Friday, September 8, 2017

Public Policy Makers Visit Ngwangwa Irrigation Project

On Thursday, Hon. Dr. Jessie Kabwila, MP, toured the Ngwangwa Irrigation Project with two Ugandan lawmakers and members of the National Commission for Science and Technology in an effort to gain understanding of how to fight poverty through irrigation. The AWP staff shared our experiences and advised the parliamentarians on policies that would be beneficial to rural farmers who comprise 85% of the population of Malawi.

The visiting Ugandan MPs commended AWP and the local government extension workers for collaborating to help the communities. Hon. Kabwila, who is the chairman of the Women's Caucus, believed the success of the project is a result of the inclusion of a majority of women farmers, many of them widows and single mothers.

AWP implored parliament to enact policies that would promote security and investment in rural areas. Farmers addressed the delegation with their concerns, noting the challenge of raising capital to invest in their farms.