Malawi

Malawi is a low-income, food-deficit and least developed country. The majority of its population of 15.7 million lives below the poverty line. It is ranked 153 out of 169 on the 2010 Human Development Index. Poverty is both widespread and severe with a national poverty rate of 52 percent varying across regions. About 80 percent of the people live in rural areas with low access to basic health and education services. Agricultural production is the mainstay of Malawi's economy and small-holder farmers dominate the sector. Landholdings are small particularly in the densely populated south, leading to encroachment on marginal lands and increased erosion. These conditions, combined with the high incidence of HIV/AIDS (currently estimated at 12 percent), make the poor highly vulnerable to effects of natural disasters and food insecurity.

Video: FAO in Malawi

FAO's main in-country programmes

Special Programme for Food Security
The Special Programme for Food Security in Malawi was operational from November 1997 to December 2005. It started with 30 project sites, expanding to 900 sites by 2004. The programme targeted households with land and labour constraints. These included female-headed households, the elderly and large households hosting orphans as a result of the impact of HIV and AIDS. The pilot project phase introduced new technologies and approaches. As a result, the Government of Malawi adopted a food security policy that recognized the important role of small-scale irrigation, improved access to farm inputs and participatory extension approaches.

National Programme for Food Security
A National Action Plan for Food Security and Nutrition in Malawi has been formulated to support food security programmes and interventions. Some elements of the plan are incorporated in the Food Security and Risk Management pillar of the Agricultural Development Programme. FAO has mobilized resources to implement some activities of the plan, including US$5.2 million for the project Enhancing Food Security and Developing Sustainable Rural Livelihoods and US$5.1 million for Improving Food Security and Nutrition Policies and Programme Outreach.

EMPRES Animal Health Component
Following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in late 2008, the FAO Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES) provided effective support to contain the spread of the disease.

Emergency and rehabilitation
Ongoing FAO activities include:
• improving food and nutrition security of orphans and HIV/AIDS affected children;
• avian influenza preparedness;
• support to flood-affected populations through the distribution of agricultural inputs and tools;
• improving access to local crop varieties;
• crop diversification; and
• bolstering local capacities through training on enhanced agricultural practices.

National Medium Term Priority Framework
A National Medium Term Priority Framework will improve FAO's contribution to the national development agenda and the national Agricultural Development Programme. FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security have initiated dialogue on the framework. FAO is reviewing Malawi's priorities and approaching ministries and key civil society organizations and development partners operating in the Malawi in order to support the government in implementing the Agricultural Development Programme.

One UN - One Programme
FAO is operating within the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) in Malawi. This was endorsed by the government for the period 2008 to 2011. Within the UNDAF, the first cluster aims to ensure that government policies and local and national institutions support equitable economic growth and food and nutrition security while minimizing or reversing environmental degradation. This cluster has identified priority programme outcomes and outputs.

The Government of Malawi asked to be recognized as a voluntary UN reform pilot country and joined the pilot process in 2007. The UN in Malawi is coordinating its support to achieve the Millennium Development Goals through five thematic clusters. FAO is taking the lead in the first cluster to promote sustainable economic growth and food and nutrition security. FAO is also involved in the other four clusters and in the cross-cutting group on gender.

last updated: 11 July 2011