AN OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS

Transcription

1 REVIEW OF NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT POLICIES IN MALAWI: AN OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS MAKOKA D, AJAYI OC, PHIRI A, GAMA S, PHULA M, DAKAMAU M, KAMBAUWA G, MKWINDA S, JUMBE C, KAYUNI F AGROFORESTRY FOOD SECURITY POLICY WORKING GROUP June, 2010 With financial assistance provided by:

2 CORRECT CITATION OF THE REPORT This report may be cited as follows: Makoka D, Ajayi OC, Phiri A, Gama S, Phula M, Dakamau M, Kambauwa G, Mkwinda S, Jumbe C, Kayuni F 2010 Agroforestry Policy Working Group 2010 Review of Natural Resources Management Policies in Malawi: An Overview of findings. World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), June World Agroforestry Centre June,

3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The review and preparation of this report was supported by financial assistance provided mainly by Irish Aid through its support to the Agroforestry Food Security Project (AFSP) and the European Union through its support to policy being implemented by the World Agroforestry Centre (CRAF). The information presented in this report does not necessarily reflect the official position of Irish AID in Malawi or the European Union. This review was carried out through the collaboration of senior officials from different institutions. This was made possible through the permission granted these officers by the heads of their respective departments. We would therefore like to express gratitude to the Director of Centre for Agricultural Research and Development (CARD), Directors of the Forestry Department, Land Resources and Conservation department, Department of Agricultural Extension Services, Department of Lands, Department of Agricultural Research and Technical Services and the Executive Director of the Farmers Union of Malawi. We are also grateful for the leadership of Prof Festus Akinnifesi for providing support to the Working Group to operate. We are grateful to Henry Kwavale, Ms Loraine Itaye, Fannie Gondwe for the administrative support given to Agroforestry Policy Working Group (AFPWG). The earlier draft of the report benefited from technical comments from Frank Place, the Head of Impact Assessment and Coordinator of Agroforestry Policy Initiative (API) in ICRAF head office. Any errors or omission are the sole responsibilities of the Working Group. Dr Oluyede Ajayi, Senior Scientist, ICRAF Ms Frieda Kayuni, Deputy Director, DAES Mr. Simon Mkwinda, LRCD Mr. Mabvuto Phula, Department of Land Ms Getrude Kambauwa, Chief Land Resources Officer, LRCD Dr. Charles Jumbe, Senior Fellow, CARD Dr. Donald Makoka, Senior Fellow, CARD Mr. Austin Phiri, Principal Agroforester, DARTS Mrs Stella Gama, Assistant Director, Forestry Department Mr. Mphatso Dakamau, Senior Economist, FUM Lilongwe, June,

4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction For over two decades, several institutions including the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), the Department of Agricultural Research Services, the Land Resources and Conservation Department and Bunda College of Agriculture have dedicated much effort to the research and development of a range of agroforestry technologies that are suitable to the smallholder farmers. Based on these efforts, various agroforestry technologies including those that improve soil fertility for enhanced food security, and other technologies that improve supply of fuelwood, fodder and fruits for rural households have been generated and disseminated to farming communities in the country. Some successes in field level uptake of the technologies have been recorded in different parts of the country, but in some cases the level of adoption of the technologies has generally lagged behind scientific and technological advances attained thereby reducing the potential impacts of the technologies to contribute to greater improvements in food security and environmental resilience. Specific challenges of adoption of agroforestry and the role of policy Many authors have explained this by highlighting that the adoption of agroforestry will most likely be sub-optimal because of the positive externalities and environmental benefits to society that are beyond farm level, long term investment nature of most agroforestry technologies, the incipient nature of agroforestry (relative to conventional annual crop practices) and the less-developed human capacity, infrastructure and services (e.g. agroforestry seed markets) to support agroforestry. The extent to which local and national policy-making processes accept and institutionalize agroforestry into mainstream development agenda plays an important role in sustaining the dissemination and field adoption of agroforestry on a continuous basis. This is because ppolicies may send positive or negative economic signals that potential users often react to and which influence their uptake of the technologies. Review of policies related to agroforestry in Malawi Being mindful that any initiative for the promotion of agroforestry cannot succeed without functional conducive policies, a review of policies on agroforestry was conducted. This report 3

