Plant Drought Tolerant Crops - Agriculture Expert

Plants

Promotion the adoption of drought tolerant crop varieties is one of the best ways to address food insecurity challenges in areas that experience erratic weather conditions, an agricultural expert has said.

Shire Valley Agriculture Development Division Principal Crop Officer Jackson Mvula made the sentiments during the agricultural field day on Saturday, in Traditional Authority Mbenje in Nsanje District.

Mvula noted that the current weather conditions some districts have experienced in Malawi are have contributed negatively towards harvests because most varieties farmers grow cannot withstand prolonged dry spells.

"The impact of the climate change has been felt in most of the areas in the country including the Lower Shire. Farmers have not produced enough for their households and for sale.

"To ensure that farmers produce enough food, there need to promote drought tolerant crop varieties. For instance, in the Lower Shire, we need to encourage farmers to plant crops like Pilira 1 sorghum as it matures early compared to any crop," Mvula said.

Nsanje District Council Chairperson Mabvuto Kamba, who was guest of honour during the field day, said that studies have shown that the only way people in the dry spell areas such as Nsanje can withstand the adverse effects of climate change by growing drought tolerant crop varieties.

"Farmers should be encouraged to plant crops which are drought tolerant. I think as a district, we can achieve food security by promoting such crops," Kamba said.

The Shire Valley Agriculture Development Division conducted a field day in Nsanje with an aim of showcasing how productive Pilira 1 sorghum variety is even it times of drought.

The field day brought farmers and officials from both Nsanje and Chikwawa Districts.