Drought in Northern Malawi and the importance of True Origin Rice Sales
The Karonga area of Northern Malawi has experienced a severe drought over the current growing season and the government are supplying maize to feed the population through an emergency scheme. For the rice farmers the drought has meant that yields are down and farmers are suffering. To the rice farmers of Karonga, rice is a cash crop - their livelihood - rather than a subsistence crop such as maize and cassava which they grow to eat. They tell us that it is very important that we continue to support them by buying their rice and thereby providing money for them to buy necessities such as secondary education, farming equipment, medicines etc. It is also important that foreign currency such as that generated through the export of rice continues to flow into Malawi to enable the country to function.
So, buying rice is important, but there is more that we are doing. Sometime ago we raised money through the Balmore Trust to buy pumps to assist irrigation of the paddy in dry years. This year these pumps have proved invaluable to the farmers who can access them. We have now been asked by KASFA if we could supply the funds to purchase another 20 petrol driven irrigation pumps which will be used by a further 200 farmers. These pumps will be used, if needed, from November onwards to help next year's rice crop, but in the meantime as soon as they are installed, they will assist farmers in growing crops that they will harvest and eat within their community.
It is crucial that we are proactive in helping the farmers combat climate change to help secure their future. Acting on the farmers requests for us to purchase rice and to support them through this time of huge hardship illustrates the importance of the partnership between the Kilombero rice farmers, JTS and the Balmore Trust.
