A recent research has found that Malawi’s food systems are not sustainable, saying a lot needs to be done to achieve sustainability.
Presenting the findings in Lilongwe on Tuesday on the sidelines of a United Nations Food Summit 2021 Validation Workshop, agriculture development and policy expert Tamani Nkhono Mvula said the research was based on five action areas.
He said: “We are looking at issues of access to nutritious and safe food, ways in which we can boost nature positive production, how we can ensure that production systems are not being detrimental to the environment as well as how we can enhance a shift to sustainable food patterns.”
Nkhono-Mvula said the country’s diets are carbohydrate-based; hence, there is need to shift to sustainable food or ways of consumption and production.
He said there is need to look at ways of enhancing vulnerability of the food systems to shocks and stresses.
Said Nkhono-Mvula: “The report was looking on those issues, but now looking at the challenges that we have as a country, we need to look at what should be done to change that.
“We did not only look at the problems, but also what should be done, game- changing priorities, the short-term and the mid-term.”
He said despite investing a lot in food production such as the Affordable Inputs Programme, many people still lack food.
Nkhono-Mvula cited the recent Malawi Vulnerability Assessment (Mvac) report, which indicated that about 1.5 million people will be food insecure this year.
“When you look at this, it is a sign that there is a gap somewhere, where one report from government is telling us that there is food surplus, another report is telling us that there is going to be food deficits,” he said.
On his part, Minister of Agriculture Lobin Lowe said there is need to ensure sensitisation to the importance of consuming nutritious foods.
He said many people consider maize as the only food; hence, the need for mindset change to embrace other types of foods which are equally important.
“The stakeholders are guiding my ministry to consider irrigation as one of the priorities and at the same time, we are looking at inadequate dietary diversification,” said Lowe.
He said the workshop provided the country an opportunity to present the report to the United Nations Summit on the issues agreed upon while at the same time ensuring that the country has a tool to know where the country is going.
The meeting got commitments from stakeholders such government, development partners, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and farming communities.
It will provide direction on what should be done to address the challenges identified.
