On 15 August, Nikolas Bosscher, Deputy General Representative of the Government of Flanders in Malawi, signed a new project agreement with the FAO representative, Mr. Zhijun Chen, and the Malawian Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Joseph Mwanamvekha. The project agreement is aimed at promoting secure land tenure through systematic rural land registration, improve rural land use planning, promote appropriate land and water management practice. 

Thanks to a recent land policy reform, Malawi now has the opportunity to set up the entire chain of sustainable land management. Farmers will thus be more inclined to focus on sustainable agriculture and water systems, in order to create resilience to climate change and to enhance water security. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is expecting to reach at least 60 000 smallholder-farming households during the four-year project.

Nikolas Bosscher, Deputy General Representative of the Flemish Government in Malawi, expressed trust and confidence in the FAO project during the ceremony: “A crucial step to realize this transformation is to assure that farmers own the land they cultivate, that the land’s productivity is maximized according its optimal suitability and that the land is sustainably managed to make sure it will maintain its productivity for future generations.”

For the implementation of the project, FAO is working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development of Malawi. The project will be conducted in the districts of Kasungu and Mzimba. The project grant was approved by the government on the 3rd of May 2019.