Food Security In Malawi Research Articles

Spatial accessibility modeling of agricultural extension services among rural smallholder macadamia farmers in Neno district, Malawi

ABSTRACT Purpose Agricultural extension services (AES) are vital for enhancing smallholder farmer productivity and food security in Malawi. However, long travel times and staff shortages hinder access to extension services from reaching many rural farmers. This study investigates travel times required by Neno Smallholder Macadamia Cooperative (NESMAC) lead farmers to access AES in Neno district, which is crucial for their role in training other farmers. Methodology We use a cost-friction algorithm (AccessMod) and qualitative interviews to examine travel time to NESMAC's central meeting locations (NCMLs) under four scenarios: walking, bicycling, motorcycle, and vehicle. We also assess the one-hour catchment area for each scenario. Findings Our findings reveal inequalities among NESMAC lead farmers in reaching NCMLs, with travel times ranging from 0.1 to 789 min when walking, improving to 0.1–57 min with motorized transport. The catchment area for reaching NCMLs within a 1-hour travel time increases by 19.5% with bicycles and 100% with motorized transportation, compared to 3.7% when walking. Qualitative data highlights difficulties lead farmers face due to poor infrastructure and inadequate extension service providers. Practical Implications Providing bicycles to lead farmers and motorcycles to extension staff can significantly expand NESMAC's coverage and enable more farmer trainings. Theoretical Implications Our research contributes to the literature on extension and advisory systems, emphasising the importance of evaluating travel times for lead farmers. The cost-friction analysis of travel scenarios provides insights into AES accessibility obstacles and potential solutions.

Prevalence of Plastic and Hardware Foreign Bodies among Goats at Malawi Markets.

Smallholder goat production plays a major role in rural livelihoods and food security in Malawi, but suffers from drastic and unpredictable production losses. While goat production is closely linked to small-scale local markets for slaughter and butchering, the perspectives of butchers and their potential as a source of animal health information are largely untapped. Butchers can provide insights into goat health status at slaughter as well as issues that go unseen before slaughter, such as the presence of indigestible foreign bodies (IFBs). IFBs include solid materials such as plastics and hardware (metals, stones, and other hard objects) that cause foreign body syndrome and can lead to impaction, oedema, malnutrition, and death. To estimate the presence of IFBs, 150 market stand butchers were surveyed across five districts in Malawi, focusing on a distinction between hardware and single-use plastics, which are still widely present in Malawi despite bans on production. Most butchers found plastic IFBs (80.7%), with over half (56.7%) reporting plastic IFBs recently among the past five slaughters. Hardware IFBs were less common, reported by 45.3% of butchers. While some butchers commented on the impact of IFBs on meat quality metrics ex-post, the majority observed no differences. While butchers unanimously considered health to be an important characteristic when sourcing goats, 70.7% consider injury status to be less important or not important. Overall, this study highlights the issue of anthropogenic waste pollution on goat production in Malawi and demonstrates the potential for the surveillance of goat health at market.

Effect of participation in goat keeping on household food security:A case study of Dowa district, Malawi

Goat keeping is a common practice among rural farmers due to the adaptability of goats to harsh environments, their efficient forage conversion and rapid growth, and their multiple benefits, including the production of manure and high-quality milk. However, limited research has been done on the direct effect of participation in goat keeping on food security in Malawi. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of participation in goat keeping on household food security in Dowa district in Malawi using the propensity score-matching technique. The results reveal a positive correlation between goat farming and household food security. This was evident from the significant average treatment effect on the treated (ATT), which indicated a lower value of the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) for goat keepers compared to non-keepers. These findings highlight the potential of goat farming to enhance food security among rural households, emphasising the importance of promoting this type of farming at the household level.

