The program will scale up many of the successful interventions and approaches of Malawi’s Agricultural Commercialisation Project
Malawi is set to establish new six irrigation schemes, support an additional 560 productive alliances that target more than 112,000 households, and work with smallholder farmers to execute productivity-enhancing investments with the support of a $250 million grant from the International Development Association (IDA) and a $15 million grant from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program that was approved by World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors.
The new financing is part of phase 3 of the regional Food Systems Resilience Program for Eastern and Southern Africa, or FSRP. The regional program has an overall envelope of $2.75 billion and aims to increase the resilience of food systems and preparedness for food insecurity in the participating countries. It provides a platform for cooperation and cross-learning along a number of pillars which includes re-building agricultural productive capacity, better managing natural resources, getting to markets and improving national and regional policies to enhance resilience.
The program will scale up many of the successful interventions and approaches of Malawi’s Agricultural Commercialisation Project (AGCOM) as a means of enhancing national and regional food systems resilience. It will also introduce new elements, including climate-smart agriculture and irrigation systems, investments in research and extension services, as well as support to the authorities to implement resilience-enhancing policy reforms.
“AGCOM is delivering on Malawi’s Vision 2063’s core goal of agricultural transformation. We are therefore excited that, with support from the FSRP, Malawi has an opportunity to scale this intervention nationally and collaborate and learn how to tackle food systems resilience with the other participating countries in the region. Developing viable and sustainable value chains is key to national food security, as well as boosting foreign exchange for the country’s broader economic needs,” says Hugh Riddell, World Bank Country Manager for Malawi.
The project in Malawi will also prioritise building climate-resilient infrastructure that is designed and built in a way that anticipates, prepares for, and adapts to changing climate conditions since Malawi currently depends largely on rain-fed agriculture.
