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SITAM

Contextual and Livelihoods Analysis

of Mwansambo EPA Research Site

Malawi

Authors: John Mussa Paul1, Zwide Jere1, Treezer Imman1, David Mkwambisi2, Ndapile Bwanausi2, Victor Mhango3.

1. Total LandCare

2. Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources

3. Practical Action

February 2017

SAIRLA programme (Sustainable Agricultural Intensification Research and Learning in Africa)

SITAM project (Supporting smallholder farmers’ decision-making: Managing trade-offs and synergies for sustainable intensification), addressing research question 6.

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Contents

Summary ..................................................................................................................... 5

Introduction ................................................................................................................ 5

Objectives of the report ................................................................................................ 5

Methods used ............................................................................................................... 6

Desk Research ..................................................................................................................................... 6

Key informant interview ........................................................................................................................ 6

Focus Group Discussions. ................................................................................................................... 6

Site observations .................................................................................................................................. 7

The study area ............................................................................................................. 7

Livelihoods Analysis: Understanding the context of farmers’ decision making .. 8

Context ......................................................................................................................... 8

Assets / capitals ........................................................................................................... 9

Natural capital ..................................................................................................................................... 10

Physical capital ................................................................................................................................... 11

Financial capital .................................................................................................................................. 12

Human capital ..................................................................................................................................... 13

Social capital ...................................................................................................................................... 13

People’s goals or aspirations ...................................................................................... 14

Strategies ................................................................................................................... 15

On-farm strategies .............................................................................................................................. 15

Off farm activities ................................................................................................................................ 15

Generic ............................................................................................................................................... 16

Institutions and policies .............................................................................................. 16

Institutions .......................................................................................................................................... 16

Policies and Strategies Impacting on Smallholder Farmers .............................................................. 17

Previous Development Interventions in the Area and their Impact .................................................... 17

Development agencies / programmes currently operating in the area .............................................. 18

Governance Structure and Decision Making ...................................................................................... 18

Outcomes ................................................................................................................... 19

Social Outcomes ................................................................................................................................ 19

Environmental outcomes .................................................................................................................... 19

Economic outcomes ........................................................................................................................... 20

Resilience outcomes .......................................................................................................................... 20

Emergence of a typology .................................................................................................................... 20

Linkages between the components .................................................................................................... 20

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Vulnerability and resilience ..................................................................................... 22

Conclusion: Trends, Challenges and Knowledge Gaps ....................................... 23

Trends ........................................................................................................................ 23

Challenges ................................................................................................................. 23

Knowledge Gap .......................................................................................................... 24

Annexes .................................................................................................................... 25

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Acronyms

ADMARC Agricultural Development and Marketing Cooperation

AEDC Area Executive Development Coordinator

ASwAp Agricultural Sector Wide Approach Programme

CA Conservation Agriculture

CBNRMC Community Based Natural Resource Management Committee

CW Concern Worldwide

DADO District Agriculture Development Officer

EPA Extension Planning Area

FAO Food and Agricultural Organisation

FGD Focus Group Discussion

FISP Farm Input Subsidy Programme

GVH Group Village Headman

GBI Green Belt Initiative

MACC Managing Adaptation to Climate Change

MVAC Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee

MGDS Malawi Growth and Development Strategy

NASFAM National Smallholder Farmers' Association of Malawi

PLHIV People Living with HIV and Aids

SAIRLA Sustainable Agricultural Intensification Research and Learning in Africa

SAPP Sustainable Agriculture Productivity Programme

SITAM Supporting smallholder farmers’ decision-making: Managing trade-offs and synergies for

sustainable intensification

T/A Traditional Authority

TLC Total LandCare

VFA Village Forest Areas

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Summary

Food production systems are facing critical challenges in Malawi where rain-fed agriculture remains a

major livelihood activity for the majority of rural population. Through the SAIRLA Program, SITAM

Project explored in more detail the factors affecting food production and the resilience of the livelihood

systems, which the majority of farmers in Malawi in general and Mwansambo Extension Planning Area

in particular considered appropriate and affordable for them. The smallholder farmers dominate the

Agriculture sector, the majority of which are resource poor and yet, the subsector significantly

contributes to the Gross Domestic Product as well as to the national food reserves. Climate change and

land degradation are major obstacles to achieving sustainable food production and incomes and these

challenges are compounded by the rising farm input prices and unfavourable markets. Through field

observations and desk review of existing project reports as well as other relevant publications, most

areas in Mwansambo are degraded with production capacity of the land dwindling due to unsustainable

farming practices characterised mainly by conventional tillage.

The main crops grown by the majority of farmers include maize, groundnuts, Soybeans, Paprika,

cowpeas, cotton, cassava and sweet potatoes. Maize is the major food crop in the area. Groundnuts

dominate all crops and significantly support household income for the majority of farmers. Farmers

reported to have allocated much land towards groundnuts production than other crops due to its high

market potential. Crop diversification, winter irrigation, livestock production and small-scale businesses

are major resilience strategies for farmer livelihood systems. The rural development practice always

considers “Livelihood Diversification” as a breakthrough if farmers are to some extent challenge climate

change impacts, which are manifested through droughts, floods and erratic rainfall. Under crop

diversification, Total LandCare Malawi has been promoting cultivation of both cereal and legume crops

using conservation agriculture (CA). Conservation agriculture is a proven adaptation farming practice

against the impacts of droughts and prolonged dry spells. Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture is

one of the priority options to achieving household food security and income without causing much

degradation of natural resources that include agricultural land. SITAM project will therefore assess

farmer decision-making processes in adopting certain agricultural practices that do not degrade their

environment for better performance of the livelihood systems.

Introduction

“Supporting Smallholder Farmers’ Decision-Making (SITAM): Managing Trade-offs and Synergies for

Sustainable Intensification” is a research project whose main objective is to help come up with policies,

investments and institutions that effectively support poor farmers to adopt sustainable intensification of

agriculture via enabling environments that facilitate the management of trade-offs and synergies for

resilience, sustainability and productivity. In Malawi, the research is being implemented in Nkhotakota

district, Mwansambo Extension Planning Area, where Total LandCare Malawi is implementing a 5-year

Management for Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC II) project whose goal is to reduce poverty

among rural communities and their vulnerability to climate change through increased agricultural

productivity and improved food and nutrition security. The project is supporting farmers to adopt

sustainable farming practices as well as to diversify their livelihood systems with the aim of building

their resilience to stresses induced by climate change. This report analyses the livelihoods of

smallholder farmers in the study area and the challenges they are experiencing within their food

production systems.

Objectives of the report

The objectives of the study activity are:

• To provide an overview of the key characteristics of the Mwansambo Extension Planning Area as a

context for the SITAM project and as potential area for future interventions by other actors

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• To inform the design of the SITAM project’s baseline survey, in particular the selection of SIA

(sustainable intensification of agriculture) indicators.

Methods used

Total LandCare used desk research, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), key informant interviews and

field observations across the study area to come up with the findings and recommendations that will

inform the SITAM baseline.

