Malawi is a small landlocked country in southern Africa, bordered by Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia. The majority of Malawians are smallholder farmers, who grow crops for both food and income. More than half of the Malawian population lives in poverty, and the rate of food insecurity is very high. Typical planting patterns are monocropped maize with limited organic matter returned to the soil, and reliance on commercial fertilizer. Women carry out an estimated half of all farming work, alongside the majority of other household tasks and child care, but often have limited control over household resources.

The Malawi Farmer-to-Farmer Agroecology project (or MAFFA) works in two different areas of Malawi: Lobi region of Dedza District, central Malawi and Ekwendeni region in Mzimba District, northern Malawi. Farmers who participate in the MAFFA project get training on agroecological principles along with nutrition and social equity issues.