Evidence for Transformation
Healthy foods cost more and differ by Region in Sub-Saharan Africa: A meta-analysis
November 27, 2025
MwAPATA researcher Minofu, with co-authors Maonga, Phiri and Matumba from the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), present the systematic review and meta-analysis of healthy food costs across ten countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa. The analysis reveals that nutrient-rich foods, particularly vegetables and animal-source products, are significantly more expensive per kilocalorie than staple foods. The findings support the need for regionally tailored, nutrition-sensitive interventions and point to the urgency of investing in subnational, seasonally disaggregated cost monitoring systems.
September 12, 2025
MwAPATA researchers Munthali, Nankwenya, Nyirenda, Chilora, and Chiwaula, with co-authors Chirombo and Troosters from Catholic Relief Services (CRS) utilize data from the 2023 Malawi Green Corps Survey, and employed the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) approach to assess the impact of green jobs on the welfare of youths in Malawi. The findings of the study underscore the transformative potential of green jobs in providing decent employment opportunities for youths in Malawi. Consequently, this study recommends that the government and other stakeholders develop strategies and policies to effectively engage youths in the green sectors, ensuring sustainable development and economic resilience.
Assessment of agricultural diversification strategies and rural household food security in Malawi
September 11, 2025
MwAPATA researchers Gondwe, Chilora, Chiwaula and Goeb asses agricultural diversification strategies and rural household food security in Malawi. They find that agricultural diversification is positively associated with household per capita income and household dietary diversity. The study recommends diversification strategies which policymakers should consider to enhance rural household welfare. We further suggest other factors which need to be considered when promoting these strategies.
The impact of site-specific soil-test-based extension advice on farm management in Malawi
March 24, 2025
MwAPATA researchers Nyondo, Minofu, Goeb and Burke, with co-authors Kambewa, Chikowo and Snapp, present their findings on the impact of site-specific soil-test-based extension advice on farm management in Malawi. The results of the study suggest significant improvements in sustainable intensification within the treatment group, with gains in farmer experimentation and adoption of organic inputs and management practices in both the year of advice and one year later.
March 5, 2025
In this article, Jere, Zidana, Chatambalala, Mwafulirwa and Nyirenda assess donkey production and marketing by specifically focusing on the socioeconomic characteristics of donkey farmers, current donkey production practices, and the current donkey marketing practices in Malawi. The study recommends the need to commercialize donkey farming, formalize marketing, and improve donkey extension to help farmers use modern techniques and technologies in breeding, feeding, parasites and disease control to facilitate access to better markets.
March 3, 2025
MwAPATA researchers Chilora and Munthali, with co-authors Wineman (Michigan State University) and Khonje (CAB International) to investigate tilapia species that farmers in Malawi produce and the impact of this choice on income. The findings of the study reveal that household characteristics, institutional factors, and farm characteristics all influence farmers’ choice of tilapia species. The study also reveals that producing both Coptodon rendalli and Oreochromis shiranus species positively correlates with household income.
Can adoption of improved seed varieties spur long-term food security in Malawi?
August 10, 2024
MwAPATA researcher Salonga, with co-authors Khonje and Matchaya, test the hypothesis that adoption of improved seed varieties (ISV) improves crop productivity and income, dietary diversity, and short-term child nutrition outcomes. The findings of the study suggest that intensifying development and promoting use of nutrition-sensitive ISV among smallholder farming households could be key to sustainably address food insecurity and child malnutrition.
.jpg)
Productivity and profitability of small-scale aquaculture in Malawi
May 24, 2024
In this article, MwAPATA Researchers Munthali, Chilora, Nankwenya, Chiwaula and Muyanga, with co-author Wineman from Michigan State University, assess the production, yield, profit, and profit per square metre of small-scale fish farms and explores their determinants using regression analysis. The study reveals that production and profit are positively associated with the use of farms for both fingerling and grow-out production and the number of years the farm has existed, while yield and profit/m2 are positively associated with the use of high-quality inputs such as commercial feed and inorganic fertilisers.
June 30, 2023
Using Malawi and its agricultural subsidy programme as a case study, MwAPATA researchers Nyondo, Nyirenda, Muyanga and Burke, demonstrate how global fertiliser price rises can affect domestic fertiliser prices. They also propose strategies countries can consider to lessen their vulnerability and the burden price rises pose on farm household food security and the stability of national economies.
June 3, 2023
This study by researchers Nyirenda and Nyondo, from the MwAPATA Institute, with co-authors Jogo, Hareau, Okello and Gatto, reveal that most of the critical nodes of orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) seed system are underdeveloped. The study recommends integrating formal and informal seed systems for vegetatively propagated crops to improve access to quality planting materials by farmers.
Sustainable Intensification in Jeopardy: Transdisciplinary Evidence from Malawi
May 6, 2022
MwAPATA Researchers Burke and Jayne, with co-authors Sieglinde Snapp (CIMMYT) and Brad Peter (University of Alabama) organize data drawing on decades of research, farmer surveys, field visits, and remote sensing satellites to find trends in Malawian productivity. They find troubling evidence that soil fertility and yield responses to fertilizer may be declining in key parts of the country. They call for a more holistic approach and provide specific recommendations on how to ensure a productive future.
May 1, 2022
MwAPATA Researchers Khonje and Muyanga, with co-authors Jacob Ricker-Gilbert (Purdue University) and Matin Qaim (Georg-August-University of Goettingen), examine the relationship between child malnutrition and farm-level production diversity (FPD). Though often considered an important strategy, the evidence linking FPD to improved nutritional status has been thin. This article thus sheds valuable insights.
Exploring Adoption Effects of Subsidies and Soil Fertility Management in Malawi
March 29, 2022
MwAPATA Researchers Khonje, Nyondo, Chilora, Mangisoni and Burke, with co-author Jacob Ricker-Gilbert of Purdue University, present their findings on the relationships between input subsidies and integrated soil fertility management. The research shows participation in the farm input subsidy program between 2010 and 2019 is associated with increased probability of adopting soil and water conservation, as well as organic fertilizer use.
February 1, 2022
MwAPATA Researchers Burke and Jayne, with co-author Sieglinde Snapp, use state-of-the-art methods to collect and analyze data on farmer fertilizer use and productivity to understand the levels and drivers of yield responses to fertilizers on Malawian maize fields. They find troubling evidence of low economic returns to fertilizer use, but also show data indicating how to improve Malawian agricultural productivity.
Trends in Tobacco Production and Prices in Malawi
October 4, 2021
MwAPATA Researchers Wineman, Chilora and Jayne present findings on farm-gate prices for tobacco, which have declined in recent years relative to the prices of maize or fertilizer. In addition, the share of the export price received by farmers has declined over time. Likely as a result, they find, a transition away from tobacco - often noted as an important policy objective in Malawi - has already occurred. They discuss the implications of their findings in this contribution to Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
The Codependence Between Nutrition, Resilience, and Sustainable Food Systems
September 8, 2021
MwAPATA Researchers Khonje and Burke, with co-authors Fregene and Toda of the African Development Bank, contributed Chapter 6 to the 2021 African Agricultural Status Report. This meta-analysis examines the relationship between nutrition and resilience in the agricultural sector, concluding one seldom exists without the other. The recommendations emphasize the importance of research, development and extension, and consider a potential role for food and production subsidies for nutritious food.
