By Mary Makhiringa

Balaka, November 28, MANA: Authorities in Balaka District have commended government for rolling out 2024/2025 Affordable Input Programme (AIP), expressing hope that farmers will harvest more yields this farming season.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency, one of the farmers from the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Kachenga, Yamikani Matope expressed gratitude for being enrolled on the programme citing that previously he could not harvest more yields because of limited fertilizer.

"Last year, I used manure for my farming and I only got five bags but with the fertilizer that I will use this year, I am optimistic to harvest nine to ten bags.

"I am grateful to government because my life will change and I would urge the same government to enroll more people in the upcoming season so that hunger should be history in our area," he added.

Commenting on the development, Group Village Head (GVH) Mtumbwe said the programme will cushion hunger in his area as many people who are on the programme would not manage to afford fertilizers from the vendors.

"A good number of people have benefitted from AIP and we just urge the government to speed up and finalize the process of selling the commodity because people have already planted their crops," he said.

G.H.V Mtumbwe however called for government to streamline the system of enrolling the beneficiaries by involving local leaders and extension workers saying this would eliminate some of the shortfalls within the programme.

Meanwhile, Smallholder Farmers Fertilizers Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM) Sales Clerk for Balaka Boma, Frank Maselenga said the cordial relationship among their entity, local leaders, district agriculture office and the central government has allowed the process of selling fertilizer to be successful.

He emphasized that from the three stocks that they had previously at Balaka Boma, farmers were able to purchase both NPK and Urea.

By George Mponda

Karonga, November 28, Mana: Small scale farmers in Karonga have hailed the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) for improving food security in the disaster prone district.

Speaking with Malawi News Agency, Kingsley Mweniyuba from Zindi Village in Paramount Cheif Kyungu's area, said the initiative has made high-quality fertilizers affordable and accessible, leading to increased crop yields and improved livelihoods.

"Most farmers in our area have long struggled with low soil fertility due to annual floods which has hindered our ability to produce sufficient crops. However, with the subsidy program, we are purchasing fertilizer at a significantly reduced cost, enabling us to rejuvenate our soil and reap bountiful harvests," said Mweniyuba.

Echoing these sentiments, Mary Mhone, another beneficiary from Mwenilondo said the impact of the programme has been remarkable, with many farmers reporting a significant increase in crop yields and quality.

"This, in turn, has led to improved food security and increased income for farming families, enabling them to invest in their future. Women farmers, in particular, have benefited from the program, as they are often responsible for managing household food security and with access to affordable fertilizers, they are now able to produce more and better food for their families," Mhango said.

Director of Agriculture Services for Karonga District Council, Yaz Nyirenda hailed the fertilizer subsidy program for having a positive ripple effect on local economies.

"10, 333 farming families are to benefit from this programme in Karonga from all six constituencies namely; Karonga Songwe, Karonga Lufilya, Karonga Town, Karonga Central, Karonga Nyungwe and Karonga South," said Nyirenda.

"With farmers producing more and earning more, they are able to stimulate economic growth and development in their communities. Moreover, the program has promoted sustainable agricultural practices, as farmers are now able to adopt climate-smart farming methods and reduce their environmental footprint," he added.

According to Nyirenda, 5, 747 farm families were food insecure in the district and the fertilizer subsidy program has been a resounding success, empowering farmers to boost productivity, improve livelihoods, and promote sustainable agriculture.

Group Village Head Malema has since hailed government for providing the fertiliser which he said has come in time as people await the rain season.

"My only worry is that although the fertiliser is available at the selling points, some still do not have the money with which to redeem their fertiliser," said Malema.

This year's AIP which is set to benefit over 1.1 million farmers countrywide was launched by President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera at Dzundu Primary School Ground, under the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Symon at Zalewa in Neno District.

Speaking with Malawi News Agency, Kingsley Mweniyuba from Zindi Village in Paramount Cheif Kyungu's area, said the initiative has made high-quality fertilizers affordable and accessible, leading to increased crop yields and improved livelihoods.

"Most farmers in our area have long struggled with low soil fertility due to annual floods which has hindered our ability to produce sufficient crops. However, with the subsidy program, we are purchasing fertilizer at a significantly reduced cost, enabling us to rejuvenate our soil and reap bountiful harvests," said Mweniyuba.

Echoing these sentiments, Mary Mhone, another beneficiary from Mwenilondo said the impact of the programme has been remarkable, with many farmers reporting a significant increase in crop yields and quality.

