There is a common perception that the food crisis in Malawi has been
caused by the floods that ruined the planting season in 2001, or by
widespread government corruption and mismanagement. These
undoubtedly have contributed to the crisis. But there is another cause,
which has been even more significant – inappropriate policies of donor
agencies, led by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Hunger and food shortage has always been a problem in Malawi, hence
the poor nutrition levels of 32 per cent of the population. In the past, food
shortages have been addressed through food aid from donors and
government subsidies for basic food channelled through the grain board,
the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC). This
system has allowed the people of Malawi to survive the seasons of
adverse weather, and the government corruption and mismanagement
which has persisted through years of good harvest and bad.
However, over the past twenty years the agriculture sector has been
restructured by the IMF and World Bank, under their structural adjustment
policies. In agriculture, these policies are supposedly aimed at improving
efficiency and productivity. But, as in other countries such as Zambia and
Mozambique, the donors have ignored the reality of farming systems in
Malawi and have assumed that markets will be able to meet social aims;
to supply food at affordable prices throughout the country, and to ensure
that smallholder farmers can feed their families. Instead, Malawi now
faces chronic food insecurity. The IMF/World Bank policies in Malawi’s
agricultural sector, supported by the bilateral aid donors, have failed.
Prior to these reform programs, the Malawi Government could ensure
food availability even in the remotest areas of the country. Through
subsidies and controlled prices, farmers were assured of affordable farm
inputs and grain stores were maintained in remote areas.