Poverty and Food Security in Malawi: Some Policy Reflections on the Context of Crumbling Traditional Support Systems

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ABSTRACT The twin problems of poverty and food security have become subjects of widespread public discussion in Malawi since the country's momentous transition to democratic rule in May 1994, which saw the rise to power of the United Democratic Front (udf) government. The defining characteristic of the udf government is its avowed commitment to poverty alleviation as a lynchpin of its overall economic and social agenda. A Poverty Alleviation Program (pap) was launched in August 1994 to translate the udf government's vision of a new Malawi founded on equal political, social, and economic rights. Views from below could be instrumental in informing and framing these policy debates and dialogue at macro levels since they provide an appreciation of the institutional context in which the struggle for daily subsistence takes place. Policy interventions end up as mere hopeful statements of intent instead of pragmatic solutions if the actual problems of the poor are not central to the solutions.