Kasungu Training Participants

30 April 2019, Malawi – FAO, in collaboration with the government of Malawi, has rolled out a Geographic Information System (GIS) climatic hazard hotspots and vulnerability mapping targeting 14 districts within the framework of the EU-funded KULIMA programme and DFID funded PROSPER programme. This initiative aims to build the necessary baseline information that will support formulation of site-specific community-based climate change adaptation plans for the target districts.

The districts to be covered include Chitipa, Karonga, Mzimba, Nkhata-Bay, Nkhotakota, Kasungu, Salima, Chiradzulu, Thyolo, Mulanje, Balaka, Mangochi, Chikwawa and Phalombe. The initial roll out commenced in Kasungu and Salima districts, where trainings have been completed for a total of 53 extension workers.

In Malawi, it has been recognized that sustainable agricultural production and productivity can only be achieved hand-in-hand with the development of appropriate adaptation strategies to climate change and that such strategies should be site dependent. Local planning decisions are therefore critical in order to tailor interventions to the locations in which hazards occur.

However, the lack of elaborate information on existing climatic hazards dubbed ‘hot spots’, poses a major drawback in planning for tailored and appropriate interventions for building the adaptive capacity of affected farming communities. Existing data gaps within most districts of the exact locations under severe threat due to natural and human induced activities has further exacerbated the problem. The GIS hotspot and vulnerability mapping therefore responds directly to this lack of information.

Speaking about the importance of the mapping during the kick-off in Kasungu District, the District Agriculture Development Officer Mr. Patterson Kandoje said:

“The importance of incorporating GIS in our catchment management programming cannot be overemphasized. Most districts are experiencing challenges relating to climate change. However, the lack of data on the exact locations of hazards hots spots within our catchments has been a major drawback in our formulation of site-specific interventions. The development of a dynamic system for continuous training and capacity building on GIS and GPS technology to district extension services on hotspots mapping is not only an immediate need but is paramount.”

He reiterated, the need for implementing partners operating in common catchments in Kasungu district to build synergies in formulation of location-based, community-driven and site-specific interventions hinged on the profiles of over 1000 hot spots collected following the mapping within Kasungu district.

With emphasis on the importance of integrating GIS and using it in planning for site-specific interventions, district extension staff are being trained in conducting GIS hazard hotspot mapping, profiling of strategic and adaptive infrastructure and development of vulnerability and risk assessments.

To ensure sustainability of the initiative, FAO has built on a cyclic knowledge transfer and capacity building model targeting the extension service system. This model is aimed at creating a pool of Trainer of Trainers (ToTs) referred to as Hotspot Mapping ToTs (HSM ToTs). Once trained, the ToTs are equipped with the necessary skills for hotspot mapping and development of site-specific climate change adaptation strategies that will support farmers on a needs basis.

Mark Mgunda, Agriculture Extension Development Officer, Kaluluma EPA who underwent training in Kasungu, was able to support facilitation of the same in Salima, in his capacity as an HSM ToT. Regarding the experience, he said:

“I am honoured to be in a position to transfer my acquired knowledge on GIS and GPS technology in the context of hot spots mapping following my training by FAO. I now have a deeper understanding of the importance of baseline data on location of climate hazard hot spots, before any interventions can be formulated.”

Previous efforts towards hotspot mapping

FAO in 2017, conducted mapping, covering over 1507 hotspots in eight selected traditional authorities (TAs) in Blantyre, Neno, Phalombe and Zomba Districts, as part of the drive to promote transformative learning and to strengthen community resilience to climate change. This was under the EU-funded project ‘Strengthening community resilience to climate change in Blantyre, Neno, Phalombe and Zomba districts’.