5 documents the process and outcome of an appraisal of policies related to natural resources management, economic development and food production to review if and how these policies facilitate or undermine the promotion of agroforestry in Malawi. Given the array of existing policies covering natural resources management, food security and environmental management that influence agroforestry directly or otherwise, an inventory and review of these policies was carried out. The review was conducted by the Agroforestry Policy Working Group (AFPWG), a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional collaboration comprising of senior technocrats and policy shapers. These were drawn from an international institution (World Agroforestry Centre), key relevant Malawi Government institutions (Department of Agricultural Research Services, Land Resources Conservation Department, Department of Agricultural Extension Services, Department of Forestry, department of Lands and Physical Survey), the national producer association (Farmers Union of Malawi) and, the Centre for Agricultural Research and Development (CARD) of the University of Malawi. Administrative support was provided by the Programme Management Unit (PMU) of the Irish-Aid funded Agroforestry Food Security Project s (AFSP). Major findings of the review The key finding of the review is that although some of the existing policies embedded agroforestry in their strategies, this is not done sufficiently and explicitly enough to raise the profile of agroforestry and to spur a country-wide promotion of technologies among farming communities. In addition, most of the existing policies lack coordination and funding of the development efforts to support agroforestry in Malawi. The main challenge for the adoption of agroforestry is not necessarily the absence of policies related to agroforestry per se, but that agroforestry does not feature in sufficiently high profile in the existing policies and where they do, the level of implementation of the policies is low. Given that currently, there is no policy that specifically addresses agroforestry, it may be necessary to explore the possibility of developing a specific policy on agroforestry after taking into consideration the gaps and weaknesses identified in the existing policies, and building on the existing opportunities offered by these policies as noted during this review. In either case, effective scaling up/out of agroforestry in Malawi can be enhanced by maintaining the status quo on policies in the country. 4

6 Next steps The suggested first step is to organize a national stakeholder consultative workshop involving key stakeholders including relevant donor institutions where the outcome of this review will be shared and discussed by all interested groups. The participation of wider range of public stakeholders in the exercise is important because policies emerge from policy processes that are themselves embedded in political processes, and the political feasibility of expected institutional changes. It is expected that the process will lead to conducive national policies to facilitate wider scaling up of agroforestry in Malawi. 5

7 TABLE OF CONTENT TABLE OF CONTENTS CORRECT CITATION OF THE REPORT... 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT... 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... 3 TABLE OF CONTENT... 6 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS INTRODUCTION Background on agroforestry in Malawi Previous efforts to scale up adoption of agroforestry in Malawi Role of policy in the adoption of agroforestry Rationale for the policy review Objectives of the policy review REVIEW APPROACH Formation and composition of agroforestry policy working group (AFPWG) Review guidelines and identification of relevant policies OUTCOME OF THE REVIEW and MAIN FINDINGS ECONOMIC POLICIES The Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT POLICIES National Land Policy (2002) National Forest Policy of Malawi (1996) The National Environmental Policy (2004) National Land Resources Management Policy and Strategy (2000) National Environmental Action Plan (2003) The National Water Policy (2004) National Action Plan of Adaptation ( AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY POLICIES Agriculture Sector Wide Approach (2009) Crop Production Policy (1987) The National Irrigation Policy and Development Strategy (2000) The Greenbelt Initiative (2009) The Food & Nutrition Policy (2005) The Agriculture Extension Policy in the New Millennium (2000) The New Era Agricultural Policy (2005)

8 3.3.8 The National Seed Policy (1993) The Contract Farming Strategy (2007) Discussion CONCLUSION and RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusion RECOMMENDATIONS LITERATURE CITED Verchot L, Van Noordwijk M, Kandji S, Tomich T, Ong C, Albrecht A, Mackensen J, Bantilan C (2007) Climate change: linking adaptation and mitigation through agroforestry. Mitigation Adaptation Strategies and Global Change. doi: /s ANNEX

9 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ADD AFPWG AFSP ALDSAP ASWAp CARD CBNRM DAES DARS EPA FD FGD FRIM GDP GoM HDI HIV/AIDS ICRAF LRCD M & E MAFE MEGS MGDS MoAFS MPRSP MZUNI NAPA NASFAM NEAP NRM NSO OECD PMU Agricultural Development Division Agroforestry Policy Working Group Agroforestry Food Security Project Agricultural and Livestock Development Strategy and Action Plan Agriculture Sector Wide Approach Centre for Agricultural Research and Development Community Based Natural Resource Management Department of Agricultural Extension Services Department of Agricultural Research Services Extension Planning Area Forestry Department Focused Group Discussion (FGD) Forestry Research Institute of Malawi Gross Domestic Product Government of Malawi Human Development Index Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome International Centre for Research in Agroforestry Land Resources and Conservation Development Monitoring and Evaluation Malawi Agroforestry Extension Malawi Economic Growth Strategy Malawi Growth and Development Strategy Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Malawi Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Mzuzu University, Mzuzu, Malawi National Action Plan of Adaptation National Association of Smallholder Association of Malawi National Environmental Action Plan Natural Resources Management National Statistical Organization, Zomba Organization for Economic Cooperation and development Programme Management Unit 8

10 PROSCAP SFI SSA ToRs UNIMA Programme for Soil Conservation and Agricultural Production Soil Fertility Initiative Sub-Saharan Africa Terms of Reference University of Malawi 9

