Trade integration is a potentially powerful driver of economic growth in developing countries, particularly if it creates export opportunities and promotes value addition in manufacturing sectors. Given the prominence of agriculture in Sub-Saharan African countries-both as a source of employment and as an earner of foreign exchange-increased market access for agricultural exports is a common […]
Policy Note 9: Poverty in Malawi: Current Status and Knowledge Gaps
As in many developing countries, poverty reduction is a primary development goal in Malawi. The country is committed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which seek, among other things, to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. Over the years, the Malawian government has pursued poverty reduction efforts through various strategies emphasizing economic growth, infrastructural development, and […]
Policy Note 8: Agricultural Growth, Poverty and Nutrition Linkages in Malawi
While economic growth is generally acknowledged as a necessary precondition for reducing poverty, relatively little is known about how growth and nutrition are related. Therefore, questions persist regarding how to leverage economic policies so that they have a larger impact on nutrition. In recent years the Malawian government allocated a large share of its resources […]
Policy Note 7: Could Low Adoption of Modern Maize Varieties in Malawi be explained by Farmers’ Interest in Diverse Seed Characteristics?
Food security in Malawi depends on production of enough maize, the country’s staple crop. In Malawi, more than 90 percent of farm households grow maize and this grain accounts for 60 percent of total calorie consumption. As opportunities for land-extensive agricultural growth are reduced, use of modern maize production technologies has become essential for producing […]
Policy Note 6: Weather Insurance for Smallholder Tobacco Farmers in Malawi
Agriculture is the backbone of Malawi’s economy: it accounts for about 34 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), over 90 percent of export earnings, and employment of 85 percent of the population through farming, processing, transportation, and marketing. Given this, and that most farming in Malawi is rain-fed, both Malawi’s economy and smallholder farmers are […]
