Dedza North legislator Savel Kafwafwa (Malawi Congress Party) has advised people in his constituency to diversify their crop production to ensure food security at household level.

He said this on Monday when he distributed K1.5 million of worth cassava cuttings to at least 500 households in Senior Chief Tambala in the district.

Kafwafwa said people in the area were facing hunger; hence, his intervention to ensure a sustainable way of getting food.

“If you listen attentively, you will notice that the hunger stories are told every year. Therefore, I thought it is now time to consider alternative food sources because maize is proving difficult to grow as people need new inputs every season,” he said.

Kafwafwa (2L) hands over cassava cuttings to beneficiaries

Kafwafwa said maize farming is weather sensitive unlike cassava which is drought resistant.

Group village head Chibwana Mlozi said the hunger situation in the area was dire.

He said people survived on mangoes between October and December 2023, but now there are no seasonal fruits to fill the gap.

“However, I commend the lawmaker for distributing the cassava cuttings as it will help people have another source of food,” he said.

Some of the beneficiaries, Manuella Thomas and Mussa Kausa, thanked Kafwafwa for the initiative.

They promised to multiply the stems so that others benefit from the same.

Dedza district principal agriculture officer Lana Chikonkheni said 15 percent of the households in the district are facing hunger.

“One of the sustainable ways to deal with hunger is what we have witnessed today where hundreds of families have received cassava cuttings,” she said.

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