Food insecurity is a serious challenge for the Malawian people, including those working in small-scale agriculture and aquaculture.
To address this issue, the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF Canada) has teamed up with the governments of Malawi and Norway, along with local partners, to increase the productivity, income and access to markets of small-scale food producers in the agriculture, agroforestry and aquaculture sectors.
The Integrating Aquaculture-Agriculture to Combat Food Insecurity (IAAM) project, set to run until 2028, aims to directly benefit 7,200 households. The project will develop economically sound and environmentally friendly small scale, low-cost aquaculture-agriculture production systems. Additionally, it will tackle challenges related to fish feed and fingerling supply.
“Besides combatting food insecurity, the project will address gender inequalities and promote climate smart agricultural practices,” Benoit Andre, CDF Canada Executive Director, said.
As part of the project, the role of small-scale producers and small-and-medium sized enterprises within value chains will be strengthened and there will be a gender-responsive approach, recognizing the equitable participation of women in co-operatives.
Furthermore, IAAM will focus on restoring and improving forest cover in both farm and non-farming communities by expanding and enhancing village forests and woodlots.
The project’s non-governmental partners are the African Women Fish Processors and Traders Network (AWFISHNET) – Malawi Chapter, Community Agribusiness Partners (CAP), Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Malawi Federation of Co-operatives (MAFECO), Malawi Union of Savings and Credit Co-operatives (MUSCCO), Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and Women’s Legal Resources Centre (WOLREC).
“We’re proud to be working with a diverse group of organizations,” Andre said. “By collaborating together, we’re building resilient and diversified agricultural and aquacultural sectors in Malawi.”
Agriculture is the practice of growing crops and rearing animals for food; agroforestry is the intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to create environmental, economic and social benefits while aquaculture is the breeding, rearing and harvesting of fish and shellfish in all types of water environments.