By Maston Kaiya

Ntcheu, March 26, Mana: Beneficiaries of the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS-EPWP) in Ntcheu are combating effects of climate change by harvesting rainwater for their farming activities.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Tuesday, Steven Dende, a participant from the Linengwe Catchment Area, said with various interventions, his maize field survived the dry spells the area experienced last year.

Interventions under the programme include construction of swales, marking ridges, gully reclamation and afforestation, among others.

"Some climate smart agriculture related activities have enabled many smallholder farmers in the area to adopt best agricultural practices," he said.

Dende, who hails from Malonda Village in the area of Senior Chief Makwangwala, is this farming season expecting to harvest 20 bags of maize weighing 50 kilograms each on his two-acre piece of land.

Another participant, Alfred Makhuyula from Mthinda Village under Group Village Headman Makwangwala, said farmers in the catchment area will experience bumper yields than before.

"If we compare the past years in terms of crop harvests, the adoption of best agricultural practices have completely changed the lives of farmers. This clearly shows that CS-EPWP is a game changer,” he said.

Linengwe Catchment District Designated Officer, Etikeni Masache, said the programme is improving livelihoods of many communities who have adopted the best climate smart agricultural activities in their maize fields.

"We construct swales and marker ridges to make sure that we harvest rainwater and use the same in times of disasters like dry spells," he said.

Masache said through marker ridges and swales 488 participants under the Linengwe Catchment Area have managed to harvest running water in 115 hectares of land in this year's farming season. 

He adds that participants are also paid at the end of the day to improve household income and support needs of their children’s education.

CS-EPWP is a component of the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project (SSRLP) in Malawi which is funded by the World Bank and the Multi-Donor Trust Fun and is aimed at improving household resilience, incomes, and food security, while also promoting climate change adaptation.