Desk Research

Total LandCare reviewed reports from the Managing for Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC) project,

a project implemented by Total LandCare for the past nine years in Mwansambo and other EPAs

across the districts of Nkhotakota, Salima, Ntchisi, Dowa and Mzimba as well as other relevant reports.

These reports included the following:

• MACC project: annual reports for periods 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 210-2011, 2012-2013, and 2013-

2014 under phase I; the MACC Phase I final report (2008-2014) and the MACC baseline survey

report (2009).

• Other documents reviewed included: Environmental and Socio-Economic Baseline Survey Report

by NORAD (2009); the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (2015-2016); the Evaluation of

the Improving Livelihoods through Public works programme (2004); the Country Fact Sheet on

Food and Agriculture Policy Trends by FAO (2015); and the Malawi Growth and Development

Strategy II, among others.

Key informant interview

The study also used key informant interviews to help validate results from existing projects, policy

documents, other survey reports as well as from focus group discussions. The key informants

interviewed included the District Agriculture Development Officer (DADO) for Nkhotakota District, the

Agricultural Extension and Development Coordinator (AEDC) for Mwansambo Extension Planning

Area, the Traditional Authority Mwansambo, the Nkhotakota District Crops Officer, the District Land

Resources and Conservation Officer and Gender Officer from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Security (Nkhotakota District). Further key informant interviews were done with the Deputy Program

Officer for Concern Universal (CU), Nkhotakota Office. CU is an International Non-Governmental

Organization (INGO), working in the area (Mwansambo EPA) with similar interventions as those of TLC.

Key informant interviews focused on agricultural interventions and other related livelihood activities for

the smallholder farmers in the study area. In addition, governance, migration and tribal related issues

were also discussed.

Focus Group Discussions.

Two Group Village Headmen (GVH), namely M’gombe, which is five kilometres from Mwansambo

Trading Centre, and Chikango GVH, which is 15 kilometres away, were selected for FGDs. The choice

of the two GVHs was based on proximity to markets, with one being closer and the other farther.

Separate discussions were held with representative farmers in each GVH. During the discussions, men

and women were separated in order to understand the differences in the way decisions are being made

on sustainable intensification and how the different gender groups address issues of trade-offs.

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FGD with women in Chikango GVH FGD with men at M'gombe GVH

Site observations

Field observations were carried out to assess the farming systems and other land use activities in

Mwansambo EPA as well as other interrelated interventions that support the livelihoods of smallholder

farmers.

Part of the deforested land along Chikango road A farmer preparing conservation agriculture field

The study area

Mwansambo EPA is located in the area bordering Ntchisi district and has 110 villages and a total of

10,240 farming households. In terms of land size, the EPA has 28,839 ha in total, of which arable land

is 7,574 ha and non-arable land is 9,274 ha, and land suitable for winter cropping is occupying about

2,432 ha according to data obtained from the government extension staff at Mwansambo EPA. The

average land holding size is between 0.4 to 0.6 hectares. In terms of social services, the EPA has 1

health centre, 15 primary schools and a post office. For the economic institutions, the area has NBS

local Banking services, 2 ADMARC markets and 1 produce market (Mwansambo Trading Centre),

where farmers buy and sell agricultural commodities. There are also some seasonal produce markets,

where vendors buy directly from the villages at lower prices.

The area faces high rates of out-migration, especially during hunger periods; some household members

especially men and the youths go to seek some piecework out of Nkhotakota district. Most households

were reported to run out of food stocks before the next harvest which is acute among female-headed

households due the factors relating to land ownership, access to farm inputs and labour. Some survey

reports including the Environmental and Socio-Economic Baseline study for Malawi conducted by

NORAD in 2009 revealed that most female-headed households generate enough staple food of their

own which last only 5 to 6 months. In such situations, the majority of food insecure households cope by

doing piecework, reduce food consumption frequency with some households being more dependent on

wild foods such as fruits. It is also noted that, households in Nkhotakota sell household assets when in

critical food shortages with others depending on borrowing. The majority of men within male-headed

households own the productive assets than women such as farmland and livestock.

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In terms of agriculture production, several crops are grown in the EPA, the most common ones being

maize, groundnuts (especially CG7), cotton, rice, tobacco, paprika, sweet potatoes, cassava, soybeans,

cowpeas, vegetables, and various fruits. Groundnuts is the most prominent crop in the area with larger

portions of land being allocated to it by the majority of farmers because of its economic potential and

ready market. Maize as their staple food is the other preferred crop that is grown by almost every

household across the EPA. Most farmers grow the local varieties of maize even though some may use

hybrid varieties for resilience due to a shorter growing period. This matches well with the current

challenges of unreliable rainfall and prolonged dry spells.

Income from crop sales is reportedly higher among the male-headed than female-headed households

across the villages in Mwansambo EPA. The difference is mainly attributed to the diversity of crops

grown as well as differences in acquisition of productive assets. For example, most households in the

EPA rely on tobacco, groundnuts and soybeans as their main cash crops with groundnuts topping the

list. Male-headed households have more potential to diversify on different cash crops than their female-

headed counterparts. The 2009 baseline report for MACC project revealed that illiteracy levels are

higher among the female-headed households and that the majority of them are above the productive

age group of 25-50 years hence their low productive capacity.

Farmers in the area also keep different types of livestock that include cattle, goats, sheep and small

ruminants such as rabbits. Regarding poultry farming, local chickens, guinea fowls and ducks are the

predominant types raised by many farmers.

Livelihoods Analysis: Understanding the context of farmers’ decision making

Below is a livelihood framework that shows the linkages between human activities and their

environment.

Figure 1 Sustainable Livelihoods Framework

Context

Demographically, Mwansambo EPA has a total household population of 10,240 according to the data

obtained at the EPA office with 6380 male-headed and 3860 female-headed households, representing

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Livelihood Outcomes

- Increased Agency

- Poverty Reduction

- Well-Being Improve

- Capacity Improved

- Sustainable N.R Usage

- Hazard Management

Capitals / Assets / Resources

- Natural

- Economic

- Human

- Social

Institutions & Organisations

Area Committees – Markets – Extensions Services – Women’s Groups – Savings and Loans

Context

- Macro-Economic

Conditions

- Export

Conditions

- Climate

- Demography

Strategy - Strategies

- Coping

- Intensification

- Diversification

- Migration

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38% of the total EPA household population. The average household size is 5 persons and the majority

of the households are male-headed. According to the 2009 Environmental and Socio-Economic Survey

by NORAD, the Majority of household heads in Nkhotakota district which also provides a good picture

of Mwansambo EPA basing on the FGD reports are married under monogamous family arrangements

with only 15% of families under polygamous. Polygamous family arrangements are reported to have

been influenced by culture as well as religion mainly Islam. However, Christianity is the dominant

religion among the households in the area.

In terms of climatic conditions, the area receives medium to high rainfall compared to other districts in

the central region due to elevation and other factors. Table 1 shows the total annual rainfall recorded

over the past three seasons based on the automated weather records of the EPA.

