What is the evidence-base for climate-smart agriculture in Malawi? An analysis of what works where powered by Evidence for Resilient Agriculture (ERA)

Steward P, Nyoka I, Lamanna C, Kamau H, Namoi N, Nowak A, Rosenstock T. 2020. What is the evidence-base for climate-smart agriculture in Malawi? An analysis of what works where powered by Evidence for Resilient Agriculture (ERA). CCAFS Info Note. Wageningen, Netherlands: CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).

Agriculture drives Malawi’s economy. This sector accounts for 30% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), generates more than 80% of the national export earnings and employs 64% of the country's workforce. This productivity results in large part from the actions of smallholder farmers, which generate 70% of the economic agricultural value in the country. Much of this productivity is from maize, which covers about 50% of the total cultivated land in Malawi and is grown by 97% of farmers. Other major food crops include cassava, rice, sorghum, sweet potato, beans, groundnuts and pigeon pea.