Multidimensional evaluation of the impacts of agricultural interventions to achieve food security in Malawi

AbstractMalawi's food and nutrition security heavily relies on rainfed agricultural production, which is prone to the effects of climate change, such as floods and dry spells. To improve the situation, policies have been established as a guide to assist in the implementation of agricultural technologies in the country. This study aims to evaluate the effect of two national policies on addressing nutrition, economics, and food security by introducing modern/existing technologies in the Phalombe district in Malawi. To gain insight into the representative farm operations, financial, demographic, and consumption behaviors of smallholder farmers, the data were obtained through a combination of focus group discussions, expert opinions, and various published reports, including both government and nongovernment sources. The farm simulation model (FARMSIM) was utilized to analyze district‐level crop and livestock farm operations. In this study, four irrigation technologies (treadle pump system, motorized pump system, solar‐powered system, and river diversion irrigation system) were assessed among the agricultural interventions implemented in Malawi. Also, seven land uses (i.e., corn, onion, bean, rice, tomato, leafy vegetable, and cabbage) were developed and simulated under irrigation scenarios. The irrigation systems and land use scenarios were evaluated based on economics, productivity, nutrition, and risk. The treadle pump and leafy vegetable scenario were generally identified as the most preferred combination. In addition, the productivity and riskiness of the other scenarios can be improved by selecting the best combination of crop and irrigation systems. The study concludes that government and private investment in subsidies for large‐scale irrigation systems, as well as improvements to market prices and infrastructure, are necessary to boost food security and enhance the livelihood of smallholder farmers in rural Malawi.

Can Drones Help Smallholder Farmers Improve Agriculture Efficiencies and Reduce Food Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa? Local Perceptions from Malawi

Smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa play a vital role in achieving food security and nutrition, yet they are often overlooked by development policies and lack access to the technology and information needed to increase their agricultural productivity. This is particularly true in Malawi, where smallholder farmers make up over 80% of the population and face a range of risks and challenges, including vulnerability to climate change, that threaten their livelihoods, food security, and nutrition. While drones and precision agriculture technology have had a significant impact on agriculture in high-income countries, their application by smallholder farmers in low-income countries is not well understood. This study, conducted in 2022, examines how drones can assist smallholder farmers in increasing their agricultural productivity and food security in Malawi. It explores how smallholders perceive the use of drones and the potential benefits and limitations of using drones in their farming operations. A unique aspect of this study aims to understand smallholders’ perceptions of open data and data privacy. The results show that when smallholder farmers interact with drone data, they have a better understanding of their farm and are able to make more informed decisions that use fewer inputs and reduce production costs. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential for drones to assist smallholder farmers improve their on-farm knowledge, increase agricultural productivity, and mitigate the risks and challenges they face, leading to improved livelihoods and a more sustainable and secure food supply. Policymakers can promote the adoption of drone technology among smallholder farmers by developing policies that encourage public–private partnerships to create affordable, locally adapted drone technologies and programs that meet their unique needs, while also ensuring responsible use of drones in agriculture through regulations that address concerns about data privacy and security.

Household Splitting Process and Food Security in Malawi

Despite the frequent changes in household composition in Sub-Saharan Africa, the literature on the household division process is sparse, with no evidence of its effect on food security. This paper addresses the topic in Malawi, where the fission process is evident and malnutrition is a severe problem. Using the Integrated Household Panel Dataset, this study applies the difference-in-difference model with the propensity score matching technique to compare matched groups of households that did and did not split between 2010 and 2013. The results suggest that coping strategies adopted by poor households and life course events determine household fission in Malawi, a process that benefits household food security in the short term. On average, the food consumption score is 3.74 units higher among households that split between 2010 and 2013 compared to the matched households that did not. However, the household division might have long-run adverse effects on food insecurity, especially for poor households due to the adoption of coping strategies that might compromise their human capital and income-generating activities. Therefore, this process warrants attention for the more accurate understanding, design, and evaluation of food security interventions.