Year Rainfall amount [mm] Number of rainfall days

2013 -2014 1108 65

2014 -2015 1069 56

2014 -2016 1016 56

For many seasons when the rains register above average some villages, get affected by floods,

especially in the areas close to Lifuliza River. Such areas require both soil and water conservation

measures to minimize erosion and crop losses. In some seasons, other areas of Mwansambo EPA

experience localised drought conditions and dry spells. The majority of farmers in these areas get low

crop yields except those who practice climate resilience agricultural practices such as conservation

agriculture at least get better yields. According to the 2009 environmental and Socio-Economic Survey

by NORAD, the majority of households who suffer most from the impact of droughts, floods and dry

spells are female-headed due to their limited capacity to cope with such extreme weather conditions.

The majority of these households are left helpless and end up selling their assets such as livestock with

some relying on relief food aid. With the crop losses, the government and some NGOs, help the

affected households with agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and seeds for the next growing season.

However, these inputs have never been adequate to satisfy the needs of the households. Considering

the level of agricultural produce and the impact of extreme weather events, the area does not produce

enough for exports despite some vendors coming in to buy the little that is available for sale in other

parts of Malawi. The only export crops are tobacco and cotton, which are grown by a few households.

At the time of field observations and FGDs with the farmers, groundnuts was emerging to be a potential

crop for export market. The majority of participants during FGDs reported to have been growing more

groundnuts than any other crop because of the existing local market offered by the Burundians who

export the commodity to Tanzania and Kenya. The readily available market for groundnuts is motivating

many farmers to grow the crop for household income generation.

Assets / capitals

The field observations and reports from the FGDs as well as the Key Informant Interviews revealed that

the majority of households own a number of assets and capital in Mwansambo EPA. Cultivable land

was reported to be a major asset for the majority of households considering that over 90% of the

population depend on agriculture as their livelihood activity. The understanding of household assets

was not much different between women and men with the majority considering livestock, farmland,

bicycles, farm inputs, motor cycles, housing and poultry as assets. Observations revealed that the

majority of households have livestock as well as bicycles as their household assets. In terms of capital,

the majority of FGD participants considered it as money owned which is mainly obtained after harvest

and crop sales. Human labour which is mostly family based was as well considered as capital for both

male and female-headed households. Some households mainly male-headed reported to have used

hired labour on their farms. More male than female-headed use hired labour because of their capacity

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to raise financial resources. In terms of ownership of household assets, the majority of men in male-

headed households claim ownership of most valuable assets such as livestock, bicycles, motor cycles,

housing and land. Land acquisitions is primarily by inheritance within the family but can also be made

by chiefs. Most decisions on how to use a particular asset are mainly made by men with less

participation of their children and wives.

Natural capital

The area has diverse natural capital such as rivers, natural forests and land for agriculture. There is a

forest reserve along the boundary with Ntchisi district which provides households in the area with other

non-timber forest products such as fruits, mushrooms and honey. The main forest products sold by the

majority of households include firewood and charcoal. Charcoal is mainly produced by men in the area

while the majority of women and children, mainly the girls are mainly involved in firewood collection for

sale at the local market and for household use. The major problem facing the natural forest areas is

deforestation which has been triggered by land use change (i.e., from forest to agriculture), demand for

charcoal and firewood. Forest degradation is, to a larger extent, impacting the productivity of

agricultural land due to increased run-off and erosion. Examples of degraded landscapes within

Mwansambo EPA are shown in pictures below:

Degraded natural forest areas

Different NGO and local institutions in partnership with Government and traditional leadership have put

in place community by-laws to regulate management of natural forests. According to the key

informants, the European Union (EU) through the Department of Forestry introduced a Forestry Co-

Management System where both community members and the government through their forestry

guards formed forestry blocks, managed by an elected committee. The Co-Management Committee

makes sure the cases of poaching or illegal logging are reduced and those who are willing to lawfully

access the forest products such as firewood are given permission. The permission is given at a

reasonable fee with 60% of the revenue going to the Co-Management Block Committees for community

support services, 30% to government whilst the remaining 10% to the Umbrella body, the Co-

Management Committees to monitor compliance of the agreed regulations. NGOs such as Total

LandCare also introduced village-based natural tree regeneration as a way to address forest

degradation. The natural tree regeneration activities are managed by community members with support

from the local chiefs. The pictures below depict some of the forest areas being managed by the

community members with support from TLC and the Co-Management Block Committees in

Mwansambo EPA.

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Protected Forest Area Natural Tree Regeneration

Rivers and streams also form part of the natural capital for the study site which benefit the farm

households in terms of food and household income. The main rivers are Lifuliza, Kavuma, Mcholi and

Kasangadzi. The major economic activity carried out along these rivers is winter irrigation. However,

during the past decade, the rivers had great potential to support irrigation activities up until the rainy

season. These water sources have now become seasonal due to a number of anthropogenic activities.

These factors include: a) unsustainable irrigation practices where farmers cultivate along the river

banks and right in the river bed; b) clearing of vegetative cover that protect most river banks from

erosion; c) siltation of the river due to erosion; and d) other related unsustainable rain-fed farming

practices in the upland which are characterised by heavy soil tillage. When the rivers get dry, the

majority of farm households practicing irrigation move down into the riverbed where soil moisture is at

least available to cultivate their crops. The cultivation in the riverbed is worsening the problem of water

availability in many rivers for the subsequent seasons despite some farmers considering the practice as

a coping mechanism to water shortages. Some communities in the area are planting trees along the

riverbanks as a mitigation measure against excessive erosion as well as gully control.

Physical capital

The area is served by 1 health centre, 15 primary schools, a post office, NBS local Banking services, 2

ADMARC markets and 1 produce market. The majority of farm households own dwelling houses which

was also alluded to by the Environmental and Socio-Economic Survey (NORAD, 2009). The survey

found that most households live in traditional houses with mud walls and grass-thatched roofs.

However, the housing conditions in Mwansambo EPA as observed during field visits appear to be

improving with most households residing in permanent structures (burnt bricks with an iron-sheet roof).

It was reported during the FGDs that the changes in housing status could be attributed to improved

economic status of most households.

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Grass thatched dwelling house, and (right): A dwelling house with burnt brinks and iron-sheet roof

The road networks are among the physical infrastructure supporting farmers when taking their

agricultural produce to markets as well as when these farmers are accessing farm inputs during the

growing season. However, most roads are in poor condition. However, at times, maintenance is done

through the public works programme involving the communities themselves.

Financial capital

The main source of income in the area is small-scale farming, more especially commercial groundnut

production. Some farmers also grow tobacco, soybean, cassava and rice for income generation.

