The government’s declaration of a state of disaster over prolonged dry-spell–induced food insecurity is “quite justifiable,” says Dr. Isaac Mwalwimba, an Environmental Specialist and Senior Lecturer in Disaster Risk Management at the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST).

This follows President Professor Peter Mutharika's declaration which covers 11 districts — Blantyre, Chikwawa, Lilongwe, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Phalombe, Salima and Thyolo — where thousands face food shortages due to failed rains.

“This declaration is quite justifiable from both political and technical programming, owing to the high magnitude of the food crisis in the country,” said Dr Mwalwimba. He added that it will “open up the participation of various stakeholders and players to provide assistance in averting the crisis in the short term.”

However, Dr. Mwalwimba cautioned that relief efforts alone will not bring lasting solutions. 

“Reliance on these declarations alone will not build on long-term sustainable solutions,” he said, urging government and partners to focus on building community resilience.

He advised the government to provide clear leadership and coordination in disaster response to avoid confusion and overlap among stakeholders. “The political responsibility of the government should clearly provide guidance on entry of stakeholders and control of most activities,” he said.

Dr. Mwalwimba further called for a Transformative Resilience and Adaptive Plan (TRAP) focusing on irrigation, water resource development, and investment in community-based programmes. “Once a full investment in these programmes has been achieved, the food insecurity challenge will be eliminated, and the country can also boost its economic stability,” he said.

He also urged that humanitarian support be linked with livelihood recovery. “The humanitarian support should be fully accompanied with the provision of farm inputs like seeds as part of preparing for the rainy season,” he said, noting that this would help affected families resume farming and sustain themselves after relief distribution ends.

Meanwhile, there was no immediate response from the government. However, the recent Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) report, projected that over 4 million Malawians are facing hunger and need humanitarian support.

Recently, President Mutharika said the government is also procuring 200,000  metric tonnes of maize from Zambia to cushion hunger and stabilize maize prices on the market.