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How the EU supports food systems change: Lessons from Malawi

Even before the EU Farm to Fork Strategy launched in 2020, the EU took action to make food systems more resilient to shocks. But did the EU’s ambitions bear fruit? Cecilia D'Alessandro and Paulina Bizzotto Molina break down lessons learned from their evaluation of the EU’s support to food systems abroad, focusing on Malawi.

 
 
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We are standing on a hillside that only a few years ago was completely deforested. Now, after seven years of restoration efforts, local groups harvest wild honey there. We are in Zomba, a district close to Blantyre in Malawi, to understand how the EU has contributed to making food systems more inclusive and sustainable. 

The projects in Zomba are part of the €13.2 billion the EU spent on food and nutrition security as well as sustainable agriculture between 2014 and 2020. The beekeeping provides enough incentive for the community to protect the trees on the hillside. Community members, organised in groups, co-manage the protected areas. As a result, the risk of flooding and landslides has reduced significantly. 

A group of lead farmers, mainly women, has also been researching different environmentally-friendly farming practices, such as producing organic fertiliser. This enabled them to make their livelihoods more resilient to shocks. “The groups still function after three years of the project phasing out”, comments Innocent Kaponya, regional coordination officer for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). “But the empowerment of the groups is the most important impact”, he is sure to add. 

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المؤلف: Cecilia D'Alessandro Paulina Bizzotto Molina
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المنظمة: ECDPM - The Center for Africa-Europe center
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السنة: 2023
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البلد/البلدان: Malawi
التغطية الجغرافية: أفريقيا, الاتحاد الأوروبى
النوع: مقالة في مدونة إلكترونية
لغة المحتوى: English
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