Mwansambo is the main source of agricultural produce within the district and other neighbouring

districts such as Ntchisi and Salima. Due to the high demand for agricultural produce from the area, the

majority of farmers are now considering crop diversification in order to increase their financial base as

well as reducing risk of crop failure. Usually, different entrepreneurs travel to the area to buy farm

produce, but the main buyers are currently Burundi nationals who have settled in the area. The

groundnuts is exported to Tanzania and in some cases Kenya. According to findings from the Extension

Officer, the average farm gate price is K570/kg, which increases during market days due to competition

among buyers. Statistically, between August and September of 2016, buyers had purchased 120 Metric

tons of groundnuts across Mwansambo EPA. Besides farming, some farm households have opened up

small-scale enterprises where different commodities are offered to the local people. Some own small

restaurants to provide catering services to local buyers and other people visiting the centre. Selling fish

was reported to be one of livelihood activities among some households considering the close proximity

of the study area to the Lake.

In addition, a larger proportion of the households are involved in selling firewood, vegetables, livestock,

processed/roasted groundnuts, sugarcane, bananas and local butchery. Apart from relying on

businesses and farm produce, other farmers including the youth do some piece works such as building

people’s houses, tilling other people’s fields and helping in crop harvesting and storing of food crops.

On average, the daily wage received is 1 US$.

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Livelihood Systems-On-farm and Off-farm

Pigeon Peas in the Field Beans Groundnuts

Human capital

Formal education is not currently widespread in Mwansambo EPA despite the area having many

schools. This could be attributed to a number of factors such as demand for family labour among many

farm households, which keep children out of the school. The FGD results revealed that the smallholder

agriculture sub-sector is highly dependent on family labour comprising the majority of the school going

youth. Cases of school dropouts have been high in the study site and the majority of the young people

dropped out of school whilst at primary school level. Other factors for high school dropout rate as

reported by the participants during observational visits were rising costs of education, early pregnancies

and hunger.

In the meantime, most adults in Mwansambo area have basic vocational skills, especially in carpentry

and brick laying, since most of them did not go higher than secondary school level. Basically, local

people have basic knowledge and experience in health and wellbeing, farming, and managing small-

scale businesses. The vocational knowledge and skills are mostly gained through social interaction

within the village and when they migrate to other places in search for jobs. Whilst the agricultural

related knowledgeand skills are acquired through extension services offered by government and NGO

agents based within the EPA.

Social capital

Mwansambo EPA is dominated by the Chewa tribe, the majority of which are of the Christian religious

affiliation. Despite the religious affiliation, traditional practices such as Gule Wamkulu (Masked dance)

are predominant in the area. Currently, the TA set up by-laws that help govern social, cultural and

environmental conservation issues in the area. It is through these by-laws that the authorities execute

necessary measures under which important local resources and cultures are preserved. In addition,

there is a three-year plan (2016-2019) to be implemented in the area, which aims at promoting

partnerships among projects in enforcement of the by-laws. It was understood that most of the farmers

were more dependent on projects, and it is through these projects that the by-laws may work.

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Involvement in group initiatives is also common within the EPA. Both NASFAM and Total LandCare

encourage farmers to work in groups for easy knowledge sharing and provision of extension support by

the field staff. The idea of farmer groups is well received by the majority of households as some of the

them use the same groups for Village Savings and Loans and offering local level credits to members.

Furthermore, such farmer groups have accessed loans from the local Banks to buy farm inputs. There

is also an element of inter-household social interactions for sharing or lending among each other

household items/materials such as seeds, food, money, etc.

People’s goals or aspirations

Men and women of Mwansambo EPA have similar but varying degrees of goals and aspirations. The

following table shows goals/aspirations reported during the FGDs disaggregated by gender.

Table 2: Goals or aspirations for men and women

Aspirations for Men Aspirations for Women

• having productive work

• owning a bicycle

• buying some household amenities such

as furniture,

• owning a motorcycle for local transport

business,

• building a permanent dwelling house,

• producing enough food for the

household,

• owning a business enterprise such as a

big shop.

• a good market very close to their village

for buying and selling the farm produce.

• schools that are easily accessed by the

children

• a hospital close to their villages and are

easily accessible by the people.

• having a good place to sleep (cemented

house with iron sheets),

• their husbands own a motorcycle, which

could help the household generate more

income,

• having enough food available

throughout the year,

• dressing and feeding their children well,

• having some livestock and poultry in the

compound they live in, which could be a

source of food, especially eggs and for

sale.

• From a community level perspective,

women aspire to have an environment

in which water and firewood are easily

accessed; functional boreholes not far

from their houses; and trees for

firewood.

On trade-offs, people experience some trade-offs between their goals and day-to-day life. In T/A

Mwansambo, the major trade-offs are between getting income for the household and income for

fulfilling their aspirations. This is mainly because the communities face some unanticipated challenges

such as:

• changes in climate,

• hunger due to drought,

• poor transportation of their produce,

• unavailability of reliable markets,

• limited capacity by ADMARC to buy produce,

• long distances to the hospital,

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• poor phone network,

• poor post-harvest methods of keeping the crops like sunflower seed and other items.

Strategies

The following are some of the survival strategies farmers use in the area:

On-farm strategies

The majority of the people are primarily subsistence farmers, although they also sell some food and

cash crops. Crop diversification is the most preferred on-farm strategy as it helps to address the climate

variability and change impacts manifested through droughts, dry spells and erratic rainfall. The majority

of farmers in the area grow maize as their staple food and other crops such as groundnuts, sunflower,

cotton and on a small scale, tobacco for sale. Groundnuts is allocated a larger area compared to other

crops among most smallholder farmers in Mwansambo study site due to the available market

infrastructure. Due to the fact that more cultivable land is allocated to groundnuts, most households

produce less staple food resulting in serious food insecurity challenges.

Farmers also intercrop maize with other crops such as common beans while some crops such as

groundnuts are grown as sole but in a rotational arrangement (see picture below). Farmers also

integrate livestock into their farming system. Most farmers sell some of their livestock in times of crop

failure to provide their households with the required basic needs and other necessities.

Crop diversification of maize and groundnuts in rotation

Off farm activities

People in the area engage themselves in a number of off-farm activities such as small-scale businesses

as well as selling their labour to other farmers, moulding bricks and building dwelling houses. Other

household members especially men and the youths are engaged in out-ward-migration especially after

the harvest season in search of jobs within Nkhotakota, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and other towns. Others

migrate during the growing season, especially when most of the people run short of food. In such

cases, mostly men leave their wives to prepare the land and farm while they seek income to cater for

the households. Within the village, people also participate in public works programs sponsored by

government, where they receive cash in return for labour provided.

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Generic

In terms of generic strategies, the poorer farmers who appear to be the majority in the area, rely on

piecework particularly by working in other farmers’ fields for cash or food related commodities; borrow

in kind, e.g., one bucket of maize and pays 4 or 5 buckets in return; collection of fruits and mushrooms

by women and girls; selling of firewood among the women and charcoal among men; and migrating to

other areas in search of seasonal jobs. It was observed during the FGDs that the majority of responses

focused on the poorer farmers as most vulnerable to food shortages at household level when climate

related disasters hit the area. On the other hand, there are some farmers who are able to support their

households in times of climate shocks and these farmers mainly cope by selling livestock or vegetables

from irrigation or lent out part of their land. The major issue that cuts across both categories of farmers

is migration mostly among men. High cases of migration were experienced during the drought of 2001

when there was a countrywide food insecurity. People who migrated had gone to Dwangwa township to

look for jobs due to drought.

