Agricultural Development and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa (Ssa)

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Agricultural Development and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa (Ssa) WORKING PAPER No. 04 AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND FOOD SECURITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA (SSA) Building a Case for more Support The Case of Malawi Prepared for the Policy Assistance Unit of the FAO Subregional Office for East and Southern Africa by A.J.E. CHARMAN Rome, 2006 Building a Case for more Public Support TABLE OF CONTENTS ABREVIATIONS...................................................................................................................VI ABREVIATIONS...................................................................................................................VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENT..................................................................................................VIII FOREWORD..........................................................................................................................IX EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..................................................................................................... X CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND................................................... 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................ 1 1.2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES............................................................................................... 4 1.3 METHODOLOGY........................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER 2: THE FOOD SECURITY SITUATION......................................................... 6 2.1 FOOD AVAILABILITY................................................................................................... 6 2.2 DOMESTIC AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION ................................................................... 8 2.2.1 Maize ......................................................................................................................9 2.2.2 Rice.......................................................................................................................10 2.2.3 Millet & Sorghum................................................................................................. 10 2.2.4 Grain legumes and groundnuts............................................................................ 12 2.2.5 Cassava and Sweet Potato ................................................................................... 13 2.3 FOOD AID /COMMERCIAL IMPORTS .......................................................................... 14 2.3.1 Imports ................................................................................................................. 14 2.3.2 Food Aid............................................................................................................... 17 2.3.3 Access to foreign exchange .................................................................................. 18 2.4 FOOD INSECURITY AND VULNERABILITY .................................................................. 19 2.4.1 Regional dimension.............................................................................................. 19 2.4.2 Household Access................................................................................................. 19 2.4.3 Nutrition status..................................................................................................... 20 2.4.4 Coping mechanisms.............................................................................................. 20 2.4.5 Vulnerability......................................................................................................... 21 2.4.6 Market Access ...................................................................................................... 22 2.5 NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION STRATEGIES.................... 23 2.6 SUMMARY AND SYNTHESIS ....................................................................................... 24 CHAPTER 3: AGRICULTURE SUPPORT: MAGNITUDE, EVOLUTION AND TRENDS.................................................................................................................................. 26 3.1 OVERVIEW OF THE MACRO-ECONOMY ...................................................................... 26 3.2 IMPORTANCE AND PERFORMANCE OF THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR............................ 27 3.2.1 Economy Structure ............................................................................................... 28 3.2.2 Employment.......................................................................................................... 28 3.2.3 Structural Reforms ............................................................................................... 29 3.3 MAJOR CONSTRAINTS TO AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT ....................................... 30 3.4 KEY OPPORTUNITIES FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT........................................ 32 3.5 PUBLIC EXPENDITURE AND SUPPORT TO AGRICULTURE ........................................... 34 iii The Case of Malawi 3.5 INVESTMENT PROGRAMMES FOR SMALLHOLDERS..................................................... 38 3.5.1 Development programs ........................................................................................ 38 3.5.2 Public Sector Credit Subsidization (APIP) .......................................................... 41 3.6 PRIVATE SECTOR /FARMER PARTNERSHIP ................................................................ 42 3.7 SUMMARY AND SYNTHESIS ....................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER 4: THE IMPACT OF FOOD IMPORT/AID .................................................. 45 4.1 THE MAGNITUDE OF FOOD AID ................................................................................. 45 4.2 FOOD AID /FOOD IMPORT IMPACT AT HOUSEHOLD LEVEL....................................... 47 4.2.1 Impact on nutrition............................................................................................... 47 4.2.2 Problems of Targeting and Timing ...................................................................... 48 4.2.3 Impact on incentives............................................................................................. 49 4.3 IMPACT OF FOOD AID /IMPORT ON SUPPLY AND PRICES........................................... 51 4.3.1 Food Supply.......................................................................................................... 