1: Agriculture & Food Security

Increase agriculture's contribution to economic growth.

Other Information:

Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy as it employs about 80 per cent of the workforce, and contributes over 80 per cent of foreign exchange earnings. Above all it also contributes significantly to national and household food security. However, agriculture in Malawi is characterized by low and stagnant yields, over dependence on rain-fed farming which increases vulnerability to weather related shocks, low level of irrigation development, and low uptake of improved farm inputs among others. Low profitability of smallholder agriculture has also been influenced by weak links to markets, high transport costs, few farmer organizations, poor quality control and lack of information on markets and prices. In addition, due to high risks in agricultural production and poor access to credit, investment and re-investment have been poor. Consequently, Malawi continues to suffer from chronic food insecurity at both household and national levels with many of the problems being structural and economic in nature. The main contributing factors include over-dependence on rain-fed agriculture, low productivity, low incomes, poor road infrastructure, poor functioning markets, weak private sector participation, poor early warning system and poor mechanization. In addition, past food security policies have been ineffective, resulting in stagnating aggregate food production and productivity, and poor functioning markets. The overall goal is, therefore, to increase agriculture's contribution to economic growth, by not only increasing production for food security, but also for agroprocessing and manufacturing for both domestic and export markets. Emphasis will be on enhancing agricultural productivity, promoting food security and agroprocessing of key crops. Key Strategies -- Main strategies include: * Strengthening linkages of farmers to markets by connecting rural communities, targeting rural roads and developing farmer organizations and market information, * Encouraging the expansion and intensification of staple food production by smallholders, * Providing effective extension services with more decentralized service delivery for agribusiness skills, * Increasing the use of pest resistant varieties and promotion of pest management, * Promoting soil and water conservation and farming techniques; * Promoting irrigation farming; * Ensuring that existing land rights are recognized, clarified and secured by appropriate legislation, and * Encouraging and expansion of horticultural crop production for agro-processing

Stakeholder(s):

• Farmers in Malawi


• Agroprocessors in Malawi

Objective(s):

1.1: Agricultural Productivity

1.1.a: Value Addition

1.1.b: Smallholders

1.1.c: Livestock

1.2: Food Security

1.3: Agro-Processing

1.3.1: Core Crops

1.3.1.a: Tea

1.3.1.b: Tobacco

1.3.1.c: Sugar

1.3.1.d: Cotton

1.3.1.e: Wheat

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