Interdependences between Smallholder Farming and Environmental Management in Rural Malawi: A Case of Agriculture-Induced Environmental Degradation in Malingunde Extension Planning Area (EPA)

Abstract

The objective of this article was to develop a deeper understanding of the interdependences between smallholder farming and the state of environmental management in rural Malawi. We examined the agricultural local governance framework in Malingunde Extension Planning Area (EPA), its contribution to food security and how it conflicts with overall land and forest resources management. The charcoal production process was discussed in line with its implications for agricultural production and environmental sustainability. The smallholder households employ inappropriate land management practices, engage in agricultural production on unsuitable land and use fertile soils, timber and firewood for brick production and construction and secondly engage in charcoal production (deforestation) as a coping mechanism against food deficiency. However, while detrimental in its own right, this environmental degradation in the area cannot be explicitly pinned to, for instance, the total charcoal supply being out of balance with wood stocks or insufficient land. It is, rather, usually due to failures to provide incentives to manage land and forest resources in a manner that allows regeneration of both the soils and wood stocks in the area. An improvement in the quality and quantity of the smallholder agriculture sector production would promote significantly the environmental management efforts

Living with Climate Change: Assessment of the Adaptive Capacities of Smallholders in Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia

“…Intervention in the landscape such as proper forest, agricultural, soil and water management and initiatives in alternative livelihoods, energy and good governance have double benefits in building adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers and resilience of the agro-ecology. This is in parallel to the study by Munthali and Murayama [44] that indicated the interdependences between smallholder farming and environmental management. Farmers responded that institutional integration, collective action and improvement of the declining resources conditions in the landscapes could help to bring higher odds of outcomes in climate-specific and climate-relevant capacities, and enable to build the resilience and adaptive capacity of farmers.…”

Information needs and barriers of rural smallholder farmers in developing countries

“…The smallholder sector is further subdivided into subsistence and commercial smallholder farming (Chirwa and Matita, 2012). The smallholder sector employs 80% of the rural population (Munthali and Murayama, 2013). The population of rural smallholder farmers in Mzimba North is 113,852 (Mzimba North District Agriculture Office, 2014).…”

Water resources management and Integrated Water Resources Management implementation in Malawi: Status and implications for lake basin management

“…Firewood and charcoal are the major sources of household energy supply for 99% of our survey respondents. Interestingly, due to affordability issues, most of the population connected to the national electricity grid across the country use it mainly for lighting, while still using charcoal as well for cooking and heating (Munthali & Murayama 2013). Lack of affordable alternative energy sources remains an important root cause of deforestation, threatening the sustainability of the resource base.…”