In the period 1987-2003 the Malawi food system weakened. Domestic food production
collapsed nationally in 1992, 1994, and 2001, while serious local shortages occurred in 1995,
and 1997. Crop failures have necessitated substantial commercial grain imports. Food aid has
also been justified to provide free access to food for the poorest households. From 1990-2003,
commercial cereal imports totalled 3,805,890 Mt, equivalent to 317,158 Mt annually (roughly
20% of average production). Over the same time frame, total donor food aid (cereals)
amounted to 1,413,850 Mt, while non-cereal aid measured 122,230 Mt. The trend shows a
growing reliance on food importation and aid.
Chapter 2 of this report looks at food supply. The adoption of structural adjustment reforms
from the mid 1980s weakened the government’s capacity to support local production. But
despite the investment constraints, since 1990 per capita availability of food has shown
evidence of a slight improvement, rising from 1,933.4 calories / per capita per day in 1990 to
2,167.9 calories / per capita per day in 2001. This change, although highly variable, is
attributable to an increase in availability of vegetable products through domestic production
(notably root and tuber crops) and maize available through food aid and imports.
The increased domestic production has assured an annual maize equivalent of Mt 2,697,042,
equal to 224.42 kg/per person annually. At the level of production attained over the previous
5 seasons, this would provide 2,121.23 K.cals per person per day or 93.827% of the
recommended daily calorie requirement. The fundamental food and nutrition problem in
Malawi in reliable rainfall seasons, is therefore less a supply question, than a problem of
uneven and unequal accessibility.
Malawi remains with a significant structural production deficit in the daily calorie per capita
supply of wheat, vegetable oils, meat, animal fats and milk. It is reliant on imports to supply
these foods. Imports of wheat have risen steadily in volume and value over the period. The
main factor inhibiting increased imports is the weak domestic demand and poorly developed
markets due to low economic growth and slow private sector investment.
The trend of food aid to Malawi shows a substantial increase in volume over the 1970s and
early 1980s. Since the early 1990s, food aid has intensified and diversified to encompass
welfare transfer programmes and supplementary feeding for the core poor.
Smallholder production has been cyclically subject to drought impact. Production was
reduced in 1991/92, 1993/94, 1994/95, 1996/7 and 1997/8. But despite these reversals, crop
estimates over the study period show positive trends for maize, rice, millet and sorghum,
grain legumes, and groundnut production. The trend suggests that, given stable agroenvironmental
conditions and investment in input requirements, a further positive
improvement (3.5%) in household Kcal/caput will result over the next few years. In this
scenario, by 2005 Malawi will have attained the recommended average calorie requirements
(2267 Kcal/caput). Our analysis shows that the composition of cereals and starch roots in total
requirements will undergo important changes: cereals will decrease to 55% of daily
requirements by 2009, whereas starchy roots and tubers will rise to 19% of daily
recommended requirements by 2009.