Areas Of Malawi Research Articles

Spatial Comparisons of Poverty and Inequality in Living Standards in Malawi

AbstractThe paper looks at poverty and inequality across areas in Malawi. The focus is on both monetary (consumption) and non‐monetary (health and education) dimensions of well‐being. Stochastic poverty dominance tests show that rural areas are poorer in the three dimensions regardless of poverty line chosen. Stochastic inequality dominance tests find that the north and south dominate the centre in health inequality, and there is no dominance between the north and south. With respect to education inequality, dominance is declared for the south‐centre pair only. A subgroup decomposition analysis finds that the south contributes the most to consumption and education poverty, while the centre is the largest contributor to health poverty. We establish that within‐area inequalities (vertical inequalities) rather than between‐area inequalities (horizontal inequalities) are the major driver of consumption, health and education inequality in Malawi.

Avifauna of Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

Despite having a well-documented avifauna, some areas of Malawi, such as Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve (986 km2), are still poorly known ornithologically. We spent 12 days in October 2009, before the wet season, and two days in November 2009, after the first rains, documenting the birds of Vwaza. We found six new species for the Reserve-red-chested flufftail, African pitta, African broadbill, African reed warbler, marsh tchagra, and dark-capped yellow warbler-and we recorded 56 new quadrat records, filling in distributional gaps in the Malawi bird atlas. Many of these records are documented with voucher specimens. Here we provide a complete list of the 394 species of birds known to occur in Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve.

Groundwater supply and demand from southern Africa’s crystalline basement aquifer: evidence from Malawi

Failure of borehole sources in weathered and fractured crystalline basement aquifers in Malawi in southern Africa has been linked with poor borehole design, mechanical failure and badly sited boreholes. However, recent work in Malawi indicates that demand may now exceed long-term resource potential in some places and that this is also a cause of water point failure. An 11-year climate cycle (including a wet and dry period) necessitates overdraft from groundwater storage during the dry-cycle years before episodic rainfall events in the wetter part of the cycle again recharge the aquifers. Data, particularly groundwater hydrograph data, are sparse, but sufficient to evaluate the long-term renewable groundwater potential for both fractured and weathered basement-aquifer types in each of the 15 management areas in Malawi. The groundwater potential or long-term renewable resource (recharge) is given by the sum of Darcian throughflow and dry-season depletion of storage. Estimated rural demand exceeds the renewable resource in the fractured-rock aquifer in two management units and in the weathered-rock aquifer in two other units. Although there is inherent uncertainty in the water-balance estimates, the likelihood that rural demand is exceeding long-term average recharge in some areas is cause for concern.

Modeling rain-fed maize vulnerability to droughts using the standardized precipitation index from satellite estimated rainfall—Southern Malawi case study

During 1990s, disaster risk reduction emerged as a novel, proactive approach to managing risks from natural hazards. The World Bank, USAID, and other international donor agencies began making efforts to mainstream disaster risk reduction in countries whose population and economies were heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture. This approach has more significance in light of the increasing climatic hazard patterns and the climate scenarios projected for different hazard prone countries in the world. The Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) has been monitoring the food security issues in the sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and in Haiti. FEWS NET monitors the rainfall and moisture availability conditions with the help of NOAA RFE2 data for deriving food security status in Africa. This paper highlights the efforts in using satellite estimated rainfall inputs to develop drought vulnerability models in the drought prone areas in Malawi. The satellite RFE2 based SPI corresponding to the critical tasseling and silking phases (in the months of January, February, and March) were statistically regressed with drought-induced yield losses at the district level. The analysis has shown that the drought conditions in February and early March lead to most damage to maize yields in this region. The district-wise vulnerabilities to drought were upscaled to obtain a regional maize vulnerability model for southern Malawi. The results would help in establishing an early monitoring mechanism for drought impact assessment, give the decision makers additional time to assess seasonal outcomes, and identify potential food-related hazards in Malawi.

