This document provides an overview of conservation agriculture (CA) in Malawi. It discusses the background of CA in Malawi, including challenges of land degradation and low crop yields. It outlines recent developments in promoting CA through various projects and organizations. It highlights achievements in scaling CA practices and building capacity. It identifies areas for further research, such as the impact of biomass on pests and optimal fertilizer rates. Finally, it discusses ongoing challenges to adopting CA at scale, including knowledge gaps, lack of coordination, and insecure land tenure.

1. Conservation
Agriculture in Malawi
Lusaka, Zambia
25 – 27 September, 2019

2. Presentation layout
• Introduction
• CA Background in Malawi
• Recent developments in CA in Malawi
• Achievements (ca scaling, new
projects)
• Areas for further research
• Challenges and lessons

3. Introduction
• Malawi has a territorial area of slightly over 118,000
km2
• 20% is taken up by lakes, 19% by forest, wildlife
reserves, settlements and infrastructure. Leaving
61% of land area with varied potential and
limitations to agriculture use
• The mean annual rainfall ranges from 500 mm in the
dry and hot valleys to 3000 mm over highlands
• The rainfall season is often characterized by one to
two weeks midseason dry spells, that cause drastic
reduction in crop yields

4. Introduction …..
• In addition, Malawi is prone to extreme weather
events such as droughts, floods, tropical cyclones,
tornadoes that have negative impacts on agriculture
and consequently result in food insecurity
• Good examples of climatic hazards have been
confirmed by the impacts of the 1948/49; 1991/92;
1993/94; 1994/95; 2000/01; 2001/02; 2015/16
droughts
• The situation is compounded by poor land husbandry
practices under use by smallholder farmers. Which
have resulted in severe land degradation and soil
erosion

5. Introduction …..
• In Malawi the major farming problem is
Land degradation
• Caused by inappropriate land use as well as
poor land management practices.
• This leads to soil loss
• Currently national average soil loss rate is at
29mt/ha/yr
• This loss in terms of nutrients its very high
so is its economic loss

6. Introduction cont..
• The coming in of climate change
has made things worse
• In 2015, 14 districts out of 28
were affected by floods
• In 2019, it has been reported that
11 districts were heavily affected
by floods

7. Introduction cont..
• Cereal yield remains at
less than 2ton/ ha
• That of the world is
increasing

8. CA background in Malawi …
• This has caused loss of soil fertility and
reduced crop yields. Some studies indicate
that unfertilized maize yielded 1,700 kg/ha in
1960’s but national average yield had declined
to 800 kg/ha by 2010 (Mloza-Banda &
Nanthambwe, 2010)
• Similarly maize response to fertilizer has
declined, from an average of 23 kg/ha local
maize per kg of nitrogen in 1957-62 to 13 kg
per ha BY 1983-85 (douglas et al., 1999)

9. Introduction cont….
National Conservation Agriculture Task force
(NCATF) was formed to solve problems of land
degradation through conservation agriculture
NCATF was transformed to Sustainable
Agriculture Trust (SAT) to promote Climate Smart
Agriculture

10. CA background in Malawi …
• CA interest by government was rekindled at a national workshop
on CA at Bunda College of Agriculture organized by the college,
LRCD and DARS
• At the same workshop the NCATF was instituted, although it was
dormant until 2008
• Ca demonstrations were initiated in Malawi by Sasakawa in 2000
with average hybrid maize yields of 5.1 tonnes per ha

11. Recent developments in CA in Malawi
• A number of institutions and projects have
promoted CA in Malawi over the recent past.
• The most notable ones have been listed in the
following slides

12. Recent developments in CA in Malawi
Sasakawa global (SG) 2000
• In collaboration with extension department of the MoAIWD
implemented a project with different components
• The project had three demonstration protocols
o Traditional way of producing maize
o SG 2000 conventional technology
o Conservation agriculture technology

13. Recent developments in CA in Malawi
MoAIWD through the LRCD
 Some of the project s implemented by the LRCD include:
o Malawi agroforestry project/promotion of soil conservation and rural production. This was in the
1990’s with support from USAID
o MAFE/PROSCAP was re-invented into Farm Income Diversification Project (FIDP) with
support from EU
o ADP-SP/ASWAP programme represents one of the most serious programmes of the
Government of Malawi to embrace CA under the component of sustainable growth
o Sustainable agriculture productivity program (SAPP) supported by IFAD is complementing efforts
by ADP-SP/ASWAP

14. Recent developments in CA in Malawi
Total Landcare (TLC)
A non-governmental organization working in Malawi, Mozambique,
Zambia and of late Tanzania
Its objective is to increase the production and income levels of
smallholder farmers in these countries through the use of improved
agriculture practices