51 4.3.2 Prices.................................................................................................................... 52 4.4 PORT CHARGES AND TRANSPORTATION COSTS OF IMPORTED FOOD......................... 56 4.5 MACROECONOMIC AND OTHER IMPLICATIONS OF FOOD AID AND IMPORT ............... 57 4.6 SUMMARY AND SYNTHESIS ....................................................................................... 59 CHAPTER 5: OPTIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE EXIT.................................................. 62 5.1 IMPROVE COMPETITIVENESS IN THE EXTERNAL MARKETS ....................................... 62 5.1.1 Trade Strategy...................................................................................................... 63 5.1.2 Tariffs ................................................................................................................... 63 5.1.3 Domestic Support ................................................................................................. 65 5.2 FOSTER AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT ...................................................................... 68 5.2.1 Address Macro-Economic Instability................................................................... 68 5.2.2 Invest in irrigation and other infrastructure........................................................ 69 5.2.3 Enhance Human Resource Development ............................................................. 70 5.2.4 Improve Regulatory Framework .......................................................................... 70 5.2.5 Introduce Land Reform and Enhance tenure security ......................................... 71 5.3 INCREASE SUPPORT FOR SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE ........................................... 72 5.3.1 The Case for Direct Subsidization ....................................................................... 72 5.3.2 Returns on Investment .......................................................................................... 73 5.3.3 Macro-economic gains......................................................................................... 75 5.3.4 Avoiding Dependency........................................................................................... 76 5.4 SUMMARY AND SYNTHESIS...................................................................................... 78 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................... 80 REFERENCES....................................................................................................................... 85 iv Building a Case for more Public Support LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Annual Change in Daily Calorie Supply Per Capita.................................................... 6 Table 2: Dietary Supply Trends: 1990-2009............................................................................ 14 Table 3: Major Food Imports, 1990-2001 (‘000 Mt) ............................................................... 14 Table 4: Informal Cross Border Maize Trade Situation Analysis, 2002-2003 ........................ 17 Table 5: Household Food Security Profile..............................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Uganda: a Case Study of the Lango Subregion
    sustainability Article Adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Uganda: A Case Study of the Lango Subregion Sara Kaweesa 1,* , Saidi Mkomwa 2 and Willibald Loiskandl 3 1 Centre for Development Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Peter-Jordan-Strasse 76, 1190 Vienna, Austria 2 African Conservation Tillage Network (ACT), P.O. Box 10375, Nairobi 00100, Kenya; [email protected] 3 Institute of Hydraulics and Rural Water Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +43-676-43-808-26 Received: 8 August 2018; Accepted: 18 September 2018; Published: 20 September 2018 Abstract: Conservation agriculture (CA) is based on three principles: minimum soil disturbance, maintaining a soil cover through mulching with crop residues or planting cover crops, and practicing crop rotations. CA is practiced in many parts of the world for its benefits to soil and ability to improve yields, among others. There is little documented information on the status of CA adoption in the Lango region in mid-Northern Uganda. This study aimed at determining the extent of CA adoption in relation to the socioeconomic status of the farming population and suggesting relevant strategies for accelerating CA uptake specific to this region. A non-discriminative snowball-sampling technique was used to gather data from 417 households spread over three districts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using household questionnaires. Farmers’ uptake of CA was related to information gained from training and the benefits that were observed in their fields. Some farm-level constraints in the region included the diminutive ratio of shared tools and equipment; the minimum presence and involvement of extension services; and seasonal rural markets that are dominated by middlemen.
    [Show full text]
  • Demand Analysis Report- Republic of Malawi
    Demand Analysis Report- Republic of Malawi Programme Management Unit (FTF-ITT) National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management, (An autonomous organization of Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India) Hyderabad – 500 030, India www.manage.gov.in CONTENTS Page no. I An Overview of the Country 2 An over view of Agriculture sector, policies, programmes, II 4 priorities An over view of allied sectors- Horticulture, Animal Husbandry III 9 and Fisheries Present status and challenges in Agricultural Extension, IV Marketing, Insurance, Agriculture Mechanization, Food 17 Processing, Infrastructure and any other relevant issues V Status of Agricultural Extension and Research system 24 Public and Private institutions and their relevance in Agricultural VI 30 development VII Present capacity building programmes and potential areas 36 VIII Training priorities of the country in Agriculture and allied sectors 39 Annexure: Maps, Charts and Graphs and Pictures 51 1 Chapter I An Overview of Country: Malawi Malawi (officially the Republic of Malawi) in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland is a small land-locked country surrounded by Mozambique to the South, East and West, Tanzania to the North and East and Zambia to the West. The name Malawi comes from the Maravi, an old name of the Nyanja people that inhabit the area. The country is also nicknamed "The Warm Heart of Africa". Malawi is among the smallest countries in Africa. Its capital is Lilongwe, which is also Malawi's largest city; the second largest is Blantyre and the third is Mzuzu. It has a territorial area of about 119, 140 square kilometers of which agriculture accounts for about 61 per cent while forests occupy 38 per cent of the total area.
