This blog is crossposted from the IFPRI website and was written by Catherine Ragasa and Noora-Lisa Aberman. Gender norms and inequalities are an important factor in Malawi’s ongoing food security problems. They shape agricultural practices and production, knowledge acquisition, innovation, food choices—and ultimately household food security and nutrition. Women have generally lower levels of education and lack […]
Op-ed: Is a universal fertilizer subsidy a good idea?
In recent weeks, there has been much debate about the possible introduction of a universal fertilizer subsidy (UFS) in Malawi. However, several basic questions about the likely costs and distributional consequences of a move to a UFS remain unanswered. This op-ed aims to provide partial answers to these questions. First, what is the likely cost […]
Has the provision of legume seeds subsidies affected dietary diversity? Evidence from FISP
In Malawi, maize is life – the cereal is the main staple with more than 70 percent of all agricultural plots in the country used for maize farming. This strong dependence on maize has led to a poorly diversified agricultural system with limited dietary diversity. The government of Malawi implements a Farm Input Subsidy Program […]
Op-ed: Will structured markets really deliver higher prices for Malawian farmers?
*This op-ed was written by Dr. Bob Baulch, Program Leader for IFPRI Malawi, Lilongwe. When I first came back to Malawi, two-and-a-half years ago, I had barely heard the term ‘structured markets’─ despite having spent most of the previous 25 years working on agricultural marketing issues in over 20 developing countries. When I asked my IFPRI colleagues […]
Malawi’s new reality: Fall Armyworm is here to stay – Part 2
Part II: Managing pests and threats in the longer term This blog series examines the current state of the Fall Armyworm crisis, which has spread across nearly the whole of Africa. In Part I, we took a closer look at the damage, especially on the maize crop, in Malawi as well as the immediate response. […]