15. Recent developments in CA in Malawi
Concern Universal
o Was working in Balaka and Dedza promoting minimum tillage, and ground cover in drought
prone areas
Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN FAO)
o Worked in Machinga, Balaka, Mangochi, Kasungu and Mzimba training 31 field staff and 220
farmers
o Supported the activities of the NCATF in Malawi through regular meetings and conservation
agriculture demonstrations in Rumphi, Nkhotakota, Balaka and Chikwawa
o Supported capacity building in use of GIS in CA monitoring in Malawi. and piloted the use of
drones in CA monitoring in Malawi

16. Recent developments in CA in Malawi
MOSANTO
oSome input suppliers have embraced ca with the aim of promoting
their products
oMosanto and Dimon Tobacco Company promoted the use of
roundup in their tobacco farmers fields
oMosanto worked with 200 orphans in Lilongwe promoting zero tillage

17. Recent developments in CA in Malawi
National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (NASFAM)
o NASFAM started promoting ca in 2008
o NASFAM uses lead farmers to demonstrate technologies and conduct field days
o They also use government extension staff to provide hands on training and assist
in capacity building of farmer trainers
o Through a project with Irish Aid, NASFAM is supporting the activities of the
NCATF, including the transformation process

18. Recent developments in CA in Malawi
Bunda College of Agriculture
• Mainly has been involved in valuation
of conservation agriculture
technologies
• The college also evaluated the use of
jab planters for cereal crop planting
and fertilizer application in Malawi

19. Recent developments in CA in Malawi
Department of Agricultural Research Services
o Was supported by Agricultural Research and Development Programme (ARDEP)
to implement a project on ’conservation agriculture in maize based systems for
improving food security and adaptation to climate change”
o Provides technical support in the implementation of the SAPP project with on-
farm CA trials
o Has on-going research on CA across Malawi

20. Recent developments in CA in malawi
Other institutions that have included CA in their project portfolios include:
o Christian Aid
o Catholic Relief Service
o CADECOM
o Concern Worldwide
o African Institute of Corporate Citizenship (AICC)
o World Vision
o Development Fund of Norway

21. Achievements
• The NCATF managed to produce and distribute 300 National CA
Implementation Guidelines
• The NCAFT developed a Malawi CA Investment Framework
• The NCAFT developed the National CA Strategic plan to guide the
scaling and coordination of CA activities in Malawi
• The NCATF has currently been transformed into Sustainable Agriculture
Trust (SAT)

22. Achievements
• SAT was registered in 2017
• It is being chaired by LUANAR deputized by NASFAM

23. Achievements – capacity building
Date Training purpose No. of participants Supported by
August 2011 Training of trainers for CA 34 ASWAp
21-25 May, 2012 GIS-based CA monitoring and evaluation 30 FAO
9-14 September, 2012 GPS/GIS Training for Cartographic staff 17 ASWAp
21-24 November and 5-8 December,
2012
CA Training for District SMS’s and
AEDO’s
46 FAO
17-19 October, 2012 CA Training for AEDC’s from Machinga,
Blantyre and Shire valley ADD
26 ASWAp
21-25 October, 2013 CA Training for National Team of
Trainers
21 African Conservation Tillage Network

24. Achievements – adoption
• More than 200,000 ha is
under some principle of CA
• With much of this land under
mulch (biomass cover)
18,547 18456 22406
29305
132,114
159003 156035 159,797
188,207
200,000
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
AREAUNDERCA(Ha)

25. Achievements – adoption
• Up to half a million
farmers have adopted
some form of CA
principle in Malawi
• With an average of 0.38
ha under some form of
CA principle

26. Areas for further research
• There is need to work on the farmer perception that use of biomass promotes
accumulation of pests and diseases in CA fields
• There is need to develop fertilizer application rates for CA fields in Malawi
• Research on legumes (e.g. cowpeas) and their planting time in fields where farmers
interplant with maize is necessary

27. Challenges and lessons
• Generally there is knowledge gap among frontline staff and farmers on CA
• There is poor coordination among actors, for instance promoting different technologies
under CA and lack of data and information sharing
• Ca activities have been dodged with inefficient documentation especially on information on
cost and soil fertility improvement
• There is little private public partnership in CA activities in Malawi
• Farmers do not have access to CA implements e.g. rippers, shaka hoes etc.
• Insecure land holding tenures have delayed scaling of CA by farmers
• Conflicting use of crop residues between covering fields and livestock have affected CA
adoption