CISONECC National Coordinator Julius Ng'oma while briefing a District Agriculture Coordinating Committee (DIACC) on Tuesday says if vulnerable groups of people such as women have their capacity to adapt to climate change is strengthened, there will be minimal losses and damage.

He told the district agriculture committee that Christian Aid has given CISONECC and the Evangelical Association of Malawi a £300 thousand money value which will empower the vulnerable people with new technologies that would ensure the adoption of clean energy and mitigate disaster risks.

"The project which we are calling Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Energy in Malawi will support marginalized communities like women to adapt to impacts of climate change and strengthen their own capacities to withstand disasters," he said.

Ng'oma then added that in the project, which is for three years, they will also ensure that the vulnerable populations have capacity to improve their livelihoods through crop diversification.

He said that "the people must be able to engage their councils to ignite regulations that protect them in times of unforseen circumstances in a smart way."

Commending the organisation for the project, Neno District Council Agriculture Extension Methodology officer Noel Nkwatapa hailed Christian saying Neno as a district is feeling the negative effects of climate change.

"The project will help address issues of disaster in the agriculture field and I am citing the heavily damaged Mtengula irrigation scheme," he said.

Nkwapata says the scheme, which was one of its kind, had its equipment worth millions of kwacha compromised by the effects of tropical Cyclone Freddy and needs huge amount for repair.

He nonetheless called on field farmer clubs to take full advantage of the project to increase their knowledge on climate smart agriculture and plant more trees to avoid land degradation.

Meanwhile, the Neno District Principal Agriculture officer Diana  Mayamiko Zambezi asked the organisation to work in partnership with other organisations which are doing a similar product.

"Don't need duplication of efforts, so we call all organisations in our district to share knowledge and work together for the betterment of the vulnerable people," said the PAO.

The Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources has been roped in as a technical partner.