Yanagisawa made the remarks when she officially handed over 64 million Kwacha irrigation schemes to communities of Sagonja in the area of chief Chigalu in Blantyre and Nankuyu in the area of Chief Likoswe in Chiradzulu district.
“The aim of this project is to increase agriculture production through irrigation and capacity building of farmers in the two areas and thereby improving their income,” she said.
Yanagisawa added that the project will serve in enhancing sustainable agricultural production, leading to the improved livelihood of farmers while coping with climate change.
Government of Japan approved a grant amounting to USD86, 298 to Gift of the Givers Foundation Malawi under the scheme of the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects and signing of the grant contract was done in February, 2016.
The project was initially expected to be completed by February, 2017. However, it encountered some challenges during the implementation process that caused a slight delay.
Yanagisawa however commended Gift of Givers not only for their hard work in overcoming the challenges but also for establishing close partnership with the farmers.
She also commended the District Forestry Environmental Officers and Agriculture Extension Development Offices for supporting the training of farmers. With their efforts, 200 farmers have been equipped with knowledge and skills on how to utilize the irrigation facilities as well as agribusiness skills on production and marketing.
Speaking during the function, Chairperson for Gift of the Givers Foundation Abdul Gaffar Jakhura said the two irrigation projects were aimed at complementing Government’s efforts in its fight against hunger as well as the effects of climate change.
He added that it is well documented that adverse weather, such as erratic rainfall patterns, has had a devastating effect of agriculture production in Malawi.
“Since our country has not been spared of this climate change phenomenon, it is of high importance to encourage our farmers to embrace smart agriculture, which is irrigation farming, in order to ensure food security at household level. This will help our agro-based economy with the possibility of harvesting, at least, two crop circles as opposed to a single one during the rainy season,” said Jakhura.
