Agricultural experts and the government are urging early farm preparations as the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services forecasts an 80 percent chance of an El Niño event during the 2026/27 farming season. During a high-level roundtable convened by the International Food Policy Research Institute and the National Planning Commission, officials warned that the anticipated dry spells could severely impact crop production, according to IFPRI.
In Mzimba District, severe deforestation has raised alarm among local communities, according to Nation Online. District forestry officer Masozi Shaba stated that financial and human resource constraints have hampered the department's ability to monitor and prevent illegal logging in areas such as Mqocha. Meanwhile, youth organizations including the Chambo Scout Troop and Tiyeni Environmental Green Alliance conducted a waste management and environmental clean-up exercise at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe this week to promote sanitation, AfricaBrief reports.
On the conservation front, the Malawi Environment Protection Authority has established a partnership with United Kingdom-based biotech company Basecamp Research to develop a genomic database, Mongabay reports. The agreement focuses on technology transfer, scientific training, and collaborative research rather than traditional financial payouts for the extraction of genetic data.
Update: In ongoing investigations into the fatal June 2024 military plane crash that killed Vice-President Saulos Chilima, the director of the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services testified that the aircraft took off without a weather briefing. According to Malawi24 and Nation Online, Lucy Mtilatila told a Parliamentary committee that her department was not informed of the flight to Mzuzu, meaning no forecaster was deployed to support ground operations or provide weather data to the flight crew.