Malawi launches MELBA project to strengthen ecosystem-based adaptation monitoring

This USD 4 million, four-year project, “Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Framework for Ecosystem-based Adaptation in Forests and Agriculture (MELBA Malawi)”, will support national efforts to track, analyze and accelerate progress on climate change adaptation in the agriculture, forestry and land-use sectors. As one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, Malawi faces escalating impacts from floods, droughts, land and ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss, making this project critically timely.

The intervention is expected to develop a robust national framework that harmonizes data, enhances transparency and integrates evidence-based climate intelligence into policies and investments. By strengthening data management and linking local evidence with national planning and reporting, Malawi would in turn be able to better protect its communities and ecosystems, while advancing commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Malawi 2063 agenda.

The national monitoring framework advanced under MELBA Malawi will be developed and tested following the EbA measures implemented by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) project FP238 ‘Ecosystem-based Adaptation for Resilient Watersheds and Communities in Malawi’ (EbAM). MELBA Malawi will also work in close collaboration with the GEF-funded Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program (DSL-IP), which is currently implementing integrated landscape management activities in the country's target districts of Mangochi, Ntcheu and Balaka. 

The DSL-IP Malawi child project already operates robust land degradation monitoring effort  through its participation in the program's Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Working Group, and uses the Integrated Landscape Assessment Methodology (ILAM) for baseline assessments and evidence-based decision-making. MELBA's development of a national EbA approaches, capacity, monitoring architecture and digital tools will complement and build upon these existing approaches, while coordination between the projects will ensure harmonized indicator frameworks and avoid duplication of data collection efforts at the district level. 

Coordination between the government, stakeholders and FAO’s MELBA and DSL-IP project teams will facilitate knowledge exchange, joint capacity-development activities, and the integration of lessons learned into national planning and reporting processes.

Expected project achievements of the MELBA Malawi project include:

• Developing a national EbA monitoring architecture, indicators and digital tools, aligned with the UNFCCC Paris Agreement’s Global Goal on Adaptation.
• Building capacity across government institutions, district councils, academia and civil society to collect, manage and use adaptation data.
• Piloting district-level monitoring efforts to track ecosystem health, climate risks, vulnerabilities and community resilience.
• Supporting the integration of EbA results into national planning, budgeting, Nationally Determined Contribution and adaptation plans, reporting and climate finance mechanisms, including the Malawi Carbon Market Framework.

By generating high-quality, harmonized EbA data in the agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) sectors and strengthening institutional coordination, MELBA Malawi will ultimately significantly contribute to achieving the country’s climate adaptation targets, support resilient livelihoods for vulnerable communities, and strengthen the adaptive capacity of ecosystems in the face of climate change.