Malawi: Apostle Kawinga Urges Shift to Irrigation Amid El Niño Threats

What the report says

A Malawian church leader is urging farmers to reduce reliance on rain-fed crops and expand irrigation as the country faces climate-related risks linked to El Niño. According to the source material distributed by AllAfrica from Nyasa Times, Apostle Clifford Kawinga of Salvation for All Ministries International made the appeal during an engagement with traditional leaders from Malawi’s Northern Region.

Kawinga pointed to his ministry’s Hope Fields Initiative, which is described as providing solar-powered irrigation equipment and farm inputs to help communities raise yields and strengthen food security. The message framed irrigation as a practical response to increasingly uncertain rainfall patterns and a way to support both agriculture and broader community resilience.

The meeting also featured comments from Paramount Chief M'mbelwa V of Mzimba, who backed the call for irrigation and said communities should focus on sustainable farming rather than depending on aid. The event, held under the theme “United Vision: Strengthening Church and Communities Through Spiritual and Traditional Leadership,” brought together Paramount Chiefs, Senior Chiefs, Traditional Authorities and Sub-Traditional Authorities from across the region.

More broadly, the appeal reflects a wider challenge in southern Africa, where erratic weather has intensified concern over crop production and food supplies. This summary is based on the published report and general context; no independent verification was provided in the source text.