Accessing loans is another generic strategy for those smallholder farmers with better income

particularly among the male-headed households. Loans are mainly accessed from commercial banks

and NGOs which require farmers to make an upfront payment in order to qualify. Farmers use the loans

as capital for small-scale businesses, buying food and farm inputs and paying school fees. The

Environmental and Socio-Economic Baseline Survey report mentions that most lending institutions

have put in place programs to target female-headed households whom they organize into groups for

the purpose of securing loans as one way of empowering them to improve their economic and

livelihood base.

Paprika production Fish selling as an off farm activity

Institutions and policies

Institutions

The availability of local institutions in study area has a significant impact on the livelihoods of most

smallholder farmers as well as on the environment. The institutions available in the area include:

• Credit agencies that include Vision Fund and Microloan Foundation which give cash loans to

smallholder farmers to buy farm inputs and other household needs;

• Agriculture related farmer-based entities that work with NGOs such as the National Association

of Smallholder Farmers in Malawi (NASFAM). NASFAM focuses on Agri-business activities

whereby farmers produce selected crops for sale to the same institution after providing them

with seed capital. This helps the participating farmers to increase household income because of

having a ready market for their farm produce.

• Limbe Leaf which is supporting farmers with tobacco-related inputs and in turn buys the

tobacco from farmers.

17

• Total LandCare organises farmers into clubs that focus on activities related to sustainable

agriculture practices. During the past 9 years, Total LandCare has been providing farmer clubs

with inputs, practices such as CA, irrigation, crop diversification, etc and other services which

help farmers adapt to the impact of climate change.

• The other local institutions in Mwansambo include the Village Savings and Loans groups (VSL)

which are organised by NGOs like Total LandCare and Micro-loan Foundation to build financial

capacity among the majority of women farmer groups. VSL was reported to play a critical role in

supporting the income of the female-headed households which they use for paying school fees

for their children, buying food and farm inputs, hiring labour, as deposit to access loans with

commercial banks, etc.

• On environment, the available local institutions are the Community Based Natural Resource

Management Committees (CBNRMC) that are established by the communities with support

from the Department of Forestry, local leaders and NGOs. The function of the CBNRMCs is to

manage Village Forestry Areas (VFA).

• There is also Mwansambo youth organization in the study area which is considered to be a

viable platform where young people interact and share their life aspirations relating to

agriculture as a livelihood strategy, environment and health.

• The study are has also the Aids Support Organization which has activities that support People

Living with HIV (PLWH). Some of the activities promoted relate to good health and nutrition

linking these to sustainable agriculture and good methods of processing, preparation and

consumption.

• Mwansambo Trading Centre is another institution that support various livelihood activities of the

majority of smallholder farmers across the study villages. The centre provides a platform where

producers (farmers) and buyers meet. Mwansambo Trading Centre is the major farm produce

market for the households despite offering low prices. Farmers also access a number of farm

inputs from this centre that include fertilizers, crop seed, herbicides and pesticides among

others. However, the major challenge as reported by the majority of farmers visited include long

distance to the local market coupled with poor road networks as well as high prices for the

inputs. Due to long distances, many farmers resort to selling their farm produce to the traders

who directly come to their village despite these traders offering low process.

Policies and Strategies Impacting on Smallholder Farmers

There are a number of policies which are directly or indirectly impacting the performance of smallholder

farming in Malawi. These are described as follows:

• Malawi Vision 2020: In 1998, the government adopted the Malawi Vision 2020 which provides a

policy framework for the implementation of short and medium term plans for development sectors

with agriculture and food security being the priority areas.

• Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II (MGDS II): This long-term vision has been translated

into a medium-term policy namely the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II (MGDS) with an

objective to reduce poverty through sustainable economic growth and infrastructure development by

increasing agricultural productivity and diversification on a sustainable basis. That strategy would

want to see a Malawian population that is food secure and more resilient to climate shocks.

• Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP) and the Green Belt Initiative (GBI) that directly target the

smallholder farmers particularly the resource poor households.

Previous Development Interventions in the Area and their Impact

There has been a number of development interventions implemented in Mwansambo study area for the

past decade the majority of which were supported by the NGOs. The following are some of the key

ones:

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• Management for Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC) implemented by Total LandCare with

funding from the Royal Norwegian Government which started in 2005. MACC focuses on

interventions related to watershed management and a number of livelihood interventions such

as: crop diversification involving maize, groundnuts, Soya beans, common beans, cassava and

sweet potatoes, paprika and birds’ eye chillies, production of vegetables and other high value

crops under irrigation, livestock as well as natural resource management.

• Concern Worldwide had interventions which focused on Livestock production, sustainable crop

production with Conservation Agriculture being a major component, Village Savings and Loans

which promoted group cohesion and bought in an element of social capital.

• NASFAM also supported farmers with different livelihood programmes that include: sustainable

crop diversification where maize and other legumes (p/peas and groundnuts) were promoted.

Both TLC and NASFAM are still working in the area targeting different smallholder farmers with different

interventions in the areas of agriculture and natural resource management.

Development agencies / programmes currently operating in the area

Currently there are several programmes being implemented in Mwansambo area by TLC, National

Association of Smallholder Farmers in Malawi (NASFAM), Government through the Ministry of

Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development as well as the Ministry of Natural Resources, Mining and

Energy and Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company. The NGOs and relevant government ministries are

providing significant support to the majority smallholder farmers in the area focusing on sustainable

agriculture, natural resource management and livestock among others. For example, the Department of

Land Resources Conservation in the Ministry of Agriculture is promoting various soil and water

conservation measures with a focus on increasing food production among the smallholder farmers who

are most vulnerable to climate related shocks. Furthermore, through the Sustainable Agriculture

Production Programme, the Ministry of Agriculture is promoting crop diversification and conservation

agriculture practices in order to build their resilience to clime related shock that include prolonged

droughts. The government is also implementing the public works programme which aims at improving

rural road networks to facilitate efficient transport system within the rural setup. These roads are helping

the majority of farmers in taking their farm produce to markets. Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company is a

private sector company working with smallholder and medium scale farmers on contract tobacco

farming and is helping many farmers to commercialise agriculture.

Commercialisation of farming has potential to unlock opportunities for better incomes and sustainable

livelihoods for small-scale farmers.

Governance Structure and Decision Making

In the area of governance, the study explored how the families, communities, and the district are

governed and who are the key people influencing decision making on relevant activities. In the

Malawian traditional context, a man is considered the head in most male-headed households. This was

confirmed during FGDs that men in male-headed households make more decisions affecting their

family lives. For example, among the majority of households, when considering what to produce on the

farm, how to produce and what other livelihood activities should a household venture into is more

dependent on male’s decision. However, among most female-headed households, a female head

makes most decisions regarding their livelihood activities despite having children of the productive age

group.

