“Extreme weather events have increased globally and have recently wreaked havoc on Malawi – and it is the small farmers who pay the price. My urgent call is to scale up investments in adaptation and resilience to ensure that climate change does not exacerbate hunger and poverty,” said Gilbert F. HoungboPresident of IFAD, before the visit.

“Food security is a priority Norway development policy because it is essential to fight against inequalities, poverty and hunger,” said Anne Beathe Tvinneriem, Norway Minister for International Development. “IFAD’s projects and programs enable small-scale farmers and fishers to produce enough safe and healthy food in a climate-smart way. Therefore, I look forward to a joint field visit with the President Gilbert Houngbo to IFAD projects in Malawi. Norway will strengthen our partnership with IFAD and significantly increase our core contribution for 2022-24.”

Arriving on February 27 for a three-day visit, Tvinneriem and Houngbo will meet from Malawi President Lazare Chakwerathe Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Lobin Loweand the Minister of Finance and Economy, Sosten Alfred Gwengwe, to discuss investments in climate change resilience to achieve the goals of ending hunger and poverty in the country by 2030.

They will then travel to an IFAD-supported project to discuss the challenges of climate change and COVID-19 directly with smallholder farmers, especially women, to see how targeted investments have built their resilience and boosted their food security, their nutrition and gender equality. .

With improved processing technologies and farming methods, smallholder farmers can feed a growing population while restoring degraded ecosystems and reducing the carbon footprint of agriculture. When they have access to weather forecast information and disaster preparedness, they are more resilient to severe weather events, such as the tropical storms that led to the declaration of a state of emergency in the country last month. . This requires increased investment in smallholder farmers, who are often the poorest and most marginalized rural people.

Since 1981, IFAD has financed 14 rural development programs and projects in Malawi at a total cost of $653.67 million, with an IFAD investment of US$350.48 million. This has directly benefited more than 2 million rural households.

Contact:
David F.Paqui
IFAD Communications Division
E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE International Fund for Agricultural Development