Biophysical and socioeconomic results of climate-smart agriculture technologies in Machinga disctrict of Malawi

Abstract

The USAID/Malawi-funded Protecting Ecosystems and Restoring Forests in Malawi (PERFORM) project was designed as the flagship implementation vehicle for the Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies (EC-LEDS) partnership between the United States Government (USG) and the Government of Malawi (GoM), and as a core component of environment programming under USAID/Malawi’s Development Objective Assistance Agreement with the GoM. The main goal for PERFORM’s five-year engagement was to make a lasting improvement in Malawian quality of life. To do that, PERFORM aligned with Malawi’s Growth and Development Strategy to promote forest conservation and green growth. At the site-level PERFORM activities were designed and implemented to address drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, and included a mix of forestry, agriculture/livelihoods and energy focused activities. In Machinga District, adjacent to the Liwonde Forest Reserve, this include a mix of CSA activities designed to improve near-term food security, and build resilience in the longer-term. The CIMMYT contribution to the project focusses on assessing the merits of a selected range of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies implemented by PERFORM. Specifically, the goal of this project is to improve understanding and application of CSA practices for improved agricultural productivity in Machinga district of Malawi. The project seeks to quantify the benefits and costs of different CSA practices promoted by the PERFORM project and measure the various sustainable intensification indicators as assessments of the climate smartness of key CSA technologies implemented in the district, namely CA, pigeonpea and the Mbeya crop fertilization strategy. In addition to the biophysical measurements, the studies undertake community-wide focus group discussions (FGDs) and one FGD each with male and female respondents, to understand community livelihood trends, land use patterns, CSA adoption trends, distribution of cost and benefits of CSA practices among household members, market and social dynamics influencing CSA technology uptake choices. This project report is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Department of State (DOS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of CIMMYT and do not necessarily reflect the views of DOS or the United States Government.