Achieving food security is high on the agenda of the Malawi government. Notably, Malawi’s Growth
and Development Strategy (MGDS) recognizes that food security is a prerequisite for sustained
economic growth and poverty reduction. However, a good understanding of the determinants of food
insecurity is required to inform and guide the design and execution of effective and well-targeted
policy interventions. A recent study by Lewin and Fisher (2010) addressed this issue by examining
how socio-economic characteristics of households, local conditions, and current agricultural policies
influence the likelihood that a farm household in rural Malawi is food insecure. This policy brief
highlights key findings of the study.