Norwegian Church Aid, DanChurchAid call for unity among NGOs in Malawi

The Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and DanChurchAid (DCA) Country Director, Håvard Hovdhaugen, has called upon NGOs in the country to work together and play a catalytic role of mobilizing small holder farmers.

Hovdhaugen said this will help to introduce the farmers to locally accessible inputs and markets, including collaborating with the private sector that play an important role in strengthening the food system.

He said these farmers have the potential to make their own decisions based on information NGOs provide.

Speaking during the Malawi Agriculture Innovation and Technology Conference and Exhibition at Umodzi Park in Lilongwe on 23 September 2021, Hovdhaugen also condemned the practice of offering farmers handouts saying the practice develops dependence syndrome.

Leading by example, his organization has targeted at least 180,000 farmers in the northern and central regions in micro investments and further corporate with the private sector such as Nyama World, a livestock and meat processing company through the TRANSFORM Programme.