11 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND ON AGROFORESTRY IN MALAWI Declining soil fertility and low macro-nutrient levels is a fundamental impediment to agricultural growth and a major negative social externality in Malawi and most parts of Africa (Vanlauwe and Giller, 2006; Sanchez, 2002). Soil fertility replenishment in Sub- Saharan Africa (SSA) is increasingly viewed as critical to the process of poverty alleviation (Place et al., 2003). The amount of resources and the multiplicity of programmes devoted to soil improvement technologies attest to the importance of soil fertility in Africa (Gabre- Madhin and Haggblade, 2004). A rapid increase in rural population in Malawi currently estimated at 13.1 million people (NSO, 2009) has led to a reduction in the per-capita land availability as most of these derive their livelihood from farming. The land pressure has resulted in the continuous cropping of agricultural land with little or no replenishment of nutrients to improve its productivity. As a result, most soils in Malawi have little organic matter and nutrients, particularly nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphate, magnesium and zinc, of course, depending on geographical location. Evidence for the decline in soil fertility is indicated by a pronounced fall in unfertilized maize yields and a parallel decline in the response of crops to fertilizer (Evans et. al., 1999). Besides, degraded soils have low nutrient holding capacity resulting in excessive runoff during rainfall (DARTS, 2007). As high potential and fertile land becomes less available and the rural human population increases, farming is extending into more fragile lands, undermining the natural resource capital base and undermining the region's continued ability to produce food for its people. Beside the primary effects of soil fertility depletion on declining per-capita food production in smallholder farms, the situation also triggers other side effects on-farm such as lack of fodder, fuelwood and construction wood and reduced amounts of farm residues and animal manure for food production. Total annual deforestation has been estimated at 55,000 ha for Malawi or deforestation rate of 1.6% per annum (Geist, 1999). Apart from the primary effects of declining per-capita food production, poor soil fertility triggers other side effects on-farm such as, lack of fodder for livestock production, reduction in fuelwood and high deforestation rates as farmers are forced to abandon poor soils and encroach on forests which are more fertile (Ajayi et al., 2007). The overall effect is low household incomes, poor nutrition and health and degradation of the environment thereby potentially undermining the country s continued ability to produce food for its people on a sustainable basis. Due to these challenges, there is need for technological approaches that address the multi-faceted 10

12 challenges facing smallholder farmers by assisting them to replenish their soils, meet their needs for fruits, fodder and fuelwood. Agroforestry is one of the viable options which farmers can use to, build soil fertility capital, raise income, and boost crop yields. Research has shown that leguminous trees such as Gliricidia have the potential to improve soil fertility by enhancing nutrient availability and nitrogen supply through biological nitrogen fixation, organic matter build up, recycling of nitrogen from deeper soil layers and improved soil physical and biological conditions (Akinnifesi et al, 2006). The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MoAFS) recognizes that developing stable and sustainable cropping systems can help to improve and maintain soil fertility and consequently increase yields for smallholder farmers. Agroforestry and intercropping with leguminous crops are one of the main interventions which have been identified. These are however not implemented in isolation but in an integrated manner with soil and water conservation activities mostly on a catchment level basis. In Malawi, a number of policy initiatives have been pursued regarding sustainable land management by Malawian government since 1980s. First, is the progressive liberalization of the agriculture sector (smallholder burley tobacco production which was formerly reserved for estates) as well as the liberalization of the output and input markets under the Structural Adjustment Programmes. Second, there is a shift in the extension emphasis away from conservation for its own sake towards conservation as a means to improve productive capacity through agroforestry technologies. Third, legal framework for harmonized natural resource management which commenced with the Environmental Management Act in 1996 also provides an environment for sustainable natural resource management. In addition, in 1998, the Soil Fertility Initiative (SFI) a joint programme for Sub-Sahara Africa sponsored by the World Bank and other bilateral donors resulted in the development of a long-term programme framework for national and local level interventions designed to improve the care and management of land resources (Evans, et al, 2006). 1.2 PREVIOUS EFFORTS TO SCALE UP ADOPTION OF AGROFORESTRY IN MALAWI Some successes in field level uptake of the technologies have been recorded in different parts of the country. In the past three years, at least 150,000 new farmers have begun to use and benefit from various agroforestry technologies in different districts. During the 1999/2000 season, the Malawi Agroforestry Extension (MAFE), Programme for Soil Conservation and 11