The impact of credit access on household food security in Malawi

This observational study examines the impact of access to either formal or informal credit on household food security in a credit-constrained developing country context of Malawi. Using the fifth Integrated Household Survey (IHS5), the study employs the Endogenous Regime Switching (ERS) approach and the Tobit regression model, in light of potential endogeneity between credit access and food security. Regression results show that key determinants of access to formal credit include education attainment and household size, whereas determinants of informal credit access include access to extension services, landholding size, household size and exposure to shocks. The study finds that although access to formal credit improves household food security, access to informal credit worsens food security within the context. Various policy implications are drawn from these results.

Epidemiological assessment of the relationships between climate, crop production and food security in Malawi

Epidemiological assessment of the relationships between climate, crop production and food security in Malawi

Chasing Malawi fish: The irony of local fish scarcity vs exports

Fish and fishery products are an important source of dietary animal protein and food security in Malawi - a land locked country in southern Africa [1] (Figure 1). In the 1970s, fish provided about 70% of the animal protein intake of the Malawian population and 40% of total protein supply for the country [2].

Explaining the impact of agroecology on farm-level transitions to food security in Malawi

Explaining the impact of agroecology on farm-level transitions to food security in Malawi

Modeling smallholder agricultural systems to manage Striga in the semi-arid tropics

Across southern Africa (SA), significant maize yield losses are attributed to invasive and parasitic weeds. Abundance of Striga (Striga asiatica) has become more frequent in smallholder farms (<2 ha) in the past decade. Various Striga control practices (SCPs) have been disseminated across SA, yet often, without decision support tools to inform extension officers and researchers which ones are most appropriate for smallholder contexts. System dynamics modeling (SDM) provides an opportunity to evaluate the efficacy of SCPs across multiple seasons in different agroecosystems and their associated environments. We developed a SDM to evaluate the long-term efficacy of four SCPs popularly used in maize-based cropping systems. Observations from studies outlining local soil seedbanks, emergence and flowering rates in farmer fields were used to calibrate the SDM. Model simulations indicate that while a combination of SCPs are necessary to manage the weed, future research should focus on developing smallholder-adapted SCPs that address the attachment stage of the weed's lifecycle (e.g., timely manure application) rather than its germination, emergence or flowering stages. Given the devastating effects S. asiatica has had on food security in Malawi and across SA, it is imperative to develop decision support tools like systems models to evaluate SCPs for smallholders. Models that do not capture the underlying mechanisms driving S. asiatica infestations may provide extension officers with potentially misleading information, and subsequently, the delivery of ineffective SCPs.

THE IMPACT OF MICROFINANCE PROGRAMME PARTICIPATION ON HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY IN MALAWI

This article empirically examines the impact of microfinance programme participation on household food security in Malawi. There has been an increase in the role of micro activities such as microfinancing that target the poor, vulnerable, and marginalised people in development agendas. This makes it essential to assess the effect of micro activities, for example, microfinance programmes on welfare indicators such as food security. The study used cross-sectional data that was collected in Malawi for the Third Integrated Household Survey in 2010-2011. It employed the Heckman Selection Model, which was deemed applicable since the selection to participate in credit programmes is typically non-random. Total real annual consumption per household was used as a proxy to capture household food security. The results of the study indicate that females contribute more to the food security state of a household than males. It also established that education level significantly and positively contributes to the state of household food security. Lastly, the study established that households that participated in microfinance programmes experience improvements in their status of food security. In light of this, it recommends that policymakers expedite the operationalisation of microfinance programmes with the intent to increase participation by improving policies such as the Microfinance Policy and Action Plan (2002). There should also be an increase in adult literacy programmes and development of microfinance institutions that target women.

