RATIONALE:
Food insecurity remains one of the key development challenges that Malawi and the southern Africa region face. Erratic rainfalls in the context of rain-fed agriculture, poor soils and rising costs of agricultural inputs are among the key causes of chronic food insecurity in many parts of the SADC region. The Malawi National Social Support Program (MNSSP) was formulated to support the implementation of the National Social Support Policy. The MNSSP, which was launched in 2012, was designed to provide a reference point for all stakeholders in the design and implementation of cost-effective, predictable and sustainable social support interventions that will reach the various groups of the poor with appropriate interventions. The MNSSP has been focusing on five key programs targeting the poorest 40% of the population (i) public works programme; (ii) social cash transfers; (iii) school meals; (iv) village savings and loans (VSLA); (v) micro- finance. The five interventions were selected for their high poverty impact, each in their own right contributing to the improvement of the living conditions of the poor.
In line with the MNSSP, development practitioners in Malawi have been addressing the problem of food insecurity since 2011 by providing cash in lieu of food to food insecure populations. The central feature of the humanitarian response over the years has been providing interventions (along with the cash response) to promote long-term resilience of the affected households. However, the resilience programming within the humanitarian response has also been undergoing modifications in the design and implementation every year as lessons from previous year’s operations are generated and applied.
KEY RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
Our research is focusing on addressing the following key questions:
- How are various vulnerable groups benefiting from social protection programmes in Malawi and the region?
- How best can development practitioners bridge humanitarian and development programmes for resilience building?
- What are the pathways through which social protection intervention promote long-term resilience for vulnerable households in the context of multiple risks?
RESEARCH GROUP MEMBERS:
- Donald Makoka (Chair)
- Stephen Kumwenda
- Semu Kamowa
- Takondwa Moyo.
- Faith Chimtedza
- Moshe Kumwenda