Shelflife of whole fresh lake Malawi tilapia (Oreochromis species - Chambo) stored in ice

Lake Malawi Tilapia (chambo) fish species is widely consumed and forms the most important commercial fishery in Lake Malawi. However, as a highly perishable commodity, knowledge regarding how long fresh fish would remain in acceptable and safe condition in storage is indispensable for consumers and processors. Presently, no such information exists for the Lake Malawi Tilapia in Malawi. A study was therefore conducted to estimate shelflife of whole fresh Lake Malawi Tilapia stored in ice (0 oC) for 21 days. Sensory, microbiological and pH analyses were conducted to describe changes in quality and freshness of the fish with storage time in ice. Shelflife of the fish was estimated between 16 and 18 days. A strong linear correlation (R2=0.95) was observed between sensory demerit scores and storage time in ice. Total bacteria viable counts and pH at the time of sensory rejection of the fish were 1.6×107 cfu/g/cm2 and 5.84 respectively. Pseudomonas and Micrococcus bacteria were found in relatively high numbers throughout the storage period. The study demonstrated that like other tropical fish, Lake Malawi Tilapia has a relatively longer shelflife. The long storage life in ice of Lake Malawi Tilapia is advantageous to most small scale fresh fish sellers and processors especially from rural areas in Malawi who solely depend on ice as a sole and affordable way of preserving fresh fish. Key words : Shelflife, Tilapia, ice storage

The decision to vaccinate a child: An economic perspective from southern Malawi

The dynamics of childhood vaccination uptake in developing countries are unclear. Numerous studies document the relationship between vaccination coverage and access, socio economic and demographic factors. However, there is less knowledge about the relationship between vaccination coverage and carers' motivation and willingness to seek childhood vaccinations. The aim of this paper is to introduce a framework for studying demand for childhood vaccination and to examine the coherence between theoretical predictions and empirical findings in a rural area in Malawi. We interviewed 635 carers with children aged 18–59 months. About 96 percent of the respondents reported to have fully vaccinated their youngest eligible child for all routine vaccinations scheduled in the Expanded Program on Immunization. This paper concludes that easy access to vaccination services cannot explain why demand is high. Many carers had to travel long distances to reach vaccination delivery points and a considerable share of the respondents scored waiting and travelling time as long. Results from the present study, in combination with theoretical predictions, suggest that a high level of trust in distributors of information and vaccines may be an essential explanatory factor for why carers seek immunization for their children, even in the presence of considerable costs. Trust may be an important explanatory factor as it can be seen to generate positive perceived benefits.

Nutritive potential of some 'edible' soils in Blantyre city, Malawi.

Pregnant women in Malawi consume soil, but the nutritive potential of these soils is uncertain. We collected 'edible' Malawian soil samples from Ndirande, Mpingwe and Soche hills and bought an Indian soil sample from a shop in Limbe and tested them for iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, lead, pH, Bacillus and Clostridium, using standard methods of analyses. Based on an average daily consumption of fifty grammes of soil, Blantyre 'edible' soils can supply 0.006%, 0.2%, 7% and 74% whilst the Indian soil may supply 0.008%, 0.27%, 8.7%, and 65% of the WHO recommended minimum daily intakes of Magnesium, Calcium, Zinc and iron, respectively. However, both the Blantyre and Indian 'edible' soils also have some traces of lead (0.05 to 0.07 mg/g soil) and spores of Bacillus (4900 - 13475 colonies/gram) and Clostridium (5050 - 9050 colonies/gram), which may have undesirable health effects. Blantyre soils were similar but significantly different from the Indian soil which had higher calcium, magnesium, zinc and lead but lower iron. The soils have nutritive potential, but they also have harmful aspects. Recommendation Further multidisciplinary research should be conducted to assess the nutritive potential of soils from other areas in Malawi and to examine the health effects of lead and bacterial spores.

Evolution of cassava brown streak disease-associated viruses

Cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) has occurred in the Indian Ocean coastal lowlands and some areas of Malawi in East Africa for decades, and makes the storage roots of cassava unsuitable for consumption. CBSD is associated with Cassava brown streak virus (CBSV) and the recently described Ugandan cassava brown streak virus (UCBSV) [picorna-like (+)ssRNA viruses; genus Ipomovirus; family Potyviridae]. This study reports the first comprehensive analysis on how evolution is shaping the populations of CBSV and UCBSV. The complete genomes of CBSV and UCBSV (four and eight isolates, respectively) were 69.0-70.3 and 73.6-74.4% identical at the nucleotide and polyprotein amino acid sequence levels, respectively. They contained predictable sites of homologous recombination, mostly in the 3'-proximal part (NIb-HAM1h-CP-3'-UTR) of the genome, but no evidence of recombination between the two viruses was found. The CP-encoding sequences of 22 and 45 isolates of CBSV and UCBSV analysed, respectively, were mainly under purifying selection; however, several sites in the central part of CBSV CP were subjected to positive selection. HAM1h (putative nucleoside triphosphate pyrophosphatase) was the least similar protein between CBSV and UCBSV (aa identity approx. 55%). Both termini of HAM1h contained sites under positive selection in UCBSV. The data imply an on-going but somewhat different evolution of CBSV and UCBSV, which is congruent with the recent widespread outbreak of UCBSV in cassava crops in the highland areas (>1000 m above sea level) of East Africa where CBSD has not caused significant problems in the past.