Walking in the Footprints of the Colonial Masters: Agricultural Development and Peasants’ Food Security in Malawi, 1961 – 1994

The first three decades of post-independence Malawi was a period of remarkable agricultural transformations. Under the leadership of Hastings Kamuzu Banda, the country made agricultural interventions that had implications on peasant food economy. Here I examine the extent to which Banda’s interventions affected peasant food production in Malawi from 1961 to 1994. While most scholars consider Banda’s regime as a period of either remarkable economic prosperity or economic stagnation and brutality, I draw attention to the complex, dynamic, varied and contested ways by which Banda’s agricultural policies affected the peasants in rural Malawi. Although Banda’s interventions appeared to have brought economic prosperity especially in the period prior to the late 1970s, I argue that the success was transient, benefitted a few progressive farmers, and thus, was tantamount to “growth without development” among most poor peasants. The study calls for a deeper analysis of the much resented autocratic leadership that presided over the earlier post-independence Africa era.

The Politics of Hunger in an SDG Era: Food Policy in Malawi

This study focuses on the relationship between politics and hunger and the national political discourse on food security in Malawi. Our aim is to better understand the role of local and national actors in pursuing policies that aim to achieve the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The empirical focus is on the Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP), introduced by the Malawian government in 2005–2006, which supports smallholder farmers to better access to agricultural inputs. We provide an overview of the food security discourse and highlight the importance of political commitment for policy coherence that is required for achieving the SDGs. Thereafter, we introduce the policymaking scene in Malawi and FISP before critically examining the policy narratives on food security in the country. Our goal is to examine why some issues are effectively dealt with and not others. We argue that food security policies in Malawi are influenced by the political incentives they provide for electoral campaigns and for securing a regular flow of financial resources in agriculture projects that are highly dependent on foreign aid.

Spatio-temporal analysis of rainfall variability and seasonality in Malawi

Food security in Malawi relies on rainfall amount and timing. Because agricultural production is the main source of income for most rural communities, increased frequency of extreme events will increase the risk of production failure—a major threat to food security. Evidence of changing rainfall is reported by farmers and by recent analysis of gauge measurements, but these studies are limited due to small sample size, type of tests, or both. The main goal of this study is to test both statistically significant and robust but less significant changes in rainfall and rainy season for 1981–2018 using a high-resolution gridded dataset (0.05°). We analyzed different indices including onset, length, and cessation of rainy season, number of dry days, and number of extreme events during the rainy season. Our results show that roughly one-third of Malawi has experienced at least one type of significant change in rainfall indices during the study period. For instance, Northern Malawi had ~ 2 fewer extreme event days/decade and an end of season ~ 5 days/decade earlier as well as ~ 5 fewer dry days/decade. For the entire time period, delayed onset varies spatially from 18 to 35 days, number of dry days has decreased 21.6 days, the rainy season has ended 28.8 days earlier in the north and 36 days earlier in the south, and the number of extreme events has decreased 5 to 7 days in many places. The results are heterogeneous spatially and suggest that broad scale forcings are not driving them.

Agricultural cooperatives, entrepreneurship and food security in Malawi

This Study investigates the role that agricultural cooperatives play in advancing entrepreneurship for increased food security and income, in the rural areas of developing countries. It examines cooperative member self-efficacy, entrepreneurship skills and attitudes, through self-evaluation of cooperative viability. Ergo, this article uncovers the challenges, local solutions and sources of resilience in the agricultural cooperatives of developing countries. Collected through a survey, primary and secondary data were analyzed using SPSS 23, and content analysis was performed on qualitative data. The results reveal a high self-efficacy for cooperative members and a high motivation for market development and profitability. Agricultural cooperatives lag behind in information and communication techniques (ICT), and have a limited capability to resolve challenges, yet they achieve income higher than the national average income per head per year. Despite its limitations, the study urges cooperatives to reject economic growth models that damage the environment and promote short-term economic growth against environmental susstainability. Future research directions and policymaking recommendations pertain to the need for innovation, self-coordination, and openning up and sharing to accompany economic, social, cultural and political self-development, in ways that respect, protect and adapt to nature, through resource conservation, restoration and protection.

