The African country of Malawi is endowed with abundant natural resources, contributing significantly to the country’s economy, the livelihoods and well-being of its people. A research paper, published on the Green Policy Platform, by the United Nations and World Bank, provides macro- and microeconomic evidence, based on empirical research, of the huge benefits of investing in sustainable environment and natural resource (ENR) management and sustainable agriculture in terms of economic gains, poverty reduction, food security and gender equality.
Targeted Investments Vital
Research findings support the need for targeted investments in ENR sectors, particularly agriculture from which most of Malawi’s population derive their livelihoods. It also shows how the Government of Malawi should accelerate investments in sustainable ENR management.
Agricultural growth is essential for the economy and poverty reduction. However, productivity is below potential yields due to unsustainable ENR use, lack of investment and social exclusion. It is urgent that agri policies and strategies should aim for sustainable management of the environment and natural resources in Malawi to address gender gaps.
Closing the Gender Gap & Youth Involvement
Closing the gender gap in agricultural productivity would increase crop productivity by more than 7% and generate an average of about $100 million per year. Capacity building, skills development and training in and technology transfer to farmers, especially youth, in the use of modern agricultural inputs are needed.
In line with these needs, the current resource envelope for the agricultural sector should be reviewed with the aim of unlocking the sector’s full potential to contribute to sustainable poverty reduction and economic growth. While the sector already enjoys prioritisation of public expenditures, intra-sectoral resource allocation patterns should be reviewed to prioritise investments in agricultural research and development, particularly in agricultural extension services and training. Such investments could reduce the drudgery that research shows continues to deter youth from engaging In the agriculture sector and could be a potential solution for addressing youth unemployment.
The Role of the Government
The paper suggests that the Malawi government should transform the structure of the agricultural sector by emphasising processing, which increases value added agriculture and raising the sector’s budget allocation above its current 17% allotment, particularly for the crop subsector. This is from where most of the country’s vulnerable groups, including women, derive their livelihoods.
The Farm Input Subsidy Programme continues to consume a large share of budget, yet analysis shows it is not an efficient way of spending government resources for increased food security. Thus, poverty reduction and productivity targets are not met because social and economic benefits are reduced by unsustainable ENR use. This situation has undermined government efforts to break the cycle of food insecurity and reduce poverty in a sustained manner. The government needs to create a predictable, consistent and coherent policy environment to reduce business costs and encourage investment in the agricultural sector. Inconsistency on the part of the government discourages investment in important crops that could provide the additional income required by farmers for crop diversification and off-farm investment.
Gender Gaps in Agricultural Productivity
The gender gap in agricultural productivity in Malawi has been estimated at 28% due to differences in access to agricultural implements, labour and crop choices. This was already highlighted in 2015.
Other structural constraints contributing to gender gaps in the agriculture sector include women’s limited land ownership, tenure security and access to markets due to discriminatory, legal, social and customary norms as well as power relations and decision-making at household level which affects women’s access to agricultural extension and advisory services.
Closing the gender gap in agricultural productivity by empowering women farmers to become as productive as men could lift 238,000 people out of poverty, increase crop production by 7.3% and increase national GDP by $100 million on an annual basis.
Findings from other studies undertaken in 2016 suggest that male-headed household are likely to be 18% more secure than their female-headed counterparts, as they tend to have better access than women to fertile land Agricultural productivity would increase significantly if women had the same access to natural resources as men. These findings highlight the need for government, development partners and stakeholders to take appropriate measures to increase women’s access to production factors, improving both household income and food security.
Expertise and Technology Needed
To enhance the productivity of women and young farmers in an environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient manner requires expertise and knowledge and the adoption of new technologies and practices. This underscores the need for dedicated capacity building for women and young farmers in skills acquisition to increase their labour productivity.
Similarly, the capacity of agricultural extension officials to provide gender and climate-responsive services needs to be expanded with both material and human resources. Such services can increase farmer capacity for sustainable agriculture, particularly for women and incentivise youth to remain in agriculture, thereby reducing youth unemployment rates.
These actions are critical, as productivity gaps and the factors driving them make women and young farmers particularly vulnerable to environmental degradation and climate change.
The Poverty-Environment Initiative (PEI) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) is a global UN effort supporting country-led efforts to mainstream poverty-environment linkages into national development planning. PEI provides financial and technical assistance to government partners to establish institutional and capacity-strengthening programmes and carry out activities to address the particular poverty environment context. This has worked in Malawi through the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development and the UNDP Malawi Country Office since 2009.
