Vice-President Dr. Jane Ansah, through the Dr. Jane Ansah Foundation, has donated agricultural inputs and business support items to farmers under the Lunyina and Chipofya irrigation schemes, as well as vulnerable households in the area of Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe in Rumphi District.
Speaking during the handover ceremony held on Thursday at Kanyerere Primary School Ground, Dr. Ansah said the initiative is intended to complement government efforts to improve food security and strengthen the livelihoods of farming communities across the country.
She praised farmers in the area for embracing irrigation farming, describing it as a practical and sustainable way of ensuring year-round food production despite the growing impact of climate change.
Referring to the country’s recent El Niño experience, the Vice-President stressed that expanding irrigation farming remains one of the most effective long-term solutions to climate-related challenges affecting Malawi’s agricultural sector.
Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe expressed gratitude to Dr. Ansah for the timely intervention, saying the support would significantly improve food production and household incomes. He pledged continued cooperation with the government and the Foundation in the fight against hunger and poverty.
Rumphi Central Member of Parliament Dr. Matthews Chinombo Mtumbuka, alongside Councillor Alfred Butao, described the initiative as a major boost to the district’s agricultural sector. They encouraged more farmers to adopt irrigation farming as a pathway to achieving food security and sustainable household incomes.
Dr. Mtumbuka also appealed to the government to reduce fertilizer prices and improve tobacco prices, arguing that poor returns from tobacco sales continue to undermine farmers’ livelihoods across the country.
The donation included fertilizer, maize, soya bean and bean seeds, bicycles, and sewing machines. The initiative is expected to benefit at least 5,000 farmers and other vulnerable people in the area, helping to strengthen both agricultural productivity and small-scale business activities.
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