By Luke Chimwaza
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) of the Archdiocese of Blantyre has commissioned 80 Community Based volunteers under ‘Global Action to Defeat Hunger’ project and they will work towards ending shortage of food in hunger prone districts of Thyolo and Mulanje.
Speaking when he officially presided over the Commissioning ceremony which included distribution of bicycles to all volunteers of Mendulo Catholic Parish in Mulanje on Tuesday, Vicar General for Blantyre Archdiocese, Monsignor Boniface Tamani retaliated the need for following improved agriculture if the fight against hunger is to be won.
“Improved farming is the only way out to achieve zero hunger in the country particularly in areas of Thyolo and Mulanje where land for farming is inadequate. We believe that our trained animators commissioned today will use the acquired skills to encourage better farming methods of crops and animals to the communities. Nowadays, animal farming can be helpful to crop farming and Vice versa; Improved varieties of animals like pigs and chicken have the potential of changing people’s lives by ending hunger because while the demand for such animals is high, we know also that manure from these animals can help improve land fertility which can make crops to produce even more, so these animators will be responsible to help people with knowledge and we’re happy as Archdiocese that we’ll surely score highly is ending hunger.” He said
CCJP coordinator for Blantyre Archdiocese Joseph Kampango said the project is a gateway to meaningful peace and justice since it seeks to ensure food availability for all.
He said “In Thyolo and Mulanje hunger is perpetual, whether we have good rains or not we’re likely to face hunger because of the shortage of land for farming which makes their harvest last for two or three months and the rest of the months people suffer acute hunger. So, this project is to ensure that people are secure by looking at two angles; firstly we’re looking at crops in the fields-what type of crops are people planting and their management. We’re also looking at animal husbandry. So the project has enough qualified and competent staff who will offer all necessary expertise. In animal husbandry, we also have veterinary officer specifically hired for this project to ensure that animals under the project are well taken care of in terms of vaccination and food supplements. In crop husbandry we also have an agriculture officer who will advise the type of crops to plant, how to make manure and the two will be collaborating.
The three-year project which is being implemented in T/A Bvumbwe, Ngolongoliwa, Mchiramwera, Kapichi, Chimaliro and Nanseta in Thyolo and T/As Chikumbu and Mabuka in Mulanje is being funded by Misereror- Germany to the tune of 400,000 euros.