Tuesday, November 6, 2007 - 2:10 PM
126-3
Improving Access to Inputs by Smallholder Maize Farmers: Experience from Malawi.
Patrick Kabambe1, Glenn Denning2, Rebbie Harawa3, Phelire Nkhoma3, Colleen Zamba4, Clement Banda3, Chrispin Magombo3, Alia Malik2, Rafael Flor5, Justine Wangila2, Pedro Sanchez5, and Jeffrey Sachs5. (1) Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, PO box 30134, Lilongwe 3, Malawi, (2) Earth Institute at Columbia University, The Millennium Development Goals Centre for East and Southern Africa, PO Box 30677, Nairobi, Kenya, (3) Millennium Villages Project, PO Box 841, Zomba, Malawi, (4) United Nations Development Programme, PO Box 30135, Lilongwe, Malawi, (5) Columbia University, The Earth Inst. at Columbia Univ., 2-G Lamont Hall P.O. Box 1000, Palisades, NY 10964-8000
Emerging from a severe drought in the 2004/5 growing season, the Government of Malawi implemented an ambitious and successful effort to raise food output. Through implementation of a national input subsidy program, maize production doubled in 2005/6 and almost tripled in 2006/7 compared with the 2004/5 season, transforming an estimated national food deficit of 0.9 million MT in the crisis year into a 1.3 million MT surplus in 2007, with some of the surplus exported to neighboring food-deficit countries. Fertilizer subsidies are correlated with national maize production during the last decade. Malawi’s recent experience provides important lessons for achieving food security in Africa.