13 Agricultural Production (PROSCAP) and their partners jointly reached only 56,000 households with soil fertility technologies and 150,000 households with other agroforestry technologies. In 2003, PROSCAP reached 187,000 households with agroforestry technologies (fuel wood, construction poles and fodder). The Forestry Research Institute of Malawi (FRIM) through the supply of tree seed and seedlings augments these efforts. ICRAF reached 110,000 farmers under its dissemination efforts by Despite these achievements, the current level of adoption of these technologies has generally lagged behind scientific and technological advances attained. As a result, farmers have not yet harnessed the full potential of agroforestry to boost agricultural production and contribute to improvements in food security and rural livelihoods. The main constraints for practicing agroforestry in Malawi include inadequate supply of high quality germplasm; limited number of trained staff in agroforestry extension and development; extension system that is not yet geared towards agroforestry extension due to limited training in agroforestry and inadequate information; limited capacity building for farmers and partners, leading to inadequate knowledge and skills in agroforestry management; apparent long waiting period of the technologies before a farmer can start realizing the benefits; and demand for household labour to carry out field operations that are required to be carried out at the same time in agroforestry and other crop fields (especially maize and tobacco fields). Studies have revealed that the adoption of agroforestry by farmers is not a direct relationship based on technological characteristics of agroforestry alone, but it is a matrix of several factors including household-specific variables (e.g., age, education), technological characteristics of agroforestry, institutional and policy variables (e.g., land tenure system and agricultural policies) and geographical and landscape factors, accessibility to markets, climate, and soil characteristics. It has been argued that the process of adoption is dynamic and the various factors are likely to influence each other. Further to that, the process of adoption of agroforestry technologies is more complex because of the multiple years through which testing, modification and eventual adoption of the technologies by farmers takes place (Ajayi et al, 2007). During the testing phase, factors such as availability of information, ability to witness the performance of agroforestry in fellow farmers' fields, availability of seeds and training opportunities play important roles in shaping farmers' decision to establish an agroforestry plot. Over time however, institutional constraints (Ajayi and Kwesiga, 2003; Ajayi and Katanga, 2005), land size and tenure arrangement, national policies (Place and 12

14 Dewees, 1999) and compatibility with other operations in the farming systems become more important. The maximum yield from using some agroforestry technologies takes a number of growing seasons to reach. For instance, maize yields in Gliricidia sepium plots during the first and second year of establishment are similar to those from non-fertilized farmers plots (Ngugi, 2002) but these are compensated by (i) higher yields obtained as from the third year when Gliricidia is cut and incorporated, (ii) the reduction in yearly labour required for land preparation as Gliricidia continue to re-sprouts (coppices) once they are fully established. Farmers prefer to use alternative technologies with immediate results on rented land to maximize profitability. It is a common practice across Malawi to rent land for cultivation. This practice has therefore, contributed to the low adoption of agroforestry technologies. Another challenge is how to bridge the gap in the first two years especially among smallholder farm families who are resource-poor and may tend to have high trade-off between higher long term benefits and smaller immediate benefits. One of the ways that are being used to address this is to develop new options of agroforestry technologies e.g. Tephrosia candida and relay intercropping that have a reduced or no waiting period. 1.3 ROLE OF POLICY IN THE ADOPTION OF AGROFORESTRY One of the greatest challenges in many low-income countries that face seasonal food deficit is how best to integrate environmental quality into food security programmes. Although a number of production technologies exist that simultaneously contribute to food production and protect the natural resources base but in general, the field level uptake of such technologies is generally low due to policy and institutional constraints, among other reasons. The rationale to examine policy in the adoption of agroforestry is premised on several grounds: First, agroforestry generates positive externalities and environmental benefits to society that are beyond farm level. For example, in addition to improving soil fertility and hence food production, agroforestry also generates ecosystem services that contribute to improving environmental quality in several ways (Sileshi et al. 2007). These include carbon sequestration (Kaonga 2005, Makumba et al. 2007) and the opportunity to potentially mitigate adverse impacts of climate change (Verchot et al. 2007). Other positive effects of agroforestry are improved conservation of biodiversity, reduction of runoff and soil erosion 13

15 through enhanced water infiltration and water holding capacity (Phiri et al. 2003). Drawing on natural resource economics and externality theoretical framework, a number of authors (Izac, 1997; Pagiola et al, 2004; Ajayi et al., 2009) have provided economic logic to highlight why field level uptake of agri-environmental technologies that generate positive environmental effects beyond the farm, such as agroforestry, will most likely be sub-optimal. Second, is the long term investment nature of most agroforestry technologies. While agroforestry technologies have been shown to be profitable and have long term benefits, unlike annual crops, farmers need to wait for a period ranging from six months to two years or more before receiving profits from their investment. As a result, there is underinvestment as the waiting period may pose challenges to some farmers who in making their farm decisions, naturally tend to trade off large long term benefits for smaller short term gains, if there are no appropriate policies. Third, most agroforestry technologies are incipient technologies relative to conventional annual crop practices that farmers have been trained over longer period. In addition, human capacity, infrastructure and services (e.g. agroforestry seed markets) to support agroforestry are relatively less developed. Policies are therefore important as farmers adoption decisions are strongly influenced by the policy and institutional context within which technologies are disseminated to potential users (Ajayi et al, 2007.) Policies may send positive or negative economic signals that potential users often react to and which influence their uptake of the technologies (Ajayi et al, 2009). The extent to which local and national policy-making processes accept and institutionalize agroforestry (e.g. through specific budgetary allocations) plays an important role in sustaining the dissemination of agroforestry technologies on a continuous basis. In other words, a conducive policy environment will ensure that agroforestry programs are not only catalyzed but also that they are sustained over the years, thereby increasing the probability of technology adoption among the smallholder farmers. 1.4 RATIONALE FOR THE POLICY REVIEW Several studies conducted on the adoption of agroforestry and natural resource management technologies in Malawi and globally strongly emphasize the critical role that national policies play in influencing farmers decision to adopt agroforestry. Given the importance of such relationship, the success of AFSP to scale up agroforestry technologies to the targeted 14