At community level, it is the responsibility of the local leaders and their structures such as the Area

Development Committees and the Village Development Committees to make decisions that affect

everyone. For example, when development projects come into the village, they must first be accepted

by the chief and his committees after making some briefing before implementation starts. Whilst at

district level, there is a District Commissioner as the Chairperson of the District Executive Committee

(DEC) comprising all NGOs, the private sector institutions and government departments. The DEC is

19

responsible for decision making on activities that affect any part of the district. All development

programmes pass through the DEC before actual implementation starts in a given community. It is

again through the DEC that NGOs are directed as to where they should operate basing on the district

socio-economic profile.

Outcomes

Various interventions implemented in Mwansambo EPA have to some extent improved the socio-

economic status of the majority of farm households despite experiencing other challenges. The

baseline survey which is to be implemented in the next few months will capture detailed results on the

impact of various livelihood projects on individual farm households. However, through the literature

study and FGDs with farmers, a number of intervention outcomes were reported and are described

below:

Social Outcomes

The results obtained through field observations revealed improved housing characteristics for some of

the households who used to have poor dwelling houses. Participants in FGDs reported increased

production of high value crops such as groundnuts as the main contributing factor for better housing

status for the majority of households. It was further revealed that the majority who have improved

housing structures are male-headed households based on factors described above. The National

Statistical Office (NSO) has always considered the analysis of household expenditure pattern as key to

determining the welfare levels of households. For example, the Environmental and Socio-Economic

Baseline Survey report revealed that the average annual expenditure for male-headed households in

Nkhotakota district is significantly higher than for the female-headed households. The most important

productive assets that support agricultural production are owned by the majority male-headed

households in many parts of Malawi including the study area.

Improved rural road networks were observed in some villages within Mwansambo EPA. This was due to

the Public Works Programme implemented by government which is supporting many rural areas to

have better roads that support efficient movement of agricultural produce to markets. However, not

many areas have improved road networks and some participants reported this as a major problem for

traders to reach their villages with agricultural inputs. In many areas, the Public Works Programme has

helped to improve the socio-economic status of poorer households in addition to improving the road

infrastructure. As an example, some households in the study area acquired household assets such as

bicycles, radios, livestock and other related on-farm productive assets through participation in the

programme.

Crop diversification was considered as one of the practices that has helped to improve the nutritional

status of many smallholder farmers in the area. In Mwansambo EPA, NGOs have promoted crop

diversification as well as a number of sustainable agriculture practices as strategies to building

household resilience as well as increasing the income and combating malnutrition. Some households

are able to send their children to private schools as well as accessing private health services after

selling their produce at the local markets.

Environmental outcomes

There are a number of landscape restoration activities within Mwanzambo implemented by both

government and NGOs. These activities include: tree planting; natural tree regeneration activities,

conservation agriculture and agro-forestry. Because of these interventions, some villages in

Mwansambo have improved forest cover which will in the long term help address the problems of land

and soil degradation. Conservation agriculture with its complimentary practices has also improved soil

health in terms of soil fertility, structure and water retention thereby increasing crop yields. Through the

work of the communities and farmer groups in preserving the forest areas and agricultural land, some of

the related environmental hazards are being reduced.

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Economic outcomes

Various livelihood interventions implemented in Mwansambo EPA have changed the economic

wellbeing of some households. For example, the public works programme has significantly supported a

number of poorer households to access social funds for meeting some of their household needs which

include fertilizers, seeds and farm implements. NGOs like Total LandCare, NASFAM and Concern

Worldwide have been promoting climate smart agriculture practices such as conservation agriculture,

crop diversification, high value crops, irrigation, etc which have made some households to be more

resilient in times of prolonged dry spells and localised droughts. These practices have made many

farmers produce more per hectare and earn higher incomes than those practicing conventional tillage

practices. The increase in household income significantly helps some households to acquire other

assets as well as in expanding their livelihood base such as venturing into small-scale businesses and

livestock production.

Resilience outcomes

Food insecurity is one of the most pressing issues among the smallholder farmers in many parts of

Malawi. The definition of food security is more dependent of availability of maize which is the main

staple for the majority of households in Malawi. For a number of seasons, many households have

experienced extreme weather events manifested through dry spells, prolonged drought conditions and

floods which affect crop yields. Mwansambo is not an exceptional in terms of such weather conditions.

For example, during the 2014/2015 season, the area experienced flush flooding conditions with

subsequent dry spells with adverse effects on crop yields. Yields of many crops under conventional

tillage practices were reported to have significantly reduced as compared to the previous season. There

is a differential impact of climate related disasters causing food insecurity among male and female-

headed households across Meansambo EPA. Female-headed households experience higher levels of

food insecurity than their male counterparts which was also confirmed by the Environmental and Socio-

Economic Survey (NORAD, 2009). The difference is primarily due to the variation in economic status of

the two categories with male-headed households having an upper hand on land ownership and

acquisition of farm inputs.

Emergence of a typology

The typology of the majority farm households in Mwansambo EPA falls within smallholder subsistence

farming which is characterized by small land holding sizes of less than a hectare with high dependence

on family labour. However, there is a variation among households in this category mainly in terms of

levels of income, access to external credit and inputs as well as hired labour. The majority smallholder

farmers in the study site are resource poor with less productive assets. Such households are less

resilient to climate related shocks. The baseline survey will capture more details on household

characteristics which are specific to the study site.

Linkages between the components

Institutions vs. context

Institutions are the major determinants of socio-economic conditions in a given society as advocated by

the rural development practice discipline. For example, Mwansambo is an agrarian community and

therefore majority of the farm households require extension services provided by the NGOs, relevant

government departments and the private sector organisations for their livelihoods. Extension services

provided to these households help change their mind-set about deciding whether or not to adopt/adapt

new or improved agricultural technologies or practices. Organizations such as Ministry of Agriculture,

Total LandCare, NASFAM and Concern Worldwide have been key players in Mwansambo EPA in the

promotion of sustainable farming practices. Decisions by farmer to adopt new farming practices depend

on the training and visit system provided by extension agents resident within the area.

21

Institutions and assets

Based on Figure 14, the components of livelihood resilience in Mwansambo EPA influence each other

in one way or another. From the top, institutions such as relevant government departments, NGOs, the

private sector organizations, markets and schools have a direct impact on the assets of the EPA in

general and farmers in particular. Markets have an impact on the financial capital for the majority of

households. It was reported during the FGDs that the majority of smallholder producers take their

produce to Mwansambo market where vendors from different districts come to buy. The previous

sections reported that groundnuts is the most important cash crop which many households are growing

and taking to the market for improvement in their economic wellbeing.

Communities in the study area have many social groupings established to provide special services that

promote improved livelihoods of the majority of households. For example, Mwansambo EPA has

Natural Resource Management Committees established for the purpose of enforcing community by-

laws that protect the natural capital including forest resources. Forests as part of the natural

capitals/asset benefit the communities in different ways that include, provision of non-timber products

such wild fruits and mushrooms. Therefore, sustainable management of forest areas will help support

the future generation with the same benefits. The Environmental and Socio-Economic Baseline Survey

(NORAD, 2009) revealed the importance of forestry resources in times of food insecurity caused by

crop failure or disasters.

