Harare — For many decades a scrum of international and local NGOs have been jostling to help those in poverty feed themselves. The thinking became that those with food would just give some to the have-nots. This persisted throughout the 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s and in the past few years leading up to 2009.

This focus has been proven to be wrong.

Developing world agronomists say by focusing on aid in situations of crisis instead of empowering small farmers and creating structures for them to sell their crops locally, rich donor countries and their humanitarian agencies forgot the dignity element of being able to feed yourself.

Keeping people fed is the most basic function for governments, NGOs, farmers and other key stakeholders. Despite the presence of thousands of programmes, models and a complex web of other hunger-busting theories, the number of chronically hungry people continues to grow everyday.

The world's poor are reeling from record food prices and having to contend with the recession's devastating effect on incomes. This year, it is estimated that there are more than one billion chronically hungry people and the UN Millennium Development Goal No. 1 -- End Poverty and Hunger -- is now proving to be elusive due to policy and market failures, poor leadership, poverty and other problems.

It is important for government, humanitarian agencies and other stakeholders to address the needs of smallholder farmers to enhance their productivity and their household food security. Empowering smallholder farmers to produce and sell their food will set off a domino effect leading to improved livelihoods.

Food aid policies must shift from handouts and focus more on empowerment.

Few know better the complex issues that hinder a country's food supply than those who live there in the dry and marginal parts of Africa.

Malawi has great lessons for Zimbabwe and most other African countries when it comes to empowerment of smallholder farmers to ensure food security. The Agricultural Input Subsidy Programme that was introduced in 2004 by Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika, immediately after he took office is now paying dividends with the majority of smallholder farmers recording surpluses.

Wa Mutharika, who is also the country's minister of agriculture and food security, has stood firm vowing that he would not allow "Malawi to continue begging from donors when the country is able to produce enough food to feed itself".

He has repeatedly told Malawians that donors, especially the United States and Britain, did not want to fund the subsidy programme because "they are saying the programme would be costly to the country". Despite pressure from Western countries to stop the subsidy programme, Wa Mutharika has vowed to continue with the programme "as long as he remains the president".

As a result of his firm stand, a number of farmers in most districts in Malawi have enough food owing to a general rise in crop production, following the agricultural reforms by Wa Mutharika's government. In addition to enhancing household food security, the programme has helped rural farmers to increase their income from selling their surplus produce.

According to official figures, for the past five years poverty has reduced by 25 percent in Malawi. When Wa Mutharika took over government in 2004, 52 percent of Malawians lived below the poverty line of US$1 per day. By December 2008 only 40 percent continued to live below that line, a government report shows.

Subsidies are critical for the smallholder agricultural sector and in the 2006/07 marketing season, Malawi was able to harvest an extra 500 000 tonnes of maize. Some of the maize was sold to Zimbabwe and other countries in the Southern Africa Development Community, including Lesotho which was ravaged by a drought during that season.

During the 1980s and 90s, Zimbabwe offered subsidies to smallholder farmers and a positive effect of these policies was enhanced household food security and surplus production. This collapsed with the introduction of structural adjustment programmes. What is happening in Malawi demonstrates the importance of resuscitating the subsidy programme for the country to regain its status as a powerhouse for food production.

The work of humanitarian agencies must not perpetuate hunger and poverty but help empower smallholder farmers to find meaningful solutions to their food security problems. Most NGOs have started distributing inputs to most rural farmers and it is important not to leave able farmers from benefiting from the schemes. Targeting the most vulnerable is critical but it must not exclude able farmers who also need support to increase their yields.

According to official figures, the 2008/09 maize production was estimated at 1 242 571 tonnes from a planted area of 1 521 780 hectares with an average yield of 0,8 tonnes per hectare. Communal farmers are reported to have produced the highest share with about 41 percent of the national maize production, up from 28 percent last season. A1 farmers produced 22 percent while contributions of A2 and large-scale commercial farmers have dropped from last year.

This speaks volumes of the capacity of smallholder farmers to increase the country's national output. Rolling out inputs to the majority of communal farmers is the way to go and can help Zimbabwe to be food secure. These farmers have a legacy and with the right support -- subsidies and a vibrant farmer extension service -- they can turn around the fortunes of the country's agricultural sector.

The world is rich enough and humanity sufficiently inventive to secure food for everyone. Africa must be able to feed itself.

Supporting smallholder farmers to grow food for themselves is the way to go. One can only hope this issue will no doubt spark enormous debates around the world and a lot in our own country about the rights of the poor to at least have a decent meal.