Malawi Country Profile (Feb 2016)

selfhelpafrica.org

MALAWI

2016

2

Self Help Africa is engaged in a combination of

directly implemented and partner-led projects

in Malawi. The programme goal, to support

smallholder farming communities to achieve sustainable

livelihoods, is in line with the government’s current Growth

and Development Strategy II.

MALAWIMALAWI

togo

ghana

kenya

burkinafaso

zambia

malawi

(Lake Nyasa)Lake Malawi,

MALAWI

ZAMBIA

MOZAMBIQUE

Lilongwe

Blantyre

03. Crop Doctor

06. MODES

05. Plant Clinics

02. Farm EnterpriseDevelopment forFood and EconomicSecurity

01. DISCOVER

04. SLIP

08. Tackling Malnutritionin Malawi through Mobile Phones

07. Shire Basin Sustainable Natural Resources Management Social Enhancement Project

2016

Ethel K

hundi, Mkhonde V

illage, Kasungu.

3

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AWI P

ROGR

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ES

Programme Donor Time Frame ImplementingPartner

ProgrammeArea

Total Budget

DISCOVER The Department for International Development (DFID), Irish Aid, Norwegian Embassy

2011 2017

Concern Universal,Goal, Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI)

Karonga 01 € 2,100,840

Farm EnterpriseDevelopment for Food & Economic Security

Irish Aid 2012

2016

Foundation for Community Support Services (FOCUS), Karonga Agriculture Development Division (KRADD)

Chitipa, Lilongwe 02 €€ 780,673

Crop Doctor mAgri Challenge Fund

2014

2017

Airtel Malawi, Fhi360, Open Revolution

Nationwide 03 € 101,657

Ministry of Agriculture & Food Security, CABI, FDH & Media Houses

05 Plant Clinics Irish Aid 2015 2016

Lilongwe & Balaka€ 143,556

Sustainable Livelihood Improvement Resilience Project (SLIP)

Big Lottery Fund 2015 2018

Blantyre Synod Health & Devt Commission & Nkhadze Alive Youth Organisation

Nkaya & Balaka 04 € 836,456

MODES USAID Catholic Relief Services,Human NetworkInternational, MzuzuCADECOM

Balaka, Lilongwe 06 € 243,281 2014

2017

Tackling Malnutrition in Malawi through Mobile Phones

GSMA - Oxfam 2015 2016

Department of Agricultural Extension Services – Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Water Development, Airtel & OXFAM

Lilongwe, Mchinji & Dowa

08 € 89,023

Shire Basin Sustainable Natural Resources Management Social Enhancement Project

Millennium Challenge Account - Malawi

2015 2018

Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Water Development, Department of Forestry, Department of Parks & Wildlife, Balaka district council.

Balaka 07 € 548,493

4

Developing Innovative Solutions with Communities

to Overcome Vulnerability (DISCOVER) is a

consortium project seeking to support up to

900,000 rural people to adapt to and mitigate the effects of

climate change. The project contributes towards reducing

poverty and vulnerability to climate variability through the

development and promotion of sustainable livelihoods

management strategies.

DISCOVER focuses on building resilience and improving the

lives of vulnerable people by enhancing the capacity of local

government to prepare and respond to climate variability.

SHA is working with local government to achieve this

through developing, updating and reviewing district disaster

risk management plans and hazard vulnerability maps;

training communities on disaster response; and establishing

community early-warning systems for flood and drought-

prone areas.

In order to assist communities and individuals to adapt to

climate change the project promotes crop diversification and

livestock production, together with sustainable and adaptive

agricultural technologies.

In addition, SHA is working with communities to manage

their natural resources and reduce the environmental

impacts associated with natural disasters and climate

change.

Total direct beneficiaries: 13,000 (SHA)

A shortage of quality seed when it is needed for

planting is a major obstacle that hinders many

smallholder farmers in Malawi from growing a year

round supply of food to support their families.

This project is directly addressing this challenge by

improving the access for smallholder farmers to quality

seeds. Both the production and market constraints faced

by smallholder farmers are being addressed by ensuring the

continuous availability of quality seed within communities;

facilitating access to extension services to improve

production; and training on value addition skills to help

farmers access markets and obtain greater reward for their

produce.

SHA and partners, FOCUS and KRADD, are implementing

this project in the Central and Northern regions of Malawi.

Total direct beneficiaries: 5,900

02 FARM ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT FOR FOOD & ECONOMIC SECURITY

MAL

AWI P

ROGR

AMM

ES

01 DISCOVER

Malidadi C

hilongo, Kaphika V

illage, Wasam

bo.

5

03 CROP DOCTOR

MAL

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ROGR

AMM

ES

Smallholder farmers in Africa frequently lack

convenient, timely access to information specific to

the crops they grow. This information gap can lead

to reduced yields, poor quality crops, and restricted market

access.

Similarly, lack of basic nutritional information contributes to

malnourishment and other chronic negative health effects,

as well as poor food preparation and consumption habits.

The Crop Doctor Project is seeking to bridge this

information gap through affordable Information

Communication Technology (ICT) including live voice

response, interactive voice response – prompted navigation

and SMS via mobile phone.

The project is providing farmers with convenient access

to up to the minute agricultural information from experts,

and contribute to a reduction in crop failure, improved

nutrition, as well as support that can help to improve food

processing, preparation, preservation and consumption.

