Mennonite Central Committee Canada is supporting Brethren in Christ Church Malawi – Compassionate and Development Services with a three-year agriculture and livelihood project in Chikwawa District, Malawi.
Climate change, lack of farm inputs, and unreliability of markets are common challenges faced by vulnerable households in the region. Together these result in difficult farming conditions and ultimately low crop yields. This has resulted in long periods of food insecurity throughout the year as households cannot produce enough harvest to last year-round. Women face additional difficulties such as lack of control over assets and decision-making and disproportionate workloads, which also perpetuate food insecurity.
This project aims to increase food security and community resilience to climate change by promoting the use of conservation agriculture farming techniques, increasing market access, and advocating for gender rights. Specific activities include providing training on CA farming techniques that promote soil cover, crop diversification and minimal soil disturbance, gender sessions that address the challenges women face, and providing fuel efficient cook stoves to reduce deforestation and the amount of time women spend collecting firewood for cooking.
Over the three years, this project aims to reach 400 households (approximately 2,000 individuals).