    [Show full text]
  • Malawi Malawi
    COUNTRY REPORT ON THE STATE OF PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE MALAWI MALAWI Malawi Government STATE OF PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE COUNTRY REPORT Compiled by the country report drafting team: Lawrent Pungulani – National Focal Point (Leader of the drafting team) John Kanthungo In situ & Collection Officer –Malawi Plant Genetic Resources Centre Prof. Godwin Mkamanga Mzuzu University, Former Director of SADC Plant Genetic Resources Maybin Ng’ambi Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy Edwin Chiwona Bunda College of Agriculture, Former In situ and Collection officer (Malawi Plant Genetic Resources Centre) Submitted to: 1. FAO Commission on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture 2. Bioversity International 2 Note by FAO This Country Report has been prepared by the national authorities in the context of the preparatory process for the Second Report on the State of World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The Report is being made available by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as requested by the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. However, the report is solely the responsibility of the national authorities. The information in this report has not been verified by FAO, and the opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views or policy of FAO. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
    [Show full text]
  • New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition Cooperation Framework
    Country Cooperation Framework to support the New Alliance for Food Security & Nutrition in Malawi 1 Cooperation Framework to Support the “New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition” in Malawi Four years after the G8 Summit at L’Aquila, Italy, the international community recognises the importance of food security to development, inclusive economic growth and the dignity of all women and men. In that spirit, we welcome the success of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) in demonstrating African ownership and leadership, its call for expanded public and private investment in agriculture and desire to build on the progress that African governments have made in advancing a vision for agricultural development in Africa. Malawi has demonstrated a strong commitment to improved food security and nutrition by focusing on key agricultural growth corridors in the country which take advantage of existing key infrastructure and significant agricultural potential. Malawi is making great strides in promoting sustainable and inclusive agricultural growth that supports food security and nutrition, exemplified by its recently launched National Export Strategy and its Scaling Up Nutrition – Nutrition Education and Communication Strategy as well as the existing Agriculture Sector Wide Approach (ASWAp). These strategies provide a framework for strategic collaboration and coordination among government, development partners and the private sector. Together, the Government of Malawi, private sector and the G8 members commit to the
    [Show full text]
  • Malawi Case Study a Paper Commissioned by FAO Andrew Dorward1, Bruce Guenther2 , Rachel Sabates Wheeler2 January 2008
    Linking social protection and support to small farmer development Malawi Case Study A paper commissioned by FAO Andrew Dorward1, Bruce Guenther2 , Rachel Sabates Wheeler2 January 2008 1 Introduction....................................................................................................................................................2 2 Background....................................................................................................................................................2 2.1 The Economic Context..................................................................................................................... 2 2.2 The Political Context........................................................................................................................ 5 2.3 The Markets and Livelihood Context ............................................................................................... 8 3 Agricultural and Social Protection Policies.........................................................................................10 3.1 Social protection from agriculture .................................................................................................. 11 3.2 Social protection independent of agriculture ................................................................................. 12 3.3 Social protection for agriculture ..................................................................................................... 13 3.4 Social protection through agriculture ............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Agriculture and Social Protection in Malawi
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by IDS OpenDocs Working Paper Working Agriculture and Social Protection in Malawi Andrew Dorward, Bruce Guenther and Rachel Sabates-Wheeler January 2009 Working Paper 007 www.future-agricultures.org Table of Contents Introduction......................................................................................................................................................................................................1 Background.......................................................................................................................................................................................................1 The Economic Context..................................................................................................................................................................................1 The Political Context......................................................................................................................................................................................1 Social protection from agriculture............................................................................................................................................................6 Social protection independent of agriculture......................................................................................................................................8 Social protection for agriculture................................................................................................................................................................9
    [Show full text]
  • THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL POLICY Promoting Agricultural Productivity for National Food Security and Economic Growth and Development Through Value Chain Development
    Government of Malawi Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL POLICY Promoting agricultural productivity for national food security and economic growth and development through value chain development Produced by Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Capital Hill P.O. Box 30134 Lilongwe3. July 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................... iii FOREWORD .................................................................................................................................. iv 1.0 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Importance of agriculture in Malawi ............................................................................... 1 1.2 Evolution of agricultural policy in Malawi ..................................................................... 1 1.3 Rationale for the policy development ............................................................................... 2 1.4 Guiding Principles ............................................................................................................ 2 2.0 THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL POLICY ...................................................................... 3 2.1 Vision ................................................................................................................................ 3 2.2 Policy Goal ......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Perception of Cassava in Malawi
    Sebastian Köcke The Perception of Cassava in Malawi A Literature Study About a Root Crop’s Implication on Food Security in the Past and the Present Master’s thesis in Global Environmental History Abstract Köcke, S. 2019. The Perception of Cassava in Malawi: A Literature Study About a Root Crop’s Implication on Food Security in the Past and the Present Climate change and weather phenomena like the El Niño-La Niña Southern Oscillation are making agriculture increasingly vulnerable in the Global South. In Malawi, where more than 90% of the agriculture is rain-fed, food insecurity is becoming an annual problem. In the past, governmental policies have focused on improving maize production, which has led into mono-culture and a dependency on this crop resulting in acceleration of food insecurity. To fight hunger, non-governmental organisations and international donors are now focusing on promoting cassava due to its low-input requirements and drought resistance. Although cassava is marketed as somewhat of ’a new discovery’ in Malawi, the root crop has been cultivated in the country for nearly as long as maize. This thesis explores the historical ecology of cassava in Malawi and its involvement in historical food crises, where it was used as a famine crop. Nowadays, cassava is mostly promoted as a cash crop but various constraints are still in the way of cassava production and processing which will be examined in this thesis. Furthermore, the thesis explores the effects of agricultural policies on cassava and the ways in which non-governmental organisations are promoting cassava. It will also be shown that the perception of cassava is not unison in Malawi and that the promotion of cassava should be adapted to the specific local situations.