Targeted smallholder farmers are benefitting from improved

food and livelihood security, increased income, greater

awareness and improved decision-making.

Total beneficiaries: 300,000 (anticipated scale)

This Big Lottery Fund backed project aims to

significantly reduce poverty levels and sustainably

improve the livelihoods of 2,000 poor smallholder

households in Balaka District, southern Malawi.

With 50% female beneficiaries, SLIP is promoting improved

livelihood security through increased and diversified crop

and livestock production; improved ecological resilience

through improved natural resource management; increased

incomes and increased and diversified livelihoods options

through community-based rural enterprises; and improved

access to markets and financial services.

Total direct beneficiaries: 2,000

04 SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS IMPROVEMENT PROJECT (SLIP)

Tchaka Zuluw, M

wam

tawali TA

, Wasam

bo.

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One of the major problems negatively affecting

agriculture production and productivity in Malawi

is pest and disease attacks and lack of knowledge

among farmers (smallholder and large-scale farmers) to ably

diagnose such problems and treat the plants with necessary

practical treatment.

Pest and disease attacks significantly reduce the quality and

quantity of yields farmers are able to produce. This project

introduces Plant Health Clinics at community level in order

to facilitate easy diagnosis and provision of recommended

treatment practices to all diseased plants.

The project is designed to help farmers to easily diagnose

the pest and diseases affecting their crops and get

prescriptions for practical treatment advice. The clinics are

set up at local meeting places, such as markets and operate

on a fortnightly basis. Plant doctors are trained through the

project to identify pests and diseases and provide farmers

with diagnoses and information on how to treat the affected

plant.

Total direct beneficiaries: 3,000

The Modernisation of Demand-driven Extension

Services (MODES) project is a partnership being

led by Catholic Relief Services (CRS), between that

organisation and Self Help Africa, Mzuzu CADECOM and

Human Networks International, in collaboration with Airtel

Malawi, Zodiac Broadcasting and the Ministry of Agriculture

and Irrigation.

MODES is providing access to on-demand information

to strengthen the seed sector and promote the

commercialisation, distribution and adoption of seeds and

related key technologies in order to increase smallholder

yields and adaptation to climate change.

The project is implementing a national suite of Information

Communication Technology (ICT)-enabled extension

services. These services will provide an estimated 800,000

smallholder farmers with access to critical production

advice when they need it to facilitate behaviour change and

encourage the adoption of new approaches.

By partnering with both public and private sector

stakeholders and linking to ongoing value chain projects

with closely aligned objectives, MODES is opening new lines

of communication with smallholder farmers in Malawi, and

improving the access and dissemination of information to

farmers.

Total beneficiaries: 800,000 (anticipated scale)

05 PLANT CLINICS 06 MODES

Elcanah Tchongw

e pounding molinga, M

wam

tawali TA

, Wasam

bo.

7

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T he Shire River is Malawi’s most important water

resource, supporting key economic sectors including

food production, transport, tourism, agriculture and

fisheries. It plays a vital role in generating 98% of Malawi’s

electricity through hydropower.

Severe erosion is resulting in sedimentation of the Shire River

Basin, reducing the effectiveness of Malawi’s hydropower

facilities. The same erosion negatively affects farmers by

reducing soil fertility, yields, income and food security.

The objective of this project is to improve power generation

by reducing erosion and sedimentation. In order to achieve

this, the project is focusing on improving local management

of natural resources; improving community participation

in environmental and natural resource decision-making;

improving sustainable management and utilisation of forests

and woodlots; promoting conservation agriculture, integrated

soil fertility management and agro-forestry practices, and

engaging communities to promote joint decision-making of

men and women on the sustainable management of natural

resources at community and household level.

The project is also empowering farmers through a focus on

business skills development, village savings and loan groups,

marketing, natural resource-based businesses and ensuring

the nutritional needs of the farmers are met.

Total direct beneficiaries: 3,500

The goal of the project is to contribute to improving

nutrition and food security for farmers and the rural

population. In particular it is supporting women and

adolescent girls.

The strategy adopted by the project to reach its goal is

innovative and focuses on the use of mobile technologies to

improve access to information on nutrition-specific behaviours

as well as nutrition-sensitive health and agricultural practices.

Smallholder farmers lack convenient, timely access to

information specific to the crops they grow and to basic

nutrition best practices. The project is filling these information

gaps through the provision of a service that blends live voice

response via dedicated Agriculture and Health Extension

experts, Interactive-Voice Prompt (IVP) navigation and SMS.

This suite of services is enabling smallholder farmers or their

family members to receive and tailor information flows via

their mobile handsets.

Total direct beneficiaries: 200,000 (anticipated scale)

07 SHIRE BASIN SUSTAINABLE NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SOCIAL ENHANCEMENT PROJECT 08 TACKLING MALNUTRITION IN MALAWI THROUGH

MOBILE PHONES

Rucy Mwafuliwa feeding Linda Mtonga (2) Enes Zulu (3) and Frank Zulu (4), Mwamtawali TA ,Wasambo.

8

MALAWIPO Box B-495Lilongwe,Tel. +265 1750568E-mail: [email protected]

May 16

Cover: Malidadi Chilongo, from Kaphika village, Malawi. Photo Credit: Ken O’Halloran, 2015