By Paul Madise

Lilongwe, October 25, Mana: Tamala Mataka, Project coordinator for Promoting Organic Systems of Soil Improvement to Build a Lasting Economy (POSSIBLE) project has appealed for organic fertilizer inclusion in the Agriculture Inputs Program (AIP) for the country’s enhanced agriculture sustainability and food security.

Mataka made the remarks on Friday during her visit at Chitedze, Chimamba Villlage in Lilongwe to appreciate soil intervention initiatives emphasizing the need for increased implementation of soil composition practices at Pfumvudza Plot and other manure concentration sites in the area.

In her brief, Mataka highlighted that through the intervention Malawi can address declining soil fertility noting that Malawi has reached a tipping point where soil organic matter is below a minimum threshold for supporting crop productivity.

Furthermore, Mataka also appealed for enhanced collaboration to ensure there are established waste management systems from city councils specifically Lilongwe and Blantyre noting that mismanagement of waste has led into increased food scarcity and increased waste generation rates largely contributing to pollution and GHG emission making Malawi vulnerable to food insecurity.

“You might wish to agree with me that almost 80 percent of the waste which is generated in the urban cities is organic, so the project took advantage of that to make sure that we are turning these organic matters into compost that can be used for crop productivity but also to restore soil health in Malawi,” she said.  

Kolinto Sadoni, Manager of Gospel to All Farmers group applauded Waste Advisers for the provision of lesson and training on soil organic matter restoration and west-to-compost systems interventions further appealing for shift of mind to embrace the use of organic fertilizers if the country considers maintaining soil health and plant nutrition.

“I think government should intervene to bring awareness to our farmers of the importance of manure because most of the people living in Malawi are farmers and promote small organizations that are working to promote soil health and plant nutrition,” said Sadoni.

POSSIBLE project is being implemented by Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy (CEPA), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with Waste Advisers as project implementation partner with finance from European Union, among others 1,000 smallholder farmers from Lilongwe and Blantyre are directly benefiting from the project.