    [Show full text]
  • Review of Food and Agricultural Policies in Malawi Country Report 2014
    Review of food and agricultural policies in Malawi Country Report 2014 Monitoring and Analysing Food and Agricultural Policies (MAFAP) Front cover photo: ©FAO/Amos Gumulira. Review of food and agricultural policies in Malawi Country Report 2014 FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS ROME, 2015 Recommended citation: FAO, 2015. Review of food and agricultural policies in Malawi. MAFAP Country Report Series. Rome, Italy The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO. © FAO, 2015 FAO encourages the use, reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Except where otherwise indicated, material may be copied, downloaded and printed for private study, research and teaching purposes, or for use in non-commercial products or services, provided that appropriate acknowledgement of FAO as the source and copyright holder is given and that FAO’s endorsement of users’ views, products or services is not implied in any way.
    [Show full text]
  • Coordinating and Advocating for Conservation Agriculture Policies in Southern Africa
    COORDINATING AND ADVOCATING FOR CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE POLICIES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA Kizito Mazvimavi TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................... iii 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 2. METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................... 22 3. EVOLUTION OF CA IN SOUTHERN AFRICA ........................................................................ 22 3.1 Cases of CA Success ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33 3.1.1 CA in Malawi ....................................................................................................................... 33 3.1.2 CA in Zambia ....................................................................................................................... 55 3.1.3 Promotion of CA through Humanitarian Relief Programs in Zimbabwe ............................ 66 4. CHALLENGES IN CA UPSCALING AND NEED FOR POLICY SUPPORT ......................... 77 4.1 The Role of National Extension Services ------------------------------------------------------------------ 88 4.2 Research and Development ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 88 4.3 Agricultural Input and Output Market ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    [Show full text]
  • Conference Paper No.50
    ERPI 2018 International Conference Authoritarian Populism and the Rural World Conference Paper No.50 Drought and the Lure of Agrarian Populism: The Case of Malawi Sören Köpke 17-18 March 2018 International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague, Netherlands Organized jointly by: In collaboration with: Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the authors in their private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of organizers and funders of the conference. March, 2018 Check regular updates via ERPI website: www.iss.nl/erpi ERPI 2018 International Conference - Authoritarian Populism and the Rural World Drought and the Lure of Agrarian Populism: The Case of Malawi Sören Köpke M.A. Abstract Malawi, an African republic largely relying on smallholder production, has a longstanding authoritarian tradition. Frequent, devastating droughts have hit the rural population of Malawi hard. In the face of these adverse climatic conditions, political leaders have managed to gather popular support through the concerted application of fertilizer subsidies. While many have hailed the program for its contribution to improving food security, others have criticized the clientelist character of the system. The paper, using a political economy approach, will trace the development of agrarian populism in democratic Malawi, a political strategy that attempts to create alliances with small-scale farmers by concrete and symbolic acts. Considering the perpetuation of bitter poverty, the unjust dual land ownership structure, and Malawi’s peripheral role in the global economic order, the analysis points to the limited effectiveness of the populist policies in alleviating the grievances of rural population.
    [Show full text]
  • National Agriculture Policy
    National Agriculture Policy Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development P.O. Box 30134 Capital City Lilongwe 3 September 2016 National Agriculture Policy TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ............................................. vii FOREWORD ............................................................................................... ix PREFACE ................................................................................................... xi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................... xiii 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1 1.1 Overview ......................................................................................... 1 1.2 Agriculture in Malawi ...................................................................... 2 1.3 Evolution of Agricultural Development Policy in Malawi ................ 6 1.4 Rationale and Justification for the National Agriculture Policy........ 8 2. BROAD POLICY DIRECTIONS ....................................................... 10 2.1 Policy Goal ...................................................................................... 10 2.2 Policy Outcomes ............................................................................. 10 2.3 Policy Objectives ............................................................................. 10 3. POLICY PRIORITY AREAS ............................................................. 12 3.1 Policy Priority Area 1: Sustainable
    [Show full text]