The State of Agroecology in Malawi: A Review

Abstract Agricultural productivity is facing various challenges in many parts of the world including Malawi. These challenges are mostly associated with soil fertility decline and the increase in crop pests and diseases. The effects of the challenges are exacerbated by increasing human population that puts pressure on the land resources, which results in climate change that manifests in the form of droughts and extreme rainfall events. Furthermore, there is evidence of negative effects on food systems and environment, as a result of the influence of chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers that are applied to agroecosystems. In recent years, countries have been promoting various agroecological practices that consider ecological and social aspects, with the aim of sustaining productivity of agroecosystems. The aim of this paper is to review the use of agroecological practices for increased agricultural productivity in Malawi. Efforts are made to check which of the FAO agroecological elements are commonly promoted in the practices. Published literature on Malawi complemented by results of a scoping study indicate that while some agroecological practices such as diversified legume cropping systems are becoming popular among smallholder farmers, uptake of a good number of technologies such as conservation agriculture (CA), agroforestry and compost manure still faces challenges. On the other hand, technologies such as biofertilizers and biopesticides need more research, infrastructure, and human capacity development in Malawi. Furthermore, diversity and recycling are FAO agroecology elements that are more prominently addressed by papers on Malawi’s agricultural and food systems. From this review it is noted that there is still need for more effort in the promotion of agroecological interventions with efforts on ensuring its sustained uptake by farmers.