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MWASIP Graduates Field School Farmers in Neno

The Malawi Watershed Services Improvement Project in partnership with Neno district council, has today graduated three hundred Farmer Field School farmers in Neno district in Conservation Agriculture.

The graduating farmers have been drawn from ten Farmer Field Schools (FFS) across the district with one hundred and twenty graduating today on the symbolic occasion.

Ministry of Agriculture Principal Training Officer, Boniface Kautale says most households in the country are food insecure due to land degradation hence a need to train farmers in Conservation Agriculture.

Kautale underscores the need for farmers to actively engage in Conservation Agriculture as a way of dealing with climate change.

"For farmers to produce more and improve their livelihoods, they must adopt smart agriculture technics which include use of compost manure, conserving the environment and water harvest among others", he said.

The Principal Agriculture Officer, further said that, the farmers should not relent but impart the knowledge learnt to other farmers so that the project, which has been of a long season, should bear fruits and be sustainable.

Neno district Principal Agriculture Officer Mayamiko Zambezi encouraged the graduating farmers to pass on the knowledge learnt to other farmers and be ambassadors of climate change.

She says, practicing modern agriculture is vital in uplifting the lives of farmers thereby improving the national economy.

In her remarks, Asumi Farmer Field School member Marvis Chaipa says the MWASIP project has helped farmers to grow resilient crops and identify agriculture gaps which is key to sustaining families even in times of droughts.

"Through this school, I have learnt how to make contour ridges, plant trees around my farm and how to mix local materials to come up with manure, and I will make sure that we continue practicing this", said Chaipa.

As a way of making sure that the farms under Asumi Farmer Field School are yielding results, Chaipa says, their school will remain intact and be seeking further guidance from the department of agriculture through its extension service workers.

One of the Extension Services worker, Godfrey Mpaso was all smiles when he also received his certificate as one of the lead Extension Services worker.

Meanwhile, Neno district council chairperson councilor Mark Ngwangwa of Lisungwi ward, thanked MWASIP for the project and has encouraged the farmers to use the skills learnt to their best abilities.

He noted that, the farmers if they utilize the skills, they will be able to grow more crops and practice crop diversification amid natural disasters that affect farming in the district.

"If they practice what has been taught, am sure issues of hunger after disaster will be a thing of the past, and I advise them to surely take advantage of this project", advised Ngwangwa.

A similar graduation was also held in Machinga district over the weekend.

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