16 number of households will become more realisable when farmer training and other dissemination activities at the farm level are complemented by active engagement of policy makers and shapers (advocates). The engagement process will aim at seeking modification to existing policies that have inadvertently adversely affect the adoption of agroforestry and then, facilitate policies and programmes that may better support the adoption of agroforestry. As part of the efforts to improve policy in these two aspects, it is important to assess current roles played by different policies and regulatory frameworks with a view to providing information to policy makers and policy shapers to make informed decision that will eventually facilitate field level adoption of agroforestry. The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in collaboration with the Government of Malawi (GoM) through the various departments within the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, including the Land Resource and Conservation Department (LRCD), Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS), the Department of Agricultural Extension Services (DAES), the Forestry Research Institute of Malawi (FRIM), the Department of Lands; academic institutions (Bunda College, Mzuzu University) and National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (NASFAM) is implementing Agroforestry Food Security Programme (AFSP). 1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THE POLICY REVIEW The objective of AFSP which is funded principally by Irish Aid is to scale up integrated agroforestry technologies, particularly fertilizer and fruit trees in order to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in eleven districts in Malawi. This objective is envisaged to be achieved through four main agroforestry technologies: fertilizer trees, fruit trees, fodder trees and fuel wood trees. Given the experiences with previous agroforestry projects in Malawi and the role that policies and institutional context play in the implementation of the projects, one of the key outputs that important stakeholders identified under the AFSP is to evaluate the extent to which the existing natural resources management and agriculturalrelated policies facilitate or impede agroforestry adoption in Malawi. The objectives of the policy review are: i. To identify the different agricultural and NRM-related policies in Malawi promote or constrain agroforestry adoption at field level, either directly or indirectly ii. To assess how the policies promote or inhibit agroforestry adoption 15

17 iii. iv. To identify gaps in the existing policies that could provide opportunities for promoting agroforestry if sufficiently implemented To provide recommendations and way forward based on the review. 16

18 2 REVIEW APPROACH 2.1 FORMATION AND COMPOSITION OF AGROFORESTRY POLICY WORKING GROUP (AFPWG) To carry out the above-mentioned objectives, the key partners that are implementing the AFSP formed the Agroforestry Policy Working Group (AFPWG) to review policies related to natural resource management and agriculture and identify issues that promote or and hinder agroforestry uptake by farmers in Malawi. The Group is multi-institutional and multidisciplinary, and assembles high-level technocrats (at the level of Assistant Director and senior scientist) from key collaborating government departments, academic and research institutions and farmer and producer organizations. Members of the Group are: Malawi Government Department Land Resources Conservation Department Department of Agricultural Research Services Department of Agricultural Extension Services Department of Forestry Environmental Affairs Department Department of Lands International Centre ICRAF National Producer Association Farmers Union of Malawi National Academic Policy Institution Centre for Agricultural Research and Development (CARD), Bunda College of the University of Malawi The working group is chaired by the Land Resources Conservation Department (LRCD). The participation of a wide range of public stakeholders in the exercise is important because policies emerge from policy processes that are themselves embedded in political processes, and the political feasibility of expected institutional changes. Following the completion of the above tasks, a draft report on the status of the policies, the extent of field implementation of the policies and how the polices affect agroforestry is being finalized. The extent of overlap 17

19 (positive and negative) between the different policies has also been highlighted during the appraisal. Details of the policies and documents reviewed are presented in the annex REVIEW GUIDELINES AND IDENTIFICATION OF RELEVANT POLICIES The policy review process involved the following steps: i. The development of ToRs for the Working Group to guide the review process ii. The identification and inventory of different national policies that have a bearing on agroforestry adoption in Malawi iii. The development of policy review matrix based on the ToRs (available in annex 1); iv. Policy Review and Report Writing Each of the policy documents was reviewed on a page by page basis to identify if there is any provision in the document that provides direct /indirect support or challenge to agroforestry. 18

