LILONGWE, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- A report by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) has warned that Malawi will experience widespread hunger this year due to a decrease in crop production the country is likely to experience.
The report says the current season's crop harvest is expected to be lower compared to last year's and the five-year average.
Southern Malawi is expected to be the worst hit, according to FEWS NET, a provider of early warning and analysis on food insecurity. "Poor households in southern Malawi are expected to run out of food stocks by August, compared to October in a typical year," explains the report.
The Malawi food security outlook report for 2022-2023 also indicates that climate change impacts and the rise in fertilizer prices are among the factors that threaten the food security outlook this season.
Meanwhile, agriculture experts are calling for urgent action to address issues raised in the report, saying there's urgent need for greater investment in sustainable agriculture and climate-smart farming practices.
"I agree with the report's findings: Malawi is currently facing challenges with the Affordable Input Program (an agricultural subsidy program introduced by the government in 2020), which has resulted in many farmers failing to access fertilizer, a development that will lead to low crop production," a renowned agricultural expert, Tamani Nkhono-Mvula, told Xinhua in an interview.
"As a country, we need to invest in more sustainable agriculture practices and support farmers to build resilience to climate change and other shocks," he added.
Meanwhile, 3.8 million people (about 20 percent of the population) across Malawi are food insecure and the government is reaching out to them with relief food and cash transfers through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs. ■