"This, in turn, has led to improved food security and increased income for farming families, enabling them to invest in their future. Women farmers, in particular, have benefited from the program, as they are often responsible for managing household food security and with access to affordable fertilizers, they are now able to produce more and better food for their families," Mhango said.

Director of Agriculture Services for Karonga District Council, Yaz Nyirenda hailed the fertilizer subsidy program for having a positive ripple effect on local economies.

"10, 333 farming families are to benefit from this programme in Karonga from all six constituencies namely; Karonga Songwe, Karonga Lufilya, Karonga Town, Karonga Central, Karonga Nyungwe and Karonga South," said Nyirenda.

"With farmers producing more and earning more, they are able to stimulate economic growth and development in their communities. Moreover, the program has promoted sustainable agricultural practices, as farmers are now able to adopt climate-smart farming methods and reduce their environmental footprint," he added.

According to Nyirenda, 5, 747 farm families were food insecure in the district and the fertilizer subsidy program has been a resounding success, empowering farmers to boost productivity, improve livelihoods, and promote sustainable agriculture.

Group Village Head Malema has since hailed government for providing the fertiliser which he said has come in time as people await the rain season.

"My only worry is that although the fertiliser is available at the selling points, some still do not have the money with which to redeem their fertiliser," said Malema.

This year's AIP which is set to benefit over 1.1 million farmers countrywide was launched by President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera at Dzundu Primary School Ground, under the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Symon at Zalewa in Neno District.

 By Alinafe kapatamoyo

Lilongwe, November 28, Mana: Theatre for a Change has launched sensitization and psychosocial support groups at Maula and Kachere prisons as part of a three-year project focused on enhancing prisoners' health, particularly in terms of mental health.

The initiative is funded by the European Union (EU) and aims to address the significant challenges faced by prisoners.

Social and Protection Manager for Theatre for a Change, Thandiwe Mbene, highlighted the importance of collaboration with Malawi Prison Services to improve inmates' living conditions, focusing particularly on mental health and HIV management.

She emphasized the organization’s focus on new prisoners, who often experience stress and lose hope upon arrival, which can lead to the abandonment of crucial medical treatments like ARVs.

“We are aiming to provide mental health support to help these individuals regain hope and manage their well-being in a prison environment,” said Mbene.

Speaking on behalf of the Officer in Charge for Maula Prison, Inspector Edward Msowoya, who is also a Clinical Officer at the Prison Clinic, expressed appreciation for the programme, noting its potential to help inmates, especially those who have been in prison for a short time to cope with mental health challenges.

He stressed that many prisoners view detention as the end of their lives, and the new initiative would help change that mindset by providing better mental health support.

“We are very happy because of this initiative considering that in prisons we face a lot of challenges with issues of mental health, so the coming of this programme will help to improve the living standards of inmates mostly those that have just spent a few months in prison and also even those that have saved long here in prison but they were lacking this access of knowing how to overcome issues that affect their well-being in terms of mental health,” said Msowoya.

During the event, Theatre for a Change also presented certificates to inmates who had excelled in training sessions on mental health and psychological first aid.

One of the inmates, Robert Moses, a peer educator, thanked Theatre for a Change for the valuable training, stating that it has empowered them to better understand and address mental health issues within the prison community.

“We appreciate the good work that this organisation is doing for us because such training has helped us a lot in terms of knowing how issues of mental health can be handled and we will be able to help our friends who are facing such kind of challenges,” said Moses.

The programme is seen as a vital collaborative effort between Theatre for a Change and Malawi Prison Services,

By James Mwale

Ntchisi, November 28, Mana: Affordable Input Program (AIP) Coordinator for Ntchisi Salim Mndoka has advised AIP beneficiaries to venture into other forms of farming methods in order to increase productivity in the district.

Mndoka told Malawi News Agency on Wednesday that following the reduction of AIP beneficiaries from 44, 980 the last rainy season to 31,011 this rainy season due to budget allocation from the treasury, people in the district should apply other farming methods like use of organic manure and irrigation farming in order to address hunger issues.

He said the devaluation of the kwacha has led to hike in fertilizer prices making Ministry of Agriculture to maintain only the fertilizer prices and not the number of beneficiaries.

He said: “the decrease means that government did not want farmers to be buying the fertilizer at a higher price but rather it has maintained the MK15, 0000 price and reducing the number of beneficiaries.

“Farmers in the district should desist from selling the affordable inputs but rather use the inputs to good use because they should know that they will not be benefiting each and every year.”

