National economic growth in Malawi is heavily reliant on the export of a small number of agricultural commodities, whilst 85 percent of the population depends on small-scale, rain-fed and low-input farming for their livelihoods and household food consumption. Over the past five decades, Malawi has experienced 19 major floods and seven droughts, with these events increasing in frequency, magnitude and scope, and registering cumulative impacts on national growth and poverty levels. Malawi has been characterized as ‘policy rich but implementation poor’, with a stalled decentralization process, limited coordination, and typically short-term donor initiatives all attributing to low policy completion.