Since its inception in 2005/06 Malawi’s Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP) has been at the center of national and global interest. After its initial success in transforming Malawi from a food insecure country to a surplus producer of maize, many African countries have followed suit, modeling their own input subsidy programs on the FISP. However, in […]
Policy Note 19: The Challenge of Africa’s Nitrogen Drought: some indicators from the Malawian Experience
This MaSSP Policy Note by Stephen Carr describes how years of continuous cultivation with little or no use of external inputs to restore soil nutrients has resulted in a situation in which crop production in a number of African countries is now limited by nutrient deficiencies – nitrogen, in particular, which is crucial to healthy plant growth. This widespread problem […]
Bunda Grant Scheme provides mentorship opportunity for MSc students
A mentorship program launched this year in cooperation with Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Bunda College is supporting four promising young MSc students in Agricultural and Applied Economics each year by providing technical input on their research and a forum in which they can present and receive practical feedback from prominent practitioners in […]
Announcing MaSSP Working Paper Series
We are excited to announce the recent launch of the MaSSP Working Paper Series. The series will showcase research results relevant to Malawi’s agriculture sector from MaSSP-led studies and from MaSSP partners and collaborators, including Bunda College students and government staff, including from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
Working Paper 2: Political economy of agricultural producer support in Malawi
Malawi has struggled to achieve sustained agricultural growth over the last four decades. As such there is need for increased investment and supportive policies if greater success is to be realized. As a prerequisite to identifying the role that improved policies and investment can play, a better understanding is needed of the incentives that producers […]