The district’s Council Chairperson councilor Marko Mtengo said the program has made a lot of people in the district to be self-reliant saying farmers are encouraged not only to rely on the program but also to use available resources in their communities.

Mtengo called on the beneficiaries of this year’s Affordable Input Program to make good use of the fertilizer and other inputs they are to access through the program saying it is sad to see that a lot of beneficiaries sell the inputs instead of using them wisely.

“As people have already started buying the inputs in the district I believe that there will not be any challenges that will affect the program and we believe that no cases of theft will be registered” He added.

Memory Yohane a beneficiary of this year’s AIP said she was happy that her name had been included in the program and hoped to benefit a lot from the same.

She has since concurred with the Mndoka and Mtengo on the need to apply alternative farming methods other than full reliance on the AIP.

By Andrew Phiri

Balaka, November 28, Mana: Business operators in Balaka District Thursday hailed the Digital Financial Services (DFS) awareness campaign for promoting the use of electronic payments (e-payment) when conducting trade.

Implemented by the Ministry of Finance in partnership with the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) and AC Consulting, DFS seeks to raise knowledge among the people especially rural masses on the benefits of using electronic transactions via mobile phones, banks, and other modern platforms.

A shop owner at Phalula Trading Center, Fanny John said electronic transactions are more secure and fast because there is no involvement of cash when trading.

"Through Airtel Money and TNM Mpamba, we make more sales because our customers would transact the money anywhere and anytime. Moreover, when we have generated more cash during the day, we usually send it to the phone for security purposes," she said.

An agent of Airtel Money and TNM Mpamba, Innocent Mulanje from Kwitanda area said he was well aware of e-payment and urged others to embrace it citing that the world is going digital.

He said: "We have been encouraged by seeing you coming here to create more awareness on the use of electronic transactions"

However, Mulanje cited challenges of electronic transactions such as intermittent networks and fraudsters hence urging the network service providers to update their systems.

AC Consulting Field Supervisor for Balaka DFS, Bernadette Maele commended the people of Balaka for their positive mindset towards the campaign saying the major goal of the programme is for communities to embrace modern transactions.

She therefore emphasized that the campaign will reach the whole district through markets, Village Savings Loans Groups (VSLGs), and other social gatherings.

Phase four of the DFS awareness campaign will run in Balaka for 20 days and the previous phases have been implemented in other districts like Thyolo, Mangochi, Ntcheu, and Mwanza with the target of reaching the whole country.

By Bazilio Chingoli

Ntcheu, November 28, Mana: Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs in collaboration with The Reserve Bank of Malawi, has encouraged people to adopt modern means of cash transfer.

The remarks were made by Digital Financial Services specialist from the Ministry of Finance, Steve Mg'wadila during Digital Financial Services campaign meetings at Sera Trading Center in the area of Traditional Authority Mpando in Ntcheu district.

According to Mg'wadila, it is very important to encourage people in the country to use digital financial tools that are available to them.

He said as people are using hard cash, they should also embrace the use of modern ways of sending money, buying goods and services as part of the country's Vision 2063 agenda.

"We are encouraging people to use soft cash in their transactions and mainly we are concentrating on women, youths, small and medium enterprises, and the vulnerable," he said.

On his part, Janton Katoleza, a business person at Sera Trading Center in the area applauded the Government for the initiative saying it has boosted their trust in their everyday business.

"The campaign is timely as it will clear up some of the misunderstandings towards the use of digital financing tools," he said.

"I have heard on the radios, that using digital money is safer but I was worried about scammers who use the same channels to steal people's money, but now my fear is buried off," he added.

A 20-day campaign which started on 25^th November in Ntcheu district is expected to reach out to all the district mainly trading centerssensitization meetings

By Sylvester Kumwenda

Dowa, November 28, Mana: Some participants under the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS - EPWP) in Dowa have hailed the programme for transforming their livelihoods.

One of the youthful participants 32-year-old Bless Kashamba from Chinkhwiridambwe under Kaphirisiwa catchment in Traditional Authority (T/A) Nkukula, said since joining the environmental conservation programme in 2022, he has managed to achieve what he could only dream of.

He said he realised his dream of livestock farming whereby he used money he received as capital.

"In 2023, after receiving some of my wages, I invested by buying a goat. As of now, I have four goats and I know the numbers will continue growing, this is something I had dreaming of," he said.

Kashamba added that sometimes proceeds from goat sales valued at K60000 each also help him in taking care of his family, and buying school uniforms for children.

