Malawi faces a food crisis: why plans to avert hunger aren’t realistic and what can be done
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Sonntag, Juni 2, 2024
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The government declared a state of disaster in March as the country entered its dry season with very low food stocks.
Key Points:
- The government declared a state of disaster in March as the country entered its dry season with very low food stocks.
- We believe that the only way to ensure that Malawians have enough food to eat this year is to import it.
- This leaves the country with two options: importing food, or growing food during the ongoing dry season.
- This means that, as in past El Niño affected years, up to 40% of the population are likely to need food assistance.
It is too late for winter cropping
- First, growing crops in winter without irrigation can only happen if the soil has retained enough residual moisture from the rainy season.
- Even in a year where enough rain falls in the wet summer season, maize that relies on residual moisture cultivation must be planted before June.
- Third, the government has said that it will repair almost 5,800 hectares of dilapidated irrigation schemes and newly irrigate 12,800 hectares of land.
- This is the type of investment that, if done right, would increase agricultural production capacity for years to come.
Food imports are necessary
- This leaves only one viable means to ensure that Malawians do not go hungry this year: food imports.
- We have argued before that food should be imported as soon as it becomes clear that Malawi will not be able to harvest enough crops.