Opalski syndrome

<h3>Abstract</h3> <h3>Background</h3> To explore the association between the strength of implementation of family planning (FP) programs on the use of modern contraceptives. Specifically, how strongly these programs are being implemented across a health facility’s catchment area in Malawi and the odds of a woman in that catchment area is using modern contraceptives. This information can be used to assess whether the combined impact of multiple large-scale FP programs is leading to change in the health outcomes they aim to improve. <h3>Methods and findings</h3> We used data from the 2017 Implementation Strength Assessment (ISA) that quantified how much of family planning programs at the health facility and community health worker levels were being implemented across every district of Malawi. We used a summary measure developed in a previous study that employs quantitative methods to combine data across FP domains and health system levels. We tested the association of this summary measure for implementation strength with household data from the 2015 Malawi Demographic Health Survey (DHS). We found that areas with stronger implementation of FP programs had higher odds of women using modern contraceptives compared with areas with weaker implementation. The association of ISA with use of modern contraception was different by education, marital status, and geography. After controlling for these factors, we found that the adjusted odds of using a modern contraceptive was three times higher in catchment areas with high implementation strength compared to those with lower strength. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Metrics that summarize how strongly FP programs are being implemented were used to show a statistically significantly positive relationship between increasing implementation strength and higher rates of modern contraceptive use. Decisionmakers at the various levels of health authority can use this type of summary measure to better understand the combined impact of their diverse FP programming and inform future programmatic and policy decisions. The findings also reinforce the idea that having a well-supported and supplied cadre of community health workers supplementing FP provision at the health facility can be an important health systems mechanism, especially in rural settings and to target youth populations.

Health Seeking Behavior after Fever Onset in a Malaria-Endemic Area of Malawi

Informal sources of care may lead to ineffective use of antimalarial drugs. A survey conducted in Malawi estimated the frequency of use of informal and formal services, medications, and household costs. A total of 508 household interviews were conducted. Treatment with an antimalarial was reported in 24% of young children accessing the informal sector and in 91% accessing formal services. Informal care was associated with shorter travel and waiting times, a lower proportion of carers or feverish adults missing work or studies and losing earnings, and a lower proportion of older children missing studies or work. Total out of pocket costs of fever episodes constitutes between 9% and 14% in young children and 18% in adults of their total available resources. Patients may perceive informal services to be associated with opportunity cost advantages; however, these may be associated with health risks of inadequate prescribing, particularly in young children.

The impact of an integrated community-based micronutrient and health programme on stunting in Malawian preschool children

To assess the impact of the 1996-2005 integrated community-based micronutrient and health (MICAH) programme on linear growth retardation (stunting) in Malawian preschool children living in rural areas. Prospective study of three large-scale cross-sectional surveys conducted in 1996, 2000 and 2004 in MICAH and Comparison populations. Rural areas in Malawi. Preschool children (6.0-59.9 months) from randomly selected households (474 from the 1996 baseline survey; 1264 from 2000 MICAH areas; 1500 from 2000 Comparison areas; 1959 from 2004 MICAH areas; and 1008 from 2004 Comparison areas), who responded to a household questionnaire, were weighed and measured using standard protocols. At the baseline in 1996, the prevalence of stunting (60.2 %) was very high. By 2000, the prevalence of stunting had declined to 50.6 % and 56.0 % (chi2 = 7.8, P = 0.005) in MICAH and Comparison areas, respectively. In 2004, the prevalence of stunting did not differ significantly between MICAH and Comparison areas (43.0 % v. 45.1 %; chi2 = 1.11, P = 0.3). Severe stunting affected 34.7 % of children at baseline, which declined to 15.8 % and 17.1 % (chi2 = 0.86, P = 0.4) in MICAH and Comparison areas, respectively, by 2004. Regional variations existed, with proportionately fewer children from the Northern region being stunted compared to their Central and Southern region counterparts. Given the length of implementation, wide-scale coverage and positive impact on child growth in Phase I (1996-2000), the MICAH programme is a potential model for combating linear growth retardation in rural areas in Malawi, although the catch-up improvement in Comparison areas during Phase II (2000-2004) cannot be adequately explained.

