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El Niño-induced drought has left millions of people in Malawi acutely food insecure. With over 80 percent of the population employed by the agriculture sector, agricultural livelihoods and the country’s economic stability have been severely impacted. Affected communities urgently need support to boost food production and protect animals many depend on for survival.
Urgency of humanitarian agricultural assistance
Malawi’s 2023/24 agricultural season was severely affected by El Niño weather conditions. Prolonged and severe dry spells occurred at key developmental stages for various crops, including maize (the main staple crop) which registered a decrease of 17 percent from the previous year. This ultimately led to a declaration of a state of disaster in 23 out of 28 districts, with almost 6 million people acutely food insecure. The economy, specifically the agriculture sector, which contributes 22.3 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, was particularly hit. Maize prices, for example, are 160 percent higher than the five-year average and inflation has continued to rise. Families have exhausted their food stocks, leaving them no choice but to adopt negative coping mechanisms, such as children missing or leaving school to participate in household chores or manual labour to bring in additional income. In the Southern Region and parts of the Central Region, households have been forced to migrate to other districts, urban areas and in some cases, to neighbouring countries such as Mozambique, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia for food and income.
Affected families urgently need emergency agricultural assistance to protect and restore their livelihoods, which depend on farming, and boost food production and stocks to alleviate hunger and strengthen resilience.