The Government of Malawi has elevated agriculture and nutrition as key national policy priorities. The country has demonstrated leadership through stable governance and economic growth. However, high population density and growth, along with a single rainy season per year, pose a distinctive set of challenges that make Malawi’s agricultural growth precarious and make Malawi chronically susceptible to food insecurity.
The agriculture sector employs 80 percent of Malawi’s population. However, only 10-15 percent of smallholders are marketing grain in a given year. While overall poverty rates and kilocalorie intake have improved in recent years, the country’s food security and economic development are constrained by high rates of undernutrition, HIV/AIDS, and malaria; underdeveloped markets; and low agricultural productivity.
Though Malawi has benefited from decades of peace and security, efforts to increase and diversify both regional and international trade have been hampered by high freight costs, regional conflicts, damaged infrastructure, and unpredictable economic policies. In addition, Malawi encounters cholera outbreaks each year during the rainy season. Lack of access to improved water sources and proper sanitation systems contributes to these outbreaks.
Malawi developed an Agriculture Sector-Wide Approach through a consultative process with stakeholders and made targeted commitments under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program. Today, Feed the Future programs complement President Joyce Banda’s efforts to address food security, nutrition, and poverty reduction by focusing on value chain development, improved nutritional options, and creating an enabling policy environment.