20 3 OUTCOME OF THE REVIEW AND MAIN FINDINGS 3.1 ECONOMIC POLICIES In this policy review, economic policies are defined as policies that focus on the macroeconomic environment with the aim of promoting sustained economic growth and reducing poverty in Malawi. In particular, multi-sectoral policies that act as blue prints for the government, non-governmental organizations and other local and international development agencies in Malawi for the attainment of economic growth and development at any given time were classified as economic policies. Such policies include the Vision 2020: The National Long-term Development Perspective for Malawi (2000); the Malawi Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (MPRSP) (2002); the Malawi Economic Growth Strategy (MEGS) (2003) and the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) ( ). However, the review process only considered the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy for two reasons: (i) it is the current overall policy document guiding the different development initiatives for the government and other stakeholders; (ii) it incorporates the different strategies outlined in the earlier policies, including the Vision 2020, the MEGS, the MPRSP, etc The Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) The Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS), which is an overarching operational strategy for the achievement of the national development goals was reviewed to assess the extent to which the policy is providing or creating an enabling environment for up and out scaling of agroforestry technologies. To achieve its overall goal, the MGDS has five themes: sustainable economic growth, social protection and disaster management, social development, infrastructure, and good governance. The review of the MGDS has revealed some strategies in support of agroforestry technologies. These include: i) The MGDS emphasizes the promotion of agro-processing of key crops including fruits, as one of the strategies to promote sustained economic growth. This provision for agroprocessing development could provide an improved market for fruit products. This is expected to consequently increase fruit production. Fruit trees are an important component in agroforestry systems. 19

21 ii) The MGDS further calls for the promotion of soil and water conservation and modern farming techniques. Agroforestry is one of the options for soil and water conservation. In addition, as a farming technique, agroforestry enhances soil fertility. iii) The MGDS recognizes that sustainable use of natural resources would promote the achievement of sustained economic growth in Malawi. It therefore promotes reforestation, environmental rehabilitation and incentives for private sector participation in forestry. As some of the ways for environmental rehabilitation and reforestation require the use of agroforestry technologies, in principle the strategy is expected to promote agroforestry in the long run. iv) The MGDS emphasizes the recognition, clarification and security of existing land rights. Issues of land rights and tenure have inhibited the scaling-up of agroforestry in Malawi. It is expected that when farmers have secured long term tenure rights over their land, they are most likely to be willing to commit their resources to agroforestry and other long term farm investments. v) The MGDS has a provision for the incorporation of environmental concerns in school curricula. This in principle provides an opportunity for agroforestry to be incorporated into the education system in the country and create awareness of the benefits of the technology. This could then lead to an up- and out-scaling of the technologies in the long-run. Although the policy recognizes the need to conserve soil and water and improve soil fertility as well as reforestation and environmental rehabilitation, it does not explicitly highlight agroforestry as one of the most effective ways of addressing these problems. As the MGDS is the blue print from which different development initiatives are formulated for the government, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders, efforts to accord a higher profile to agroforestry in the present (or future revision) of the MGDS document could help ensure that agroforestry easily finds its way in some of the development strategies, and expectedly leading to an increase in its adoption levels. 3.2 NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT POLICIES The classification of natural resource management (NRM) policies considered all policies that were deemed to have a direct bearing on the management of natural resources. In this review, natural resources were defined as any property of the physical environment, such as 20

22 water, land, mineral deposits, etc that occurs in a natural state, which humans can use to satisfy their needs, as it has an economic value (OECD, 2005). Consequently, natural resource management policies were classified as those policies relating to the management of the natural resources, with an emphasis on how management of such resources affects the quality of life for the present and future generations. Thus, the NRM policies were deemed to be highly interrelated with the concept of sustainable development. The natural resource management-related policies reviewed include: National Land Policy (2002) The 2002 National Land Policy defines land policy as consisting of a whole complex of socio-economic and legal prescriptions that include the system of land tenure, and influence how land resources and the benefits from the land are to be distributed. The goal of the National Land Policy for Malawi is to promote tenure security and equitable access to land to facilitate the attainment of social harmony and broad based socio and economic development through optimum and ecologically balanced use of land and land based resources. A number of issues that have a bearing on agroforestry were identified within the policy. These include: i. The policy provides for the registration of customary land thereby promoting land tenure security. Consequently, this could enhance long term rights and ownership of trees to communities and smallholder farmers practicing agroforestry. ii. iii. The policy explicitly promotes multiple land use, whereby land is used for more than one purpose (Glossary of Environment Statistics, 1997). In the policy the land uses are that are mentioned include agroforestry for fodder, fuel wood and soil fertility improvement. The policy calls for land use planning. If the planning includes apportioning specific proportion of land to agroforestry, such as woodlots, orchards, and fodder banks, among others, or require a minimum level of trees on agricultural land (as is the case in Kenya where 10% of all farm land must be grown to trees), up-scaling of agroforestry in Malawi may be facilitated. While the policy specifically stipulates a fifty year term or less for other investments, in the case of perennial trees, which are an important component of agroforestry, the lease period is not stated and therefore ambiguous. Efforts to clearly define the lease period for tree planting investments could encourage farmers leasing land to undertake longer term investments in agroforestry initiatives, at least up to the limit period set in the policy. 21