The benefits of adequate iodine intake.

In past decades, researchers in various countries have studied the consequences of iodine deficiency on the mental and physical development of children and adults. Iodine deficiency proved to have disastrous consequences on cognitive and psychomotor development for a limited group (i.e., DeLong 1989). These are the so-called cretins, who make up more than 10% of the population in some areas. The World Health Organization estimates the worldwide number of overt cretins at around 5.7 million (Hetzell994). Outcomes of study of the effects of iodine deficiency on the development of the noncretinous portion of a population living in an iodine-deficient area are less clear cut. While some studies pointed to a strong negative effect, little or no effect was found in others. To obtain an overall picture of the current state of knowledge, the first part of this paper summarizes the results of a great many studies that have been performed in recent years. All these studies involved a comparison of the mental and psychomotor development in two groups of children and/or adults: (1) a non-iodine-deficient group people living in a non-iodine-deficient area or children whose mothers were injected with iodized oil in the first part of their pregnancy; and (2) an iodine-deficient group -people living in an area with a serious iodine deficiency. Meta-analysis was used to combine the results of the studies. In the second part of this paper, the outcomes are discussed of a recent study of the effect of iodine supplementation on the mental and psychomotor development of children born and raised in an iodine-deficient area in Malawi (Shrestha 1994). Although very little research has been done in this field, it is of great importance to know whether the negative effects of iodine shortage can be corrected at a later age through iodine supplementation.

Hotspots and Coldspots: Household and village-level variation in orphanhood prevalence in rural Malawi

We explore the characteristics of households and villages in which orphans are resident in two areas of Malawi. We first review pertinent themes in qualitative data collected in our research sites. Then, using spatial analysis, we show how positive and negative clusters of orphans - which we term orphanhood "hotspots" and "coldspots" - can be found at the village and sub-village levels. In the third and longest section of the paper, and using multilevel analyses with both simple and complex variance structures, we evaluate the relationship between the presence of orphans and a range of individual, household and village-level characteristics, including households' spatial relationship to each other and to other local sites of significance. This series of analyses shows that the most important covariates of orphan presence are household size, wealth, and religious characteristics, with all measured simultaneously at both household and village-level. In addition, most of these have heterogenous effects across villages. We conclude by reviewing some difficulties in explaining causal mechanisms underlying these observed relationships, and discuss conceptual, theoretical and programmatic implications.

Effect of clear plastic pond sheeting on water temperature and growth of Tilapia rendalli in earthen ponds

[Extract] In most areas in Malawi, temperatures are below 22°C except for the lakeshore region.Therefore, provision of low-cost technique to increase water temperatures should constitute an important means for Malawi to boost tilapia production including Tilapia rendalli. This study was conducted to determine if clear plastic sheeting would result in increased temperature and growth of T.rendalli.

Factors Influencing Women's Choice of Place of Delivery in Rural Malawi-An Explorative Study / Facteurs qui influent sur le choix fait par la femme de lieu d'accouchement au Malawi rural: Une étude explorative

This explorative study was conducted in the Mangochi area in Malawi with the aim of investigating the individual, community and health facility level factors influencing women's choice of place of delivery. In depth interviews and non-participating observation were the methods used. Three major issues were revealed. First, sub optimal quality of care including communication, attitudes and cooperation within the health care system was identified as a main factor. Secondly, cultural aspects such as influence from decision makers, perceptions of danger signs and traditional views on pregnancy and delivery were important. Finally, an unsatisfactory availability to skilled delivery care in terms of distance, transport and costs was shown. We conclude that the barriers to use of professional obstetric care in Malawi partly can be attributed to the health care system itself, and that a more individualized maternity care is needed.

Factors influencing women's choice of place of delivery in rural Malawi--an explorative study.

