi choti atati alimi apatsidwa mbeu iyiyi, mabanja awo atha kukapindula,” anatero a Kachulu.

M’mawu ake, m’modzi mwa akadaulo pankhani za ulimi ku sukulu ya ukachenjede ya NRC, Shaibu Kananji ati mbewuyi ili ndi kuthekera kothandiza alimi kupeza phindu lochuluka pa ulimi wawo.

Iwo anatsindikanso kunena kuti mbewuyi sinapangidwe kuti idzalowe mmalo mwa mbewu ya mawungu yomwe ilipo kale koma kuti ithandize alimi kukhala ndi chakudya chokwanira.

“Cholinga kwenikweni ndi chonena kuti, chifukwa choti mawungu awawa amabereka mwansanga ndi ambiri (akuluakulu komanso olemera), mlimi atha kupindula kwambiri. Mlimi atha kusankha kuti akabzale mawungu a local aja mmene amadzalira, koma awawa akabzaleso pamalo pomwe sipafuna pakhaleso chimanga ayi,” anatero a Kananji.

Poyankhulapo pambuyo pachiwonetselochi, mfumu yaikulu Mazilo 2 yayamikira mbewuyi ponena kuti iwombola anthu ochuluka omwe amakumana ndi njala chaka ndi chaka.

“Mawungu amenewa ndi osiyana ndi amene timakumana nawo makukamu (ana akwanire), awawa ndi mawungu oti nyumba anthu akaphika kaya muli anthu 10, dzungu limodzi litha kuwaombola onsewo,” anamaliza motero a mfumu Mazilo 2.

Bungwe la CAT likugwira ntchito ndi magulu osiyanasiyana pantchito yopititsa patsogolo ulimi pogwilitsa ntchito njira zamakono pofuna kuti mzika za dziko lino zisiye kudalira mtundu umodzi wa mbewu.

Wolemba: Eric Norman Mkwaira

By Tiyamike Chisale

The new Catholic Bishop in Malawi, Rt. Rev. Vincent Mwakhwawa has highlighted the need for the youth to respond to their vocations in accordance with what their hearts suggest.

Bishop Mwakhwawa made the sentiments on Sunday 28th January 2023 at St. Paul Parish in Nkhotakota during his thanksgiving Mass at his home village as Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe.

His Lordship urged the youth to be careful when making their decisions citing that there are dangers that come after failing to respond to their calling.

The Lilongwe Archdiocese auxiliary bishop among others shared his joy for being at his home parish with family and friends to thank God for the gift of leadership which was given to him.

“This was really great day where I had to come here at my home parish in Nkhotakota to offer thanksgiving mass for the leadership in the church and the gift to the church,” said Bishop Mwakhwawa.

Rt. Rev. Vincent Fredrick Mwakhwawa was consecrated as Auxiliary Bishop of Lilongwe on 20th January 2024 at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe.

Bishop Mwakhwawa is also expected to offer another thanksgiving Mass in Karonga district, where his parents came from originally.