By Vincent Gunde
Oxfam, a prominent international organization, reports that Malawi’s economy is highly reliant on agriculture, with more than 80 percent of the population depending on it for their livelihood. Additionally, 71 percent of Malawians live below the poverty line, surviving on just $2.15 per day.
Oxfam will implement the Improving Communities’ Livelihoods Resilience for Healthy Lives project, building on lessons and approaches from the Norad-funded Rooted in Diversity project being implemented in the TA Kayembe in Dowa District, in partnership with CICOD.
This is a two-year project starting in April 2025 and ending in March 2027, targeting 1,200 households in Traditional Authority Dzoole in the district. Rapid assessments were carried out in the areas of Traditional Authorities Kayembe and Dzoole, which revealed that 80 percent of households harvest food that lasts for less than six months.
Presenting the project to the District Executive Committee (DEC) in Dowa, Oxfam’s Program Manager for Livelihood Resilience, Steve Kuliya, said the project will be implemented with the overall objective of contributing to improved livelihood resilience and nutrition security in Dowa through climate-resilient local food systems and inclusive markets.
Kuliya said communities in the areas of the two Traditional Authorities, Dzoole and Kayembe, face limited access to agricultural inputs, low agricultural production, lack of reliable markets for their produce, and most farmers rely on vendors. He added that food insecurity remains a major challenge, negatively impacting adherence to ART as well as overall service outcomes.
He said the project’s impact area will be Traditional Authority Dzoole, specifically in villages where Sant’ Egidio is working, targeting 1,200 smallholder farmers. The project aims for these farmers to adopt sustainable, nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices.
The Manager added that the project’s activities will include promoting climate-smart agriculture, supporting the establishment of homestead gardens with fruit trees such as pawpaws, and encouraging the production and consumption of neglected and underutilized crops that are both highly nutritious and climate-resilient.
“The project will train eight horticulture groups in value addition, build the capacity of 1,200 smallholder farmers through training on food preparation, and construct one warehouse to support crop aggregation, among other activities,” said Kuliya.
He said the overall project delivery approaches will include the Farmer Field School model, drawing lessons and experiences from the ongoing Norad-funded project, with a focus on promoting the production and utilization of neglected and underutilized local food crops and plants with high nutritional value.
In his remarks, Dowa District Council’s Acting Chief Planning Officer, Yusuf Laki, called for coordination and collaboration among partners implementing various interventions in the district for the benefit of Dowa communities.
Laki advised the organization to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the council and to obtain a letter of introduction to present to the Area Development Committee (ADC) to enhance cooperation, transparency, and accountability.
Oxfam will implement the Improving Communities’ Livelihoods Resilience for Healthy Lives project in partnership with CICOD and Sant’ Egidio, with support from the Foundation Assistance Internationale (FAI) through Oxfam-Italy, amounting to 185,030 Euros.