This explorative study was conducted in the Mangochi area in Malawi with the aim of investigating the individual, community and health facility level factors influencing women's choice of place of delivery. In depth interviews and non-participating observation were the methods used. Three major issues were revealed. First, sub optimal quality of care including communication, attitudes and cooperation within the health care system was identified as a main factor. Secondly, cultural aspects such as influence from decision makers, perceptions of danger signs and traditional views on pregnancy and delivery were important. Finally, an unsatisfactory availability to skilled delivery care in terms of distance, transport and costs was shown. We conclude that the barriers to use of professional obstetric care in Malawi partly can be attributed to the health care system itself, and that a more individualized maternity care is needed.

Microclimatic stability in burrows of an Afrotropical solitary bathyergid rodent, the silvery mole‐rat (Heliophobius argenteocinereus)

AbstractMean depth and mean size of burrow system components, burrow‐soil temperatures and actual diurnal temperatures, humidity and oxygen concentration in burrows of silvery mole‐rats Heliophobius argenteocinereus were measured in two mesic areas in Malawi. Mesic tropic climate, together with soil and plant cover contribute to a diurnally and seasonally stable microclimate even in shallow burrows. Daily and seasonal changes of burrow temperatures were lower compared to those in bathyergids from temperate areas where ambient and burrow temperatures undergo larger fluctuations. Silvery mole‐rats in Malawi are thus probably not distressed by these environmental factors.

Factors Influencing Farmers' Adoption of Kalima Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Variety in Malawi

ABSTRACT Adoption of appropriate agricultural technologies is a necessary requirement for sustainable agricultural development. This study was conducted to investigate the adoption of Kalima, a new introduced dry bean variety (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), by smallholder farmers in target rural areas in Malawi and to identify the factors that most strongly influenced farmers' willingness to adopt the variety. The main findings of this study were that Kalima was only grown by farmers who had received seed through seed multiplication groups and was not grown by farmers outside of those groups due to unavailability of seed. Farmers' gender, literacy level, and level of education influenced their willingness to adopt Kalima, as did farmers' perceptions of specific bean characteristics such as yield, pest tolerance, pest susceptibility, bean color and cooking time. For adoption to be sustainable, information about a technology should be judicious in order for farmers to form appropriate perceptions. To increase rates of adoption, the information should be delivered in a method suitable for farmers with a low literacy level.

Population, Tenure, and Natural Resource Management: The Case of Customary Land Area in Malawi

This paper analyzes the factors determining conversion of woodlands to agricultural land, changes in tree cover, and maize yield for the last two and a half decades by using aerial photos and field survey data in 57 communities in Malawi. The econometric analysis revealed that population pressure led to greater land conversion but had no effect on yield or tree cover changes. Areas where greater changes in traditional tenure systems have occurred are associated with reduction in tree cover and expansion of agricultural land. These results suggest the importance of strengthening institutions to manage natural resources.

Low dietary cyanogen exposure from frequent consumption of potentially toxic cassava in Malawi

In a cassava-growing area in Malawi, where roots are processed by soaking and water is available throughout the year, we interviewed 176 women farmers regarding their preferences for cassava cultivars and frequency of cassava consumption. Dietary cyanogen exposure was estimated from urinary levels of linamarin, the cyanogenic glycoside in cassava, and urinary thiocyanate, the main cyanide metabolite. Protection against unplanned harvest by family members, theft and animal spoilage were stated to be very important reasons for growing bitter cassava cultivars by 91%, 90% and 74% of the women, respectively. The mean (±SD) number of cultivars grown by each woman was 4.6 (±2.4). The correlation between mean taste and mean danger scores for the 25 most grown cultivars was strong (r > 0.98). The scoring indicated that cultivars belonged to two distinct groups, eight to a group referred to as 'cool' and 17 to a group termed 'bitter'. The dumpling-like porridge (kondowole) made from cassava flour from bitter roots was eaten twice daily by 51% and at least weekly by 81%. The mean (±SEM) urinary linamarin was 14 (±1) micromol/L and thiocyanate was 50 (±4) micromol/L, less than a tenth of levels reported from populations eating insufficiently processed bitter cassava roots, and in the same range as in a non-smoking Swedish reference population. We conclude that cyanogenesis is a preferred characteristic of cassava by the studied farmers because it enhances food security. The availability of water and their knowledge about toxicity and processing enables these women farmers to provide a safe staple food from bitter cassava roots.