Food Security and Better Livelihood

International Labour Organization seems to have done a study and correctly noted that because Malawians have grown enough maize for food, they don't have to do hard labour for food anymore there is now a deficit in labour force since labouring is not anybodies attractive option.

The re-correction strategy is not in any way to advise farmers to grow less maize, no! At all cost no! It is taking as an advantage to improve labour conditions.

Among so many things the International Labour Organization has many responsibilities to empower people with proper skills so that they become self-dependent and making a good and honest income. In essence not having to depend on theft and/or prostitution.

International Labour Organization has a huge responsibility to ensure that labourers and employees are getting fair conditions and not being abused by employees.

Having food security is just one good way of avoiding these abuses because now employees are working because they want to.

Staying idle is not always a pleasant thing, it thrills a man to accomplish or demonstrate his creativity and knowledge with or without pay and if a person has done a some service for somebody they deserve a pay in order for them to pay for service someone else will do for them. This is also a responsibility of the Labour organization to ensure that a good service is done and a good compensation given for the good service.

If in anyway, there has been a disagreement between an employee and employer, the labour organization is supposed to make sure that the employer and employee have settled to some agreement so that each goes out happy.

I think this one thing the International Labour Organization should learn from Malawians that by improving food security, the people who are the labour force can get better labour conditions when employers decide to improve labour conditions and benefits to attract the labour force they require.

I am one beneficially of the International Labour Organization Start Your Business course. The course has helped me a lot, but there are many factors affecting a business start-ups, including strengthening the legal structures that provide a good environment for business operation.

This includes laws dealing with employee and employer relations, seller and buyer relations, etc, etc. That's in Malawi, Fair trade Act which is meant to protect consumers from exploitation from traders, industrial relations court, which should look also at the employees not just the employers. And also relations between companies where issues of payment really are a big trouble nowadays.

Over years, capitalistic business enterprises has highly influenced trade policy and changed many laws creating themselves an environment of profit at the expense of consumers, and employees.

The courts like the Labour Courts, Industrial Relations Courts, even, The Labour Courts, ILO, are useless in Malawi. This is one thing the ILO should concentrate on achieving: to strengthen these courts. Otherwise, it is useless as well but just a capitalistic arm to change the same policy it is supposed to protect.

Nobody advises another not to grow themselves food.

If we could all arable crops in Malawi, and those that can provide staple foods, only Maize is widely suitable for Malawi's wide variation of climatic conditions.

If we are stopping to grow maize, we suffer food insecurity. International Labour Court should know better not to encourage reduction of maize in Malawi at all cost.

And Malawian Radio Stations, please assess the content you broadcast on behalf of these organizations to see if they are of any importance to Malawi. That is responsible broadcasting. Sometimes you should be able to say no. Not many of these contents are of any importance to the citizens hence Kamuzu was very strict on media broadcasts.

You should be able to regulate yourselves media houses instead having to wait for somebody to tell what to do or not to do.

Integrity is choosing to do the right thing when you have the power or opportunity to do the wrong thing. That's what we need.

I think ILO comes in the light of Labour Day, Preach Food Security and Strengthened Labour related Legal structures if you thing your job is done to demand reduction maize growth and destroying our food security in essence. No!

Otherwise, it is better to create our own local theme than the ILO theme. Good day.

Technology for Life Improvement

I have seen the every government of a land really does concerned with the issues that affect real people. Things like poverty, famine, sickness and in our malawian day today, fuel shortage.

I just watched todays news, two ambassadors of USA and Ireland presenting their credentials and pledging to support the government on its undertaking to implement the green belt project. This is the governments concern to ensure that there is food security in Malawi and more to export.

There was a draught at one time in Rumphi, the government was quick to respond in tendering consultants to implement irrigation facilities so that Rumphi district does not suffer famine from the draught.

We still have food reserves constructed, we still have fuel reserves in plans for construction if it hasn't already started, we have a petroleum importing body being established amidst the current fuel shortage, I hear the forex shortage problem is easing up, we have fewer forex earnings than we require per year due to the poor tobacco sales. But the worry we would have had in these shortages, might ease if our major import which is fertilizers and other farm inputs is supported as the American ambassador pledged.

These are things the government is doing outside the radios and outside the television.

Do we have needs that we need in our areas? The press cannot reach all the areas. The government cannot also reach all these areas. But we have tools of communication.

There Facebook groups created by various people for various reasons from business groupings to fuel watch, etc, etc. Almost everybody has a little access to Facebook these days. I just know by the words that I have said that I meet everywhere I go. Even in the villages, these Chinese phones, the nokias, they do allow a little access to Facebook for these people.

Is there a problem that you have in your area you wished the government could resolve for you? Is it issues of oppression, food shortage, disease outbreaks, whatever problem you have, these tools of communication allow you to take pictures, and videos and they allow to post messages for your needs. Report these things for the government is concerned about the welfare of its citizens. If you are neglected it is only because such problems do not get reported to the people who should assist.

If these problems are timely reported, we should not have protests as has been in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and in Malawi recently which resulted into lives lost.

We have a good situation in Malawi. Presidential terms are limited. We should not have conflicts even in the middle of a presidential terms.

Report these problems amicably, someone will look at them with concern and give the required support.

God bless, Malawi.