By Alinafe Nyanda
Minister of Agriculture Samuel Dalitso Kawale has called for a collective action to combat the effects of climate change in a quest to pursue agricultural productivity and commercialization goals.
He made the call on Wednesday when officially opening of the 2024 Malawi Agricultural Productivity and Commercialization Conference (MAPCC) at Bingu International Conference Center (BICC) in Lilongwe.
Kawale emphasized the urgent need for a concerted efforts to transform food systems in the context of climate change shocks increased frequency and intensity, with 19 floods and seven droughts recorded over the last decades.
“These adverse climate conditions have worsened food insecurity and undermined the country’s efforts to transform food systems sustainably. These extremely climate shocks are projected to increase in frequency and severity in Malawi and have a detrimental effect on the economy
“Over the years, the MAPCC has influenced several policy and strategic initiatives, including developing mega and anchor farms, promoting investment for agricultural diversification and commercialization, and identifying key value chains for prioritization” said Kawale.
The minister further said MAPCC provides an excellent platform for collaboration with key players in agriculture transformation as he urged participants to use this unique opportunity to advance the Malawi 2063.
Kawale said the conference series aims to foster strategic dialogue, provide evidence-based policy guidance and support the implementation of agriculture transformation and has a selection of well-thought out and beneficial thematic
According to the Malawi Country Climate and Development Report, if nothing is done to reverse the currently situation, Malawi is expected to experience as high as a 20 percent loss in GDP by 2040.
