Business NewsEditors Pick

Christian Aid challenges Malawi on irrigation

Cheap irrigation water pumps are sustainable
Cheap irrigation water pumps are sustainable

Malawi Government has been challenged to promote sustainable irrigation technologies in a drive to advance the country’s food security levels.

Chief of party for Christian Aid, Sabine Joukes, whose organisation is funding a five-year project dubbed Enhancing Community Resilience (ECRP) in seven districts across the country, said water pump engines are not sustainable and costly to run.

Joukes said farmers need small-scale irrigation solutions that can be easily fixed in case of faults citing the treadle pumps.

“What I have observed, is that government is wasting money in providing water pump engines to small scale irrigation farmers most of which are gathering dust.

“Farmers have no technical know how to manage the engines as a result, the irrigation interventions are not helping fight hunger in the country,” she said.

Joukes underlined the need for government and various stakeholders to find sustainable small-scale irrigation solutions.

Sai Joukes: “Sustainable solutions like treadle pumps should be encouraged since the communities can manage to run or fix them when there is a fault without asking for help from outside.

“For instance, engine pumps are expensive to run considering the fact that they require fuel but also expertise to fix in case of a fault. It is not easy for the poor farmers to manage such sophisticated water pump engines.”

Her remarks come as government water pump engines provided to Shire and Nkotamu irrigation schemes in Nsanje in 2011 are yet to start operating.

Nsanje district agricultural development officer, Isaac Ali, recently acknowledged the need for farmers in the district to use cheap irrigation technologies citing the use of treadle pumps.

“While we are working on installation modalities of the engines, we appeal to farmers to use sustainable irrigation technologies,” advised Ali.

Under the five year Enhancing Community Resilience Project being implemented in seven districts including Nsanje, Chikhwawa and Mulanje, the Christian Aid is promoting irrigation farming and Disaster Risk Management (DRM) among other activities.

Related Articles

Back to top button