He however said apart from getting money from the project, the project has also helped in land conservation.

When starting the project, he said, most of the environment in the area was degraded saying a lot of trees had been lost due to careless cutting down of the trees.

This he said affected crop production as yields were low because of loss of soil fertility resulting from soil erosion.

“But under the project, we started implementing water conservation activities like constructing infiltration pits at Kaphirisiwa Hill. We are also constructing swales in our fields which help trap rain water.

“As a result, our crops are always healthy even if there are little rains because the soil is usually moist. For example, this past growing season I managed to get 40 bags from the same piece of land which I usually used to get 20 bags from. This has improved our food security," he said.

Thokozire Nkule from Chipeka catchment in T/A Mponela, said issues of heavy rains due to climate change also affected their crop yield.

She said that even applying fertilizer to their fields, high levels of running water and soil erosion resulted in loss of the fertilizer from the soil because most of the land was bare.

But she said this is now a thing of the past due to land conservation activities.

Also, she added saying under the programme, they have also been oriented on village loans and savings (Banki Mkhonde).

“We have also been empowered on how we can run Banki Mkhonde. Under this, we have also been encouraged to start small-scale businesses which some of our members now are engaged in. This has helped in improving our livelihoods," she said.

Director of Planning and Development for Dowa District Council Mercy Mpakule said the programme has benefited a lot of people in the district, whose participation is now pegged at 23000.

"Throughout the five cycles, we have been implementing the project, we have seen people's lives changing, Many people here depend on farming, so when they receive the money, they also invest some of it in their farming activities like buying fertilizer, seed, and other farm-related activities.

"Also, because some of the sub-projects are being implemented in people's farms, it is helping in land conservation. Again, participants are learning how to make organic manure, and all these have improved soil fertility and crop yields," she said.

According to her, during the inception of the programme, 63 hotspots were identified and 191 subprojects were identified to be implemented in the hotspots.

The CS-EPWP is funded by the World Bank and the Multi Donor Trust Fund.

By Albert Mulizakamba

Balaka, November 28, Mana: Action Aid Malawi has disclosed that over 137,000 children across six Traditional Authorities (TAs) in Balaka District have been enrolled in pre-primary schools under the School Readiness Initiative.

The Organization's Programme’s Manager for Early Childhood Development, Anderson Moyo, said this on Tuesday in Balaka when presenting the phase one and two project's progress to District Executive Committee (DEC) members.

He noted that the programme has managed to prepare vulnerable preschool children for education in the district, citing strong collaboration among various parties as a leading factor.

"Phase two has enrolled 137,471 children and we have seen improvements in children’s developmental domains, and also communities are willing to support their children. The construction of Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres, particularly in Traditional Authority Nyanyala, has been a great success," he said.

However, Moyo noted that Cyclone Freddy and El Nino posed significant challenges, affecting learner attendance due to hunger in the community.

He added:" The initiative has also recorded 1,640 male and 739 female dropouts with 19,364 male and 19,044 female repeaters"

Balaka District School Health and Nutrition Coordinator, Fabiano Mbendera emphasized the project’s importance in the district saying that the programme remains dedicated to ensuring vulnerable children receive a solid foundation for their educational journey.

"Action Aid School Readiness Initiative has demonstrated its commitment to enhancing education in Balaka, despite facing challenges and a radio programme, “Breach to School,” which was also featured in the programme further supported pre-primary children and parents," he commended.

The initiative was launched in 2020 and phase one started from 2020 to 2022, followed by phase two from 2022 to 2024 and now it is in phase three targeting eight TAs in Balaka.

By Agatha Kadzinje and Milcah Mathias

Blantyre, November 28, Mana: Small scale farmers in Blantyre rural have expressed high expectations in crop harvests in the 2024/2025 farming season as they are currently purchasing fertilisers and maize seeds in various selling points through Affordable Input Programme (AIP).

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Wednesday, one of the beneficiaries from Chapasuka Village, Traditional Authority Chigalu in Blantyre, Stenala Juma, said that failure to apply fertilizer had been a challenge among most small scale farmers in his area.

“Most of us are appearing on the beneficiaries list for the first time. We therefore expect that next year we will have enough harvest,” he said.

Juma, who owns 1 hectare of land, expects to have a bumper harvest of maize next year, as in the past year he only harvested one bag of maize. He therefore expressed joy for being among the AIP beneficiaries at Traditional Authority Chigalu.