23 National Forest Policy of Malawi (1996) The goal of the 1996 National Forest Policy is to sustain the contribution of national forest resources to uplift the quality of life of the people by conserving the resources for the benefit of the nation. The policy strongly supports community participation in the production of trees on customary land through the establishment of (communal and individual) woodlots, plantations trees on farm and forest based commercial enterprises. Items in the policy that were identified to be related to agroforestry are as follows: i. The policy promotes multiple land use systems in which trees are a major component. ii. iii. iv. The policy calls for undertaking genetic improvement and conservation of different tree species (germplasm). It also encourages agroforestry to improve land fertility and meet farmers needs for fuel-wood and fodder. It promotes communal and individual ownership of forests and forest resources and the establishment of appropriate incentives for communities and individuals on tree and forest management as a means of alleviating poverty. v. It specifically calls for the promotion of collaborative agroforestry research. vi. t supports the role of women in farm forest management and utilization. The review identified some gaps which would positively promote agroforestry if addressed, but there are no specific targets set in the policy on how to bridge these gaps The National Environmental Policy (2004) The 2004 National Environmental Policy, whose overall goal is to promote sustainable social and economic development through the sound management of the environment and natural resources, has quite a wide range of agroforestry related sections, including the following: i. The policy calls for enhancing agricultural productivity for smallholder farmers in order to promote sustainable use of natural resources. Farmers could be using agroforestry products such as fuel wood. 22

24 ii. iii. iv. The policy promotes the establishment and economic values of natural resources such as trees. The policy calls for property tax or rent reduction for land users that are using agroforestry techniques, among others. It encourages research into soil and water conservation techniques and, the financing of research programmes on environmental management. v. The policy calls for the reduction of greenhouse gases through carbon sinks for which agroforestry could be used as a mitigation strategy. vi. vii. viii. ix. The policy promotes security of tenure for smallholder farmers for sustainable resource-based production systems including trees. The policy calls for the development and implementation of a national program to rehabilitate highly degraded land. Agroforestry technologies could play a very big role. The policy further promotes the use of organic fertilizers to improved soil fertility. It also promotes sustainable soil and water conservation techniques. x. The policy promotes the development and dissemination of agroforestry practices. xi. xii. xiii. xiv. xv. It also promotes and supports the conservation and protection of forest ecosystems and the growing of trees by individual companies, estates, local communities and authorities, including the integration of forests and trees into farming systems, soil conservation activities and land use systems. It further promotes the integration of environmental and natural resources related policies into devolved planning, management and implementation of development programmes. The policy calls for capacity building for environmental management through formal and non-formal environmental education. In addition, the policy calls for establishment of local level environmental institutions which could be an entry point for agroforestry interventions. The environmental management fund proposed in the policy could advance agroforestry technology adoption. 23

25 Notwithstanding the above, the policy neglected to include monitoring and evaluation tools for assessing the impact of Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) activities that may have a bearing on agroforestry adoption and utilization. Furthermore, the incentives to internalize the environment benefits of different agroforestry technologies is not explicitly spelt out in the policy. It is felt that if the incentives were explicitly outlined, it could lead encourage farmers to increase their levels of agroforestry adoption and reward private farmer s for the investment made to produce public goods and environmental services e.g. carbon. It should also be pointed out that although the policy is comprehensive enough, it does not specify the institutional arrangements or a budget line for the operationalization of the policy National Land Resources Management Policy and Strategy (2000) The National Land Resources Management Policy and Strategy of 2000 aims at promoting the efficient, diversified and sustainable use of land based resources for both agriculture and other uses to ensure sustainable socio-economic development. The review of the policy showed that it promotes adoption of agroforestry through the following: i. Improvement and sustainability of land productivity for agriculture and other uses through appropriate soil and water conservation practices. ii. iii. iv. Rehabilitation of degraded land for agricultural production and other uses. Effective management of land resources by communities. Development of sustainable land management technologies. v. Use of incentives such as loan guarantees and provision of tax rebates as a way of rewarding land users who have successfully implemented good land management practices, including soil conservation. vi. vii. Management, conservation and utilization of natural resources in order to ensure sustainable land and ecosystem productivity. Recognition of roles of women and gender and population even though these are not mainstreamed in the entire policy document. One of the important gaps identified during the review is that although it highlights the role of other stakeholders in implementing the policy, it does not specifically assign roles to 24

