338
degree, by the decline in the input subsidy program. As the food system analysis
indicates, however, political, economic, social and demographic drivers are also contributing factors.
4 Measures Towards a More Sustainable Food System
So far, we have analysed the Malawian food system and identified the drivers that
influence it and that contribute to its lack of sustainability. There are a myriad of
interrelated factors that result in worrying nutrition and health outcomes and unfavourable social, economic and environmental impacts of the food system. From the
food system analysis, a set of priority areas appears to be of utmost importance in
order to move towards a more sustainable food system:
• Biophysical and environmental drivers: Land scarcity, climate change, low soil
fertility and food loss due to pests
• Innovation and technology: Affordability of inputs and the efficiency of climatesmart agriculture as a sufficient tool for climate adaptation as well as value addition along the food chain
• Political and economic: Weak governance, corruption, lack of ability to implement policy, a high level of donor dependency and uncertainty related to shifting
donor priorities
• Sociocultural: Gender inequality and discrimination of women that hinders climate change adaptation and food security
• Demographic: High rural population growth that needs to be addressed in a land
scarcity and climate change context, as well as the urgent need for non-farm job
creation in order to enable diversification of rural livelihoods
These challenges are by no means new and have been addressed by numerous
efforts of men and women farmers, extension officers, researchers, NGOs, the private sector, GoM and donors. Farmers are the most important investors in agriculture (RAI 2014) and do whatever they can within labour, health, capital, knowledge
and market constraints to adapt to climate change and unfavourable natural and
political frame conditions. Malawi is one of the countries in Africa whose government gives the proportionally highest priority to agriculture in the national budget
(AU 2018). In addition, donors have substantially supported the agricultural sector
in Malawi, although in a rather unpredictable manner in which varied donor preferences and a lack of trust in the Government have influenced the type of support
given and the channels used. Weak governance, corruption and poor implementation capacity result in donors opting to manoeuvre around the state and find alternative solutions to secure efficiency and results. Such behaviour might contribute to
weakening the role of the state in the long term.
The GoM’s main agro-food sector priority has been to boost production by heavily subsidizing inputs such as fertilizer and improved seed. After serious droughts
in 1991/1992 and 1994/1995, input subsidies started, but were then abandoned
R. Haug and O. T. Westengen
degree, by the decline in the input subsidy program. As the food system analysis
indicates, however, political, economic, social and demographic drivers are also contributing factors.
4 Measures Towards a More Sustainable Food System
So far, we have analysed the Malawian food system and identified the drivers that
influence it and that contribute to its lack of sustainability. There are a myriad of
interrelated factors that result in worrying nutrition and health outcomes and unfavourable social, economic and environmental impacts of the food system. From the
food system analysis, a set of priority areas appears to be of utmost importance in
order to move towards a more sustainable food system:
• Biophysical and environmental drivers: Land scarcity, climate change, low soil
fertility and food loss due to pests
• Innovation and technology: Affordability of inputs and the efficiency of climatesmart agriculture as a sufficient tool for climate adaptation as well as value addition along the food chain
• Political and economic: Weak governance, corruption, lack of ability to implement policy, a high level of donor dependency and uncertainty related to shifting
donor priorities
• Sociocultural: Gender inequality and discrimination of women that hinders climate change adaptation and food security
• Demographic: High rural population growth that needs to be addressed in a land
scarcity and climate change context, as well as the urgent need for non-farm job
creation in order to enable diversification of rural livelihoods
These challenges are by no means new and have been addressed by numerous
efforts of men and women farmers, extension officers, researchers, NGOs, the private sector, GoM and donors. Farmers are the most important investors in agriculture (RAI 2014) and do whatever they can within labour, health, capital, knowledge
and market constraints to adapt to climate change and unfavourable natural and
political frame conditions. Malawi is one of the countries in Africa whose government gives the proportionally highest priority to agriculture in the national budget
(AU 2018). In addition, donors have substantially supported the agricultural sector
in Malawi, although in a rather unpredictable manner in which varied donor preferences and a lack of trust in the Government have influenced the type of support
given and the channels used. Weak governance, corruption and poor implementation capacity result in donors opting to manoeuvre around the state and find alternative solutions to secure efficiency and results. Such behaviour might contribute to
weakening the role of the state in the long term.
The GoM’s main agro-food sector priority has been to boost production by heavily subsidizing inputs such as fertilizer and improved seed. After serious droughts
in 1991/1992 and 1994/1995, input subsidies started, but were then abandoned
R. Haug and O. T. Westengen