Nurturing natural capital

Nurturing natural capital

The potential of insect meal in improving food security in Malawi: an alternative of soybean and fishmeal in livestock feed

It is reported that fish contribute 70% of the animal protein intake in Malawi. This may be currently lower, as per capita fish consumption is reported to have declined by 58% from 14 kg/person/year in the 1970s to 8.12 kg/person/year in 2014. The situation poses a serious national nutrition problem, if not put under control. The Malawi Government and other stakeholders were therefore prompted to promote fish farming to supplement the fish that are provided from capture fisheries on the market. Currently, Malawi Development Cooperation (MALDECO) Aquaculture is a prominent commercial aquaculture company in Malawi, with just above 6,000 small-scale farmers. Feed is a challenge due to the high prices of soybean and imported fishmeal. Most small-scale fish farmers use maize bran to feed their fish, but this is nonviable as it results in low yield and abandonment of fish farming by most farmers. This study seeks to provide information in search of a solution to address feed challenges in the fish sector. A literature review was conducted on approaches being used by fish farmers and current efforts to resolve these challenges, and the information gained was used to outline a roadmap for solving livestock feed challenges at household level in Malawi. It was observed that using waste from the farmyard, farmers could culture insects which have high protein content than soybean and highly digestible than fish meal. Insects can deal with environmental pollution by utilising waste. Incorporation of insect meal in fish feed can replace soybean and fish meal, hence turning the fish industry around in Malawi by making it more productive. The goal of making fish products adequately available on the market may rely on the potential of incorporating insect meal in fish feed. Insect inclusion in fish feed has a potential for increasing fish consumption per capita in Malawi, hence improving food security. However, challenges to be resolved are food acceptance, food safety issues and legislation, which can be dealt with by the coordination of government, industry and academia.

Impact of a participatory agroecological development project on household wealth and food security in Malawi

This paper presents the impacts of a participatory agroecological development project on food security and wealth levels. The Malawi Farmer to Farmer Agroecology project (MAFFA) encourages farmer experimentation, community involvement and farmer-to-farmer teaching on agroecology, nutrition and gender equity. Recent international assessments of agriculture have highlighted the urgent need for changes in farming practices in Sub-Saharan Africa, due to land degradation, high levels of food insecurity and anticipated climate change impacts. Agroecological approaches have shown great potential to address these multiple needs. Using a longitudinal panel survey data and propensity score matching to account for selection bias in project participation, we analyzed the impact of the project on household income and food security in Malawi in 2012 (Wave 1 = 1200 households) and in 2014 (Wave 2 = 1000 households). We used the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) for impact evaluation. Estimates of average treatment-effects using difference in difference methods showed that participating in MAFFA has led to a significant increase in household wealth (β = 3.54, p = 0.01) and a large reduction in food insecurity (β = −3.21, p = 0.01) compared to non-participants, after 2 years, even after accounting for covariates and selection bias. These results indicate that agroecological methods combined with farmer led knowledge exchanges can be welfare enhancing, both in terms of food security and in terms of income for family farm households. Agroecological approaches should be promoted through upscaling of farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchanges, community involvement and attention to nutrition and social equity to enhance farmer learning and household welfare benefits.

Future climate impacts on maize farming and food security in Malawi.

Agriculture is the mainstay of Malawi’s economy and maize is the most important crop for food security. As a Least Developed Country (LDC), adverse effects of climate change (CC) on agriculture in Malawi are expected to be significant. We examined the impacts of CC on maize production and food security in Malawi’s dominant cereal producing region, Lilongwe District. We used five Global Circulation Models (GCMs) to make future (2011 to 2100) rainfall and temperature projections and simulated maize yields under these projections. Our future rainfall projections did not reveal a strong increasing or decreasing trend, but temperatures are expected to increase. Our crop modelling results, for the short-term future, suggest that maize farming might benefit from CC. However, faster crop growth could worsen Malawi’s soil fertility problem. Increasing temperature could drive lower maize yields in the medium to long-term future. Consequently, up to 12% of the population in Lilongwe District might be vulnerable to food insecurity by the end of the century. Measures to increase soil fertility and moisture must be developed to build resilience into Malawi’s agriculture sector.