Rural Livelihoods Support Programme

Most small-scale farmers in three rural districts in the southernmost part of Malawi do not have enough land to meet their food requirements. Four out of five households have no food security for at least three to four months a year. Fluctuations in rainfall and in availability of household labour make them even more vulnerable.

The aim of the programme is to improve villagers’ access to resources and to ensure more efficient use of available resources. It is designed to:

keep villagers better informed and encourage their self-motivation
empower villagers to organize their access to resources and their production in a more effective way
improve how service providers respond to villagers’ needs
reduce the hunger gap by investing in production and income-generating activities, to improve the dietary and nutritional status of poor people in the area

The programme supports Malawi’s decentralization policy, working with the decentralized institutions that are emerging in the villages and with local ministry line staff, who play a key role as service providers. It promotes the active participation of all groups in village-level processes, and particularly that of the poorest groups, including landless people, households headed by women and families affected by HIV/AIDS.

Source: IFAD

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