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Brochure, flyer, fact-sheetCropping systems diversification to enhance productivity and adaptation to climate change in Malawi 2019
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No results found.Widespread maize monocropping in Malawi exposes farmers to significant livelihood risk in the context of increasing climate variability. 36 percent of rural households grow maize in monocrop. These farmers are often poor and land constrained, and experience low levels of productivity and high production volatility. The effects of crop diversification on farm productivity and income volatility in Malawi varies across cropping systems. Maize in combination with legumes is the only cropping system in Malawi that is significantly associated with an increase in productivity and a reduction in crop income volatility. Contrary to expectations, cropping systems with 3 or more crops do not significantly reduce crop income volatility relative to maize monocropping. Market weaknesses for many non-maize crops in Malawi limit the benefits from diversification. Higher volatility in prices of many non-maize crop is a disincentive to the adoption of diversified systems and pushes farmers toward monocropping. Household constraints are a key barrier to adopting more diverse cropping systems. Sufficient household assets, particularly land, enable households to overcome the investment and risk costs associated with crop diversification. Coordination between private and public investments are required to improve the incentives for diversification in Malawi. A coordinated effort to strengthening input and output markets for non-maize crops, combined with public support to overcome household-level resource constraints to diversification (including public works programmes, input subsidies, and cash transfers) is necessary to promote widespread crop diversification. -
Book (series)Crop diversification increases productivity and stabilizes income of smallholders
FAO Agricultural Development Economics Policy Brief 8
2018Also available in:
No results found.In sub-Saharan Africa, crop diversification features prominently in many countries’ climate change adaptation strategies. This study focuses on the determinants of adoption and on the impact of seven cropping systems in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia. The work finds that the selection of a high volatile or low productive cropping system increases smallholders’ vulnerability and exposure to food insecurity. The findings suggest that policies supporting private agricultural input and output market development are critical for inducing adoption of more diverse, resilient, and profitable cropping systems. Finally, the brief shows that while parastatal institutions may encourage the adoption of maize mono-cropping systems reducing the local level of diversification, the implementation of land policies ensuring land-availability and security may be critical for incentivizing the adoption of more productive and resilient systems. The results can be employed by policy makers, partners, and other practitioners to favour the implementation of more resilient systems and to support farmers with a set of policy options during period of high income volatility. -
Brochure, flyer, fact-sheetCropping systems diversification to enhance productivity and adaptation to climate change in Mozambique 2019
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Farmers in Mozambique are diversified, but subsistence-oriented. Thirty-seven percent of farmers in Mozambique grow a three-crop system based on maize, a legume, and an alternative staple, such as cassava or sorghum. This system is an effective adaption strategy, as it reduces crop income volatility compared to less diverse systems, but it is also associated with low levels of productivity, input use, and incomes. Adoption of cash cropping system improves farmers’ welfare. Farmers who adopt cash crops have higher average incomes and higher productivity levels. However, only 19 percent of farmers grow cash crops. Limited household resources and isolation from markets constrains the adoption of cash crop systems. Enhance commercialization by incentivizing value chain investments and improving market competition. Supporting investments in the trading and processing for widely grown crops, combined with improved pricing policies for cash crops can facilitate the adoption of more commercialized cropping systems. Expand and strengthen the improved seed sector. Increasing the availability of improved seeds is critical to promote commercialization and diversification. To this end, there is urgent need to develop and implement a National Seed Policy to regulate activities in both the formal and informal seed value chains.
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