Some of the criteria for selecting AIP beneficiaries include; being a productive small farmer, owning land from 0.4 to 2.5 hectares, and belonging to a gazetted village, recognized by local authority on top of being a citizen of Malawi.

Speaking in a separate interview, Blantyre District, Chief Agriculture Officer, Lusungu Banda Mtukale said at least 41,860 farmers are expected to benefit from AIP.

She added that under AIP, small scale farmers in Blantyre will buy fertilisers and seeds at subsidised prices, anticipating that the AIP will improve maize production in the district which was also hit by drought.

“Some parts of Blantyre such as Kunthembwe and Chigalu received insufficient rains than other areas in the district.

“We are therefore encouraging farmers to adopt good farming practices according to weather patterns. We are hoping that good rainfall in 2024/25 farming season will bring good results,” Mtukale added.

She advised Agricultural Extension Development workers to provide extension services to farmers so that they should continue with good agricultural practices to ensure good harvest citing early land preparation, good choice of seeds, correct spacing, manure application on top of fertiliser application as some of the best practices.

Mtukale then appealed to AIP beneficiaries never to sell farm inputs for quick money, saying this would be counterproductive and set back in the quest for improved food production

By Joel Phiri

Mzimba, November 28, mana: Scores of subsistence farmers in Mzimba have expressed hope of getting bumper yields from their farms after purchasing cheap fertiliser under the government’s Affordable Input Programme (AIP) in the 2024/2025 farming season.

According to AIP coordinator for Mzimba Agriculture office, Julius Banda most market dealers have started selling   fertiliser under the programme which is targeting 45,541 beneficiaries in the district.

In an interview on Tuesday after purchasing fertiliser, a beneficiary of the programme Temwanani Chirwa, 48 from Kapokolo Village in Traditional Authority M’mbelwa said in the past she cultivated her two acres farmland but due to loss of soil fertility she failed to harvest enough.

‘‘My farmland can no longer give me yields without applying fertiliser. This is the reason I thank government for this programme which is making life easier for us subsistence farmers. This 50 kg bag I have bought at K15,000 will enable me cushion hunger as I am sure I will harvest more than 20 bags’’, said Chirwa.

Chirwa said she struggles to raise money for her household to survive everyday and she could hardly manage to raise over K100, 000 to buy fertiliser for her garden at the current market price.

“Most of us beneficiaries of this AIP are just subsistence farmers so we cultivate for food and because of that we don’t have the financial muscle to buy fertiliser on the market but the coming of this programme has made my life easy to have food through out of the year,” she said.

Another beneficiary of the programme, 71 year old Joys Kamanga from Chimuzalire Chirwa village in Traditional Authority Kampingo Sibande says this is the third time to be among AIP beneficiaries. He commended government saying it has come as a saviour since in the past they could not buy even one bag of fertilizer but currently they are buying two bags which is a great improvement.

Kamanga further says that he is able to provide for his family and that he is able to pay school fees for his family from the farming.

“Since I started benefiting from the program a lot of things have changed in my life as I am able to buy two bags of fertilizers at a low price,” he said.

Martin Jinkho from Yelemiah Mawaso village, in Traditional Authority M’mbelwa said they have not yet started planting and the fertiliser sales have not delayed.

“Some people were panicking that government was delaying in starting selling the fertiliser but I can assure you that this is just the right time as planting rains are yet to start,” said Njikho.

In a separate interview, Traditional Authority Mzukuzuku has also commanded government for rolling out the sales saying people in his communities’ bank on the programme.

‘‘This programme is doing wonders in enabling farmers to harvest without which most people would go hungry. I therefore commend government for this AIP and I only urge government to consider increasing number of beneficiaries next season,” said T/A Mzukuzuku.

Group village headman Amon Moyo says since AIP program was introduced a lot of people have benefited in his area and he further says that 160 people are going to benefit from AIP program this year.

“When the communities have got enough food it becomes easier for communities to take part in even self-projects. Hunger drives away hard working spirit. But people who have food are easy to manage. So as a chief I applaud government for making people buy fertiliser at cheaper price of K15, 000,” said Moyo.

According to the AIP coordinator Banda, they have since opened 32 selling points including mobile markets to ensure farmers have easy access to markets.

‘‘These 32 fertiliser selling points are up from 18 points we had last year. We have scaled up the selling points to ease challenges that some beneficiaries were facing to buy the fertiliser. Also, the mobile markets we have, we believe will ensure farmers buy farmers closer to where they reside,” said Banda.