561
5 Synthesis of the Findings and Way Forward
The discussion in Sect. 4 provides evidence that the impact of farm input subsidies
on maize productivity is modest. While aggregate national maize production appears
to have improved in non-drought years due to FISP implementation, marginal maize
productivity impact of FISP remains below the agronomic average. Furthermore,
the long-term impact of the program appears uncertain. The main reason is that the
soils are highly degraded of vital nutrients and organic matter. The situation is worsened by regular weather shocks, especially droughts and prolonged mid-season dry
spells, poor timing of subsidized input delivery, beneficiaries receiving less than the
required amount of inorganic fertilizer, and targeting errors of the beneficiaries. The
combined effect of poor soil fertility, low soil organic matter, and water stress due
to droughts caused low maize–fertilizer response. The nutrient and water retention
capacity are low, resulting in poor maize productivity impact. Increasing nitrogen
application through input subsidies without first addressing soil condition does not
solve the problem of poor maize productivity in such instances because the soils are
not responsive.
On the other hand, maize productivity is high and stable with enduring effects on
experimental plots where inorganic and organic fertilizer are integrated. These technologies enhance nutrient uptake, nutrient maintenance, and drought resilience of
the maize crop. Integration of inorganic and organic fertilizer has been achieved on
experimental plots, but achieving the same on farmer-managed plots is still a challenge. There are several implementation hiccups that need urgent attention through
policy and integration process.
5.1 Policy Synchronization
The National Agriculture Policy (NAP) (Government of Malawi 2016b) recognizes
the importance of integrating organic and inorganic fertilizer through ISFM as a
CSA technology. However, integration on farmer-managed plots remains low
because policy instruments that enhance access to and use of CSA technologies are
not well synchronized. FISP as a key policy instrument has successfully increased
access to and use of inorganic fertilizer (Karamba and Winters 2015; Lunduka et al.
2014), but its implementation is not well connected to the promotion of adoption of
CSA technologies. This affects the integration process of organic and inorganic
fertilizer. On the other hand, the government promotes CSA through investment in
agricultural research and agricultural extension services that are often deprived of
adequate funding. The two agriculture policy strategies—FISP and agricultural
research and extension services—appear to compete for the meager government
resources, thereby affecting operations of one or both. The huge budget requirement
for FISP (Branca et al. 2011), for example, makes it difficult to increase budget
allocation to agricultural research and extension (Carr 2014). Although recent
Impact of Farm Input Subsidies Vis-à-Vis Climate-Smart Technologies on Maize…
5 Synthesis of the Findings and Way Forward
The discussion in Sect. 4 provides evidence that the impact of farm input subsidies
on maize productivity is modest. While aggregate national maize production appears
to have improved in non-drought years due to FISP implementation, marginal maize
productivity impact of FISP remains below the agronomic average. Furthermore,
the long-term impact of the program appears uncertain. The main reason is that the
soils are highly degraded of vital nutrients and organic matter. The situation is worsened by regular weather shocks, especially droughts and prolonged mid-season dry
spells, poor timing of subsidized input delivery, beneficiaries receiving less than the
required amount of inorganic fertilizer, and targeting errors of the beneficiaries. The
combined effect of poor soil fertility, low soil organic matter, and water stress due
to droughts caused low maize–fertilizer response. The nutrient and water retention
capacity are low, resulting in poor maize productivity impact. Increasing nitrogen
application through input subsidies without first addressing soil condition does not
solve the problem of poor maize productivity in such instances because the soils are
not responsive.
On the other hand, maize productivity is high and stable with enduring effects on
experimental plots where inorganic and organic fertilizer are integrated. These technologies enhance nutrient uptake, nutrient maintenance, and drought resilience of
the maize crop. Integration of inorganic and organic fertilizer has been achieved on
experimental plots, but achieving the same on farmer-managed plots is still a challenge. There are several implementation hiccups that need urgent attention through
policy and integration process.
5.1 Policy Synchronization
The National Agriculture Policy (NAP) (Government of Malawi 2016b) recognizes
the importance of integrating organic and inorganic fertilizer through ISFM as a
CSA technology. However, integration on farmer-managed plots remains low
because policy instruments that enhance access to and use of CSA technologies are
not well synchronized. FISP as a key policy instrument has successfully increased
access to and use of inorganic fertilizer (Karamba and Winters 2015; Lunduka et al.
2014), but its implementation is not well connected to the promotion of adoption of
CSA technologies. This affects the integration process of organic and inorganic
fertilizer. On the other hand, the government promotes CSA through investment in
agricultural research and agricultural extension services that are often deprived of
adequate funding. The two agriculture policy strategies—FISP and agricultural
research and extension services—appear to compete for the meager government
resources, thereby affecting operations of one or both. The huge budget requirement
for FISP (Branca et al. 2011), for example, makes it difficult to increase budget
allocation to agricultural research and extension (Carr 2014). Although recent
Impact of Farm Input Subsidies Vis-à-Vis Climate-Smart Technologies on Maize…