Many families still need assistance

Although the food crisis which shook Malawi over the last two years appears to have dissipated, many families were so severely affected by the shortages that they need continued assistance, World Vision Malawi (WVM) told IRIN on Thursday. With more than 80 percent of the country relying on agriculture, the devastation wrought to crops by droughts and floods had a deep impact on the food security of 3.6 million of the country's 11 million people. Although an emergency operation by NGOs and UN agencies averted a disaster, increased soil erosion, reduced soil fertility and HIV/AIDS have left many communities still in need of help, WVM national director Duncan Campbell said. "HIV/AIDS is a big worry," Campbell remarked. "Families produce less because the able-bodied adults have died. The production of crops is already down and any little shock can push them over the edge. All these factors can lead to the slow onslaught of a crisis, and the drought pushed everything over the edge." NGOs have sought out and registered people in need. WVM, Care International and Catholic Relief Services, acting as the Consortium for Southern African Food Emergency, have agreed to work together in providing supplementary feeding to prevent severe malnutrition among vulnerable groups. "The situation in Malawi has improved relative to last year - so there is no longer a need for general distribution - and we now have to target who we assist," Campbell said. "The most vulnerable part of the population are the children, and we have to work with their mothers too." The organisation will provide assistance to 6,000 malnourished children and mothers at six health centres in the southern districts of Nsanje, Mwanza and Chikwawa over the next eight months. It will also continue its seed distribution programme in the area. "When there was a drought and the farmers don't have anything to eat - although they are loathe to do it - when it comes to the difference between life and death, they will eat the seed set aside for planting in the coming year," Campbell said. "So a lot of farmers are ready to plant this year, but do not have any seed." WVM hope that their seed distribution project will help up to 43,000 poor farmers. The programme has already acquired about 86 mt of maize, 40 mt of bean and 3.5 mt of sorghum seed, and will run until the middle of November. According to a recent Famine Early Warning System Networks (FEWSNET) report, the prospects for rain in Malawi are looking better this year. In addition to the WVM seed programme, the government is distributing free agricultural inputs to 1.7 million poor farm families before the planting season begins. Last year grain silos stood empty - this year, government-owned maize stocks amounted to 200,000 mt at the end of September.