26 particular institutions. Thus, there is no specific institution mentioned in the policy to take a leading role in ensuring that the above agroforestry-related initiatives are being implemented. Nevertheless, the National Land Resources Management Policy is one of the few policies where agroforestry-related issues are highly addressed National Environmental Action Plan (2003) The National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) (1994) and the revised NEAP (2003) provide a framework for environmental integration in socio-economic development of Malawi. The review has identified the following issues that relate to agroforestry. NEAP: i. calls for the promotion of agroforestry by developing acceptable agroforestry packages, promotion of extension and strengthening farmer training to increase adoption rates of agroforestry technologies, among others. ii. iii. iv. encourages the Ministry of Agriculture to promote appropriate technologies for cultivating steep slopes. Agroforestry could play an important role in this regard. promotes mixed cropping and intercropping including legumes to improve soil fertility. Some of the leguminous tree or shrub species are an integral component of agroforestry. encourages the keeping of small ruminants such as goats, sheep and rabbits by smallholder farmers. Some of the agroforestry technologies could then be used to provide fodder for the livestock The National Water Policy (2004) The National Water Policy of 2004 whose overall goal is to promote sustainable management and utilization of water resources in order to provide water of acceptable quality and quantity, efficiently and effectively, was also reviewed. The review showed that the policy does not contain many strategies that have much bearing on the scaling up of agroforestry in Malawi. The only issue that would indirectly promote agroforestry in Malawi is that the policy calls for the promotion of effective participation of the forestry sector in water resources catchment protection, conservation and management. 25

27 3.2.7 National Action Plan of Adaptation (2006) The National Action Plan of Adaptation of 2006 was prepared with the primary objective of identifying and promoting activities that address the urgent and immediate needs for adapting to the adverse impacts of climate change among rural communities in the vulnerable areas in the country. The NAPA recognizes that extensification of land use resulted in deforestation, land degradation and soil erosion, thereby exacerbating the adverse impacts of climate variation. The review of the policy document showed that the NAPA has 15 priority actions which were ranked according to their degree of urgency. Four urgent activities that are relevant to agroforestry are as follows: i. Improving community resilience to climate change through development of sustainable rural livelihoods, specifically the promotion of sustainable wetland (dimba) cultivation. ii. iii. iv. Improve crop production through the use of sustainable and appropriate technologies. Agroforestry technologies could play a leading role in this regard. Targeting aforestation programmes that aim at restoration of forests (particularly in the Shire Valley) to reduce siltation and associated water flow problems. Creation of buffers along the Shire River and other rivers, planting fast growing species in catchments. In addition, it promotes management of forest fires. The implementation strategy specifies that it will promote growing of diverse fruits and indigenous fruit domestication using agroforestry practices. 3.3 AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY POLICIES In this review, agricultural productivity policies include all those that have a direct bearing on agricultural development. The policies reviewed under this classification are presented below: Agriculture Sector Wide Approach (2009) The Agriculture Sector Wide Approach (ASWAp) of 2009 is a means for achieving the agricultural growth and poverty alleviation goals of the MGDS which is being implemented from As a priority investment programme, the ASWAp focuses on food security 26

28 and risk management, commercial agriculture, agro-processing and market development and sustainable management of natural resources among others. The agroforestry related issues identified in the policy document were as follows: i. The policy promotes the production of quality legumes and inclusion of legume seed in the input subsidy programme. Legumes are an integral part in agroforestry systems for improved soil fertility. ii. iii. iv. The policy promotes the development of fruit nurseries and planting of fruit trees on the national tree planting day and further intends to finance the procurement of planting materials and other materials related to community nurseries for agroforestry seedlings production. The policy further promotes technologies that build soil fertility, e.g. biomass from agroforestry trees, manure application, among others. The policy also intends to promote catchment area management and protection through the Water Users Association and community afforestation including establishment of fruit orchards. v. The policy intends to increase the capacity of the research and extension systems to respond to farmers technology needs by generating and disseminating appropriate technologies for sustainable agricultural productivity increases. vi. The policy intends to scale up nutritional support to people living with HIVand AIDS. Agroforestry technologies could act as a safety net for affected smallholder farmers. One important gap in the ASWAp is that it does not outline the institutions that would take a leading role in the implementation of the agroforestry-related strategies, Since the ASWAp is the main policy guiding the attainment of agricultural-related goals of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) between 2006 and 2011, but lead institution to drive agroforestry is not specifically assigned to nay institution Crop Production Policy (1987) The Crop Production Policy of 1987 aims at promoting a balanced and diversified production of food and cash crops to meet the country s requirements for food, foreign exchange and raising rural income. Specifically the agroforestry related issues identified include the following: 27