Assets and strategies

The availability of assets greatly affects the strategies which people use for their survival. Considering

diversification of livelihoods, households are required to have adequate financial capital and labour to

support management of this portfolio. Productive human capital is key in the implementation of various

livelihood activities. As observed by the MACC project baseline report, the majority of female-headed

households in Mwansambo EPA are above the productive age group compared to most male-headed

households. The productivity of household heads has a direct impact on livelihood diversification and

on acquisition of various productive assets.

Institutions, strategies and outcomes

Livelihood and crop diversification are important elements for human survival and these have direct

linkage to institutions that provide extension services, village savings and loans as well as formal credit.

Considering the impact of climate change related disasters such as droughts, floods and dry spells,

adaptation has always been advocated for as a strategy to building community resilience.

Diversification is one of the adaptation measures being put in place by some households in

Mwansambo EPA and local institutions such as village savings and loans groups. These have built

some capacity in individual households to diversify their livelihoods as well as in agricultural production

through provision of financial capital. Access to formal credit was however reported to be a challenge in

Mwansambo study sites particularly among the female-headed households because of their limited

capacity to offer collateral in the form of high value productive assets compared to most male-headed

households. Institutions such as NGOs and relevant government departments are needed to provide

regular extension services to build capacities of the farmers to sustainably manage their livelihood

portfolios. It has been noted through field observations and interactions with farmers that households

who have access to credit are able to diversify and produce more compared to the poorer households

with limited capacity to borrow. Diversification has proved to be a strategy for increased income and

cases of food insecurity as well as improving the wellbeing thereby reducing poverty of the households.

Outcomes vs. Assets

Outcomes have also feedback on the assets. When the outcomes are positive, it is very likely that the

assets will increase. For example, when people have enough food, adequate income, are in good

health, live in a comfortable environment and sustainably manage their resources, it is very likely they

will participate in various community services and social groupings. In addition, when there is good

forest cover in an area as an outcome from previous strategies, it becomes a natural asset where

household members could access various products. In summary, when outcomes are preserved and

maintained, they become assets for the village/community thereby ensuring sustainable survival.

22

Vulnerability and resilience

The Malawi vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) considers Malawi as one of the most

vulnerable countries to climate related disasters in Southern Africa. Most of the weather extreme events

impact the agriculture sector which is the hub of the country’s economy and household food security.

Vulnerability of the agriculture sector is therefore directly linked to vulnerability of the households. For

example, in 2014/2015, MVAC recorded a number of weather related hazards during the agricultural

production season. The start of the rainy season was reported to have been delayed by about 30 to 40

days, which in turn delayed planting of all major crops across the country. However, the MVAC

observed that despite delays in the start of the season, most areas including Nkhotakota district

experienced heavy rains in January/February of 2015 resulting into widespread floods and wash-

aways. The flooding situation caused damage to property including houses, crops and animals. The

majority of households in many parts of Malawi including the study area became vulnerable due to loss

of their productive assets. The picture below depicts one of the areas affected by floods in Malawi

during the period.

One of the villages affected by 2014/2015 floods in Malawi (Source: MVAC, 2016)

The country also recorded widespread dry spells, localised droughts after flooding conditions and early

tailing off of rains which worsened the households’ vulnerability to food insecurity. According MVAC,

17% of the total national population in 2015/16 was estimated to have faced food deficits ranging from 3

to 8 months. The farming communities in Mwansambo EPA reported a number of coping mechanisms,

which they put in place to respond to food insecurity when the weather hazards hit the area. Such

strategies include: outward migration, food aid, “food for work” piece work, selling livestock, renting out

some piece of land, inter-household food borrowing, reducing food consumption levels, non-provision of

food to guests during community functions and barter trade (exchanging livestock with food items).

Some of the strategies promoted by NGOs and relevant government departments to build community

resilience include, implementation of climate smart agriculture practices such as conservation

agriculture, crop diversification, planting early maturing crop varieties and catchment conservation

among others.

1

Background and Context

The national macro-economic performance and forecast shows that the GDP growth rate will slightly decrease in 2015 down to 5.4 % from an estimate of 6.0% in 2014. The marginal decrease in growth is partly attributed to reduced performance in the agriculture sector which is the driving force of the economy. The sector registered lower growth due to adverse weather conditions in form of late onset of rains, floods, long dry spells and a shortened growing season due to early cessation of rains. This lower growth is expected to affect other sectors that are agro-based. The economy is expected to grow by 6.5% in the year 2016, mainly owing to significant decrease in global oil prices and general improvement in other economic fundamentals. The 2014/2015 Agriculture Production Season The country experienced a number of weather related hazards during the 2014/15 agricultural production season. The start of season delayed by about 30 to 40 days due to late onset of rains. This delayed planting of all major crops across the country. The delayed onset of rains was followed by heavy rains that the country received in January 2015 resulting in widespread floods and wash-aways. As a result of the floods, property, houses, crops animals and lives were lost. The heavy rains also caused wash-away of soil nutrients and affected farming activities such as planting, weeding, ridging as well as fertiliser application. The country also experienced dry spells in most districts for a period of about 4 to 6 weeks, between February and March 2015, which resulted in early tail-off of the rains. This early tail-off affected crop development resulting in low yields/production of most crops. Third round crop assessment from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development (MoAIWD) show that staple maize production for the 2014/15 agricultural season is estimated at

(Continued on page 2)

Excepts from the report… The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, estimates that Malawi will produce 2,776,277 MT

of maize in 2014/15 agriculture season down from 3,978,123 MT during the previous

agriculture season.

The MVAC annual assessment and analysis results indicates that 25 districts namely: Chitipa,

Karonga, Mzimba and Rumphi in the Northern Region; Dedza, Dowa, Kasungu, Lilongwe,

Mchinji, Nkhotakota, Ntcheu and Salima in the Central Region; Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa,

Chiradzulu, Phalombe, Machinga, Mangochi, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Nsanje, Thyolo and

Zomba in the Southern Region will face food deficits ranging from 3 to 8 months. MVAC projects that 2,833,212 people in the 25 districts will be food insecure across the

country requiring about 124,183 MT of maize equivalent.

Maize prices have been generally high for first quarter of the consumption year; prices in the

lean months will depend on stability of maize supply on the market. The food security situation will be monitored on a monthly basis, but a major update is

scheduled for October 2015.

Background and Context 1

The 2014/15 Agriculture Production

Season 1

Food Security forecast

2

Markets and marketing 3

Methodology 4

Inside:

The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee(MVAC)

National Food Security Forecast, April 2015 to March 2016 Government of the

Republic of Malawi

Bulletin No. 11/15 Volume 1

23

Conclusion: Trends, Challenges and Knowledge Gaps

Rain-fed agriculture is the main livelihood activity for the majority of smallholder farmers in Mwansambo

EPA with maize as the main staple crop and groundnuts as the main cash crop. The weather related

trends basing on farmer experiences and that of extension agents have not been very much disastrous

as compared to other parts of the country such as the lower shire. Droughts are not very common and

the area receives medium to high rainfall that favour most crops. Food availability is not a critical

problem during favourable seasons especially when farmers have access to productive assets such as

fertilisers, improved seed varieties, land and enough family labour.

