Decade of poverty for the rural poor

The International Fund for Agriculture (Ifad) says since 2004, Malawi’s rural poverty rate has stagnated at 56 percent.

Ifad, a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN) mandated to enable poor rural women and men to improve their food security and nutrition, has since attributed this to low agricultural productivity in the rural areas.

In its Republic of Malawi Country Strategic Opportunities Programme 2023/30, Ifad said: “Rural poverty is driven by low agricultural productivity, the scarcity of non-farm income opportunities, the small size of most farms, frequent droughts and flooding and the limited rural coverage of social safety nets.”

Available data shows that the agriculture sector employs around 85 percent of the workforce and contributes 40 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 80 percent of export earnings.

However, the country’s predominantly rain-fed, low-input smallholder agricultural system is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change as frequent droughts and floods, in particular, destroy livelihoods and reduce households’ asset base.

Ifad said 56 percent rural Malawians are wallowing in rural poverty and earning less than $1.90 (K2 000) per day.

Enala Kaunda, a resident of Mzokoto in  Rumphi District says since she was born, she has struggled her whole life.

Born in March 2004 and now married with two children, the vision for a good life that she has once hoped for is slowly fading.

She says: “When we were young, we were taught to rely on farming for survival such that with the passage of time, helping my parents in income generation became a priority.

“I dropped out of school in Standard Four and I don’t wish to get back there as now I am obliged to help my children to at least, get the education and maybe, a good life that I have only desired.”

Kaunda recalls that by the time she was born, her parents could work in a field, doing piece works where with K10 000, they could afford some basic necessities.

“But now, things have not gotten any better, we can hardly find some piece works and if we do, the payments are not enough,” she said, adding that piecework on the farm can now fetch her family between K30 000 and K40 000.

But with that, Kaunda has to strike a balance between buying basic necessities and supporting her little ones with their education.

In an interview on Tuesday, Centre for Social Concern economic governance officer Bernard Mphepo observed that in rural areas, many are wallowing in poverty because of poor policies in agriculture.

He, however, said for the urban dweller, low minimum wage is the challenge.

Said Mphepo: “Malawi economy is dependent on agriculture, yet we are unable to create a profitable market for agriculture. The rich are the ones benefiting from agriculture.

“The country is also failing to create employment for its citizens; hence, being unable to create income to move them out of poverty.”

The stagnating poverty levels are parallel to the sustainable development goals (SDG)number 1 of ending poverty in all its forms everywhere  in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

A progress report in the achievement of SDGs as monitored through National SDGs Reports and Voluntary National Reviews indicate that people across the country, especially rural women, children, youth, and persons with disabilities indicate that their poverty status has worsened.

Meanwhile, the Malawi 2063, which defines the country’s long-term development goals, calls for a shift from low productivity, subsistence agriculture to a highly productive commercial farming.