Abstract: While smallholder farming remains at the center of agricultural transformation efforts in Malawi, there is renewed interest in the potential role of larger-scale farming in accelerating agricultural and rural devel-opment. Larger-scale farms —“estates”— have, however, been part of Malawi’s agricultural landscape for more than 140 years. Agriculture has long been described as bifurcated with a large, subsistence-oriented smallholder sector alongside a smaller estate sector that historically supplied most agricultural exports. This study reviews the evolution of estate agriculture and examines how estates and small-holders have interacted economically, drawing lessons for efforts to promote broad and sustainable agricultural and rural economic development centered around larger-scale farming.
Authors: Todd Benson and Lara Cockx
Read and download the working paper here (PDF 562 KB)