Trends

The policy trends in the agricultural sector have always focused on increased crop production and

diversification in order to boost the export market and ensure the county’s food security. The Malawi

vision 2020 for example was adopted in 1998 and its framework identifies the agriculture sector and

food security as key priority areas to foster economic growth and development. The vision 2020 was

translated into a medium term policy framework for social and economic development called the Malawi

Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS). The strategy is reported to have focused more on

increased agricultural productivity and diversification for sustainable economic growth. Other policy

areas which the country adopted include the Economic Recovery Plan (2012) aiming at restoring

economic stability through commercial agriculture, tourism, energy, mining and infrastructure

development.

The National Export Strategy (2013-2018) is another policy area adopted to boost domestic and

external trade mainly with a major focus on agricultural production. The Agricultural Sector-wide

Approach (ASWAp) (2011-2015) is another strategy adopted by Malawi Government to boost food

security and risk management; commercial agriculture, agro-processing and market development; and

sustainable agricultural land and water management across the country. To support the smallholder

sector, which is the major area for food production, the Malawi Government introduced the Farm Input

Subsidy Programme (FISP) in 2004 and the Green Built Initiative which account for 70% of the ASWAp

budget. This policy trend in Malawi clearly demonstrates the benefit and the value provided by the

agricultural sector to the Malawi’s growing population.

Challenges

• Land degradation is one of the major problems/challenges facing the majority of farmers and

this is mainly caused by anthropogenic practices that include unsustainable farming practices

such as intensive tillage and deforestation.

• Considering the increased demand for groundnuts in the study area, many farmers reported to

have allocated much land size to the crop so that they can generate more income. The crop

production shift, from largely maize to groundnuts is impacting many households with food

insecurity problems considering that maize is their main staple food crop. The households that

suffer most in times of food shortages are the female and child-headed compared to the male-

headed.

• Migration is reported to be among the coping mechanisms in times of food shortages but this

brings in social problems in the family. Such problems include reduced family labour which

worsens food shortages in the household, family separation making some of the households

become female-headed because the majority who migrate are men. Sometimes, migration

results into people contracting HIV/AIDS and in times of sicknesses, most farm activities get

compromised resulting into poor harvest.

• The other challenges for Mwansambo EPA as reported by participants during FGDs related to

shortage of formal markets and low prices offered by vendors. Worse still, prices of farm inputs

are increasing every season beyond the capacity of the majority of farmers particularly, the

poorer and female-headed households. As a solution to this problem, the majority of poorer

households use recycled seeds which are less productive.

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• Another challenge relate to most farmers never calculating gross margins of their

crops/enterprises to compare the profitability of different farming options. Presumably, in view

of the high input costs as well as other adverse factors, the majority of farmers do not get

significant profitability from their crops.

Knowledge Gap

• The major knowledge gap identified by the majority of FGD participants was associating large

landholding size to high crop production capacity despite use of unstainable farming practices.

This was very interesting to note as it is among the areas SITAM project will try to evaluate in

more detail.

• There is also some knowledge gap among most farmers on problem analysis and linkage. For

example, some households appeared not to fully understand the cause/effect relationships

between low yields, unstainable farming practices and soil degradation.

A detailed baseline survey will capture much data on knowledge gaps among the farmers and

extension agents working in the study area.

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Annexes

Annex 1 Key informant guide- DADO/ AEDC

1. The study area

• Where it is located

• Demography: population – ethnicity, languages, Religion and cultural beliefs

• Environment; rainfall and distribution, soils, vegetation, water bodies.

• Basic social characteristics; family and household structure, village structure /

governance, social relations

• Basic economic characteristics; sources of income, farming systems, crops grown,

livestock kept, off farm activities, migration

• Basic context - infrastructure, markets, policies impacting on livelihoods

2. Context

How has the study area changed over time in terms of?

• the macro-economic and policy context, economic growth or recession, off-farm employment

opportunities, markets

• Issues of security, conflict etc.

• Changes in socioeconomic context / demography / ethnicity, religion, tradition, culture

• Environmental trends: drought, climate change, land degradation

• Also, the broad policy setting (e.g. fertilizer subsidy, extension).

3. Analysis of linkages between the livelihood components

• Broad categories / types of farmers in the study area?

• Patterns forming in terms of types of farmers, their resources, their strategies adopted

institutional facilitation and outcomes?

• How Context influences Capitals, influences Strategies (all supported by Institutions)

and which determine Outcomes

• How have things changed over time? What are the current trends?

• What are the main threats to / challenges for sustainable livelihoods?

• How are different types of households and individual affected by these?

4. Vulnerability and resilience

• Level of vulnerability and resilience is of different types of households?

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Annex 2 FGD guide / men and women separately

1. Assets / capitals

This is about the assets / resources available at household and individual level – and who owns or

controls them or has access to them

• Natural Capital: Land, water resources, trees, grazing lands: farm size, who uses it,

controls it, has access to it etc.

• Physical Capital: housing, agricultural implements, means of transport,

• Financial Capital: Savings, credit (formal and informal), earnings – on- and off-farm

(including income from sales of agricultural produce, labour wages etc.)

• Human Capital: knowledge and experience, health and wellbeing, formal and informal

education, traditional knowledge, knowledge gained from migration etc.

• Social Capital: Relationships between people and households, traditional and political

leadership.

2. People’s goals or aspirations

• Social, economic, environmental and aspirations of different types of farmers in the study

area

- What are they trying to achieve – for themselves, their families, their community, and

their country?

- What are their visions and hopes for the future?

- How does that differ between women and men, young and old?

• Conflicts / trade-offs between peoples’ objectives (e.g. Economic goal vs. household needs)

3. Strategies

• What social, political and economic strategies people use/adopt to make a living and

achieve their desired livelihood outcomes?

• broad types of people and strategy in the study area

- Generic: e.g. households may reduce consumption when they don’t have enough

assets, or use their social network to help them out. What strategies are considered to

be ‘good’ or ‘desirable’ and which ones are ‘coping strategies’ that people only use if

they don’t have any other choices?

- On farm: what are farmers doing, from a strategic point of view? Are they diversifying or

specialising? Producing for home consumption, social obligations, the market, or all of

this? What do they do to reduce risk?

- Off-farm: What off-farm livelihood strategies are there? Migration, work in agricultural

processing, trade, transport? Who is doing this? When?

• How do on- and off-farm strategies complement each other? Where do they conflict?

• What proportion of households has income from migration, what is are wages for labour?

4. Institutions, policies

• Who has more power and influence – in the family, community, and district? On what

basis?

• How are decisions taken? By whom?

• What formal and informal institutions exist? E.g. markets, research and technology transfer,

credit, input supply, etc. How do they work?