Malawi

ILIMS does not currently have any projects in Malawi. However, Malawi’s large water resources and agricultural workforce, irrigation and mechanization has the potential to increase income, nutrition and climate resiliency.

Opportunities

The population depends heavily on agriculture, and the sector employs around two thirds of the workforce. As with most countries in the region, rain-fed agriculture predominates, leaving small farmers vulnerable to droughts. However, there is an enormous amount water stored in Lake Malawi and other surface and groundwater reserves. Unlocking access to affordable irrigation and mechanization technologies to use these water resources can mitigate these conditions, boost income and improve access to nutritious foods, and reduce climate risk to smallholder farmers. At the same time, ILIMS will leverage our experience with water governance to give institutions the resources needed to minimize risk and effectively use water resources.

Challenges

Considered one of Africa’s poorest countries, Malawi has a GDP per capita of about $673. Life expectancy at birth is about 63 years. According to the World Bank, severe food insecurity affects more than half of the population, and in 2019 about 70% of Malawians were estimated to subsist on $2.15 per day or less. Whilst the country is considered to have low water stress on average, individual smallholder farmers are often hard pressed to meet even basic household water requirements and lack the capital to invest in existing irrigation technology. As a result, per-hectare productivity is relatively low, and the strategies that farmers must employ to mitigate recurrent droughts preclude more intensive cropping. Pests such as the fall army worm are also a challenge.

Contributing to Solutions

Whilst ILIMS is not currently working in Malawi, the lab expects to engage local organizations within the country soon and looks forward to sharing the outputs of research done in similar environments with Malawian farmers, extension workers, and government officials.

Publications and Additional Resources

Project Partners