El- Niño: Tackling Malawi's food shortage through technology and tradition

In Malawi, the effects of El Niño - a recurring weather phenomenon that has historically caused below-average rainfall in southern Africa, exacerbating drought conditions - have been devastating, with further severe rainfall deficits reported over the last month.  

Millions of people who rely on locally grown food, particularly maize, are facing critical food security challenges. Forced into a corner, Malawians are using a combination of technological advancements and a return to traditional farming practices to battle what some scientists say are climate change-induced weather fluctuations causing frequent disasters.  

This shift is crucial because, as of 2022, 5.4 million Malawians out of roughly 17 million people are lacking consistent access to food. This situation deepens the poverty of subsistence farmers, making it increasingly difficult for them to sustain themselves.

The State of Malawian Agriculture

Amid the pressing issue of climate change, the developing nation in South-East Africa has faced serious environmental problems. Farming regions, covering about 49% of the land, have been deeply affected by disasters such as prolonged droughts, floods, and storms. Adding to these challenges are political and economic hurdles, such as ongoing problems with importing chemical fertilizers from Russia and a shrinking national economy. Consequently, Malawi's food security has reached a critical level. With 97% of farmers in Malawi growing Maize, a crop promoted almost entirely by a historic British colonial interest in growing an easy source of calories for plantation workers, the years of monoculture growth have severely deteriorated soil conditions.  

Further, in the face of increasingly threatened food security, Malawi’s rural community, which comprises approximately 80% of the country’s population, is slowly moving back towards hybrid planting and farming ‘old’ near-forgotten crops which have historically been grown on the same land – such as yams and finger millet. Previous generations practiced intercropping and refrained from using inorganic fertilizers, focusing instead on diverse crop varieties.

However, even with this significant move towards more traditional farming practises, the surrounding & ever-worsening environmental conditions have massively damaged overall yield and have resulted in an intensifying food crisis; with the widespread stunting of children as a result of malnutrition and millions experiencing hunger.

How Satellite technology is Helping Malawian Farmers    

As a consequence of this crisis, the criticality of tech adoption and progressive digitalisation has been emphasised by both the Malawian government and the international community. Widespread initiatives have been put in place to, for example, develop expansive irrigation systems nationwide and the Malawian Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has been disseminating said technologies and required knowledge through a network of ‘Extension Agents’ operating across Malawi’s rural communities, directly approaching Malawi’s farming households which are still reliant on rain for crop irrigation. ‘Social learning’ methods in particular have been noted as being exceptionally helpful in the uptake of these much-needed technologies in Malawi.  

Beyond the boundaries of Malawi, new programmes and cutting-edge technologies are also directly contributing towards our understanding of how such climate crises can be mitigated and responded to.  

Particularly, space-based remote sensing technologies are revolutionising our understanding of agriculture and agricultural practice optimisation. With Thermal Infrared Data, for instance, we can read temperature, monitor vegetation and soil health, and derive insights on water and carbon with an unprecedented level of accuracy.

In this case study, maize crops cover the entire landscape, although not all the hottest areas are entirely maize fields, they are predominantly surrounded by them. These elevated temperatures in specific regions indicate potential crop stress, particularly when compounded with drought conditions, posing a significant threat to yields. This concern is heightened as maize crops in the region enter the maturation phase during the initial months of the year, making them particularly vulnerable to temperature increases.

The image above demonstrates how satellite-based Thermal Infrared (TIR) data can optimise irrigation systems by pinpointing stressed areas within fields where crops are struggling.

According to the WFP's seasonal monitor, February was the driest period in 40 years for Zambia and Zimbabwe, with Malawi and Mozambique also experiencing severe rainfall deficits. These conditions had a significant impact on harvests and crop health, leading to the declared state of emergency due to drought.  

Furthermore, maize remains a vital crop in Malawi, serving as both a staple food and a cash crop. It plays a crucial role in food security and is cultivated throughout the country.

Given farming's dependence on rainfall, Land Surface Temperature (LST) data will be essential for monitoring drought conditions. This early warning system allows farmers to adjust their strategies proactively, such as by altering planting schedules or selecting drought-resistant crop varieties. Moreover, abnormal temperature patterns indicating crop stresses, such as diseases, can be quickly identified, enabling farmers to adapt their practices to promote healthier and more productive crops.

Future Outlook

Over the past years, one can observe a clear evolution in Malawi’s agricultural thinking and practises as a necessary consequence of the ongoing food crisis. Each of the practical and technological developments highlighted above can be argued as a cause for optimism when assessing the future of Malawi’s response to the crisis. However, there are a series of critical factors which are impeding the ability of Malawi and its rural communities to fully respond the crisis. Some examples of such factors are listed below:  

• Political and Regulatory Barriers to Digitalisation: Bureaucracy and complex regulations can be seen to have slowed down digital transformation efforts. Clearer policies and regulatory frameworks for digital technologies are needed.
• Limited Financial Resources for Digital Initiatives: Malawi's low-income status poses challenges for investing in digital infrastructure and initiatives. Development partners could therefore consider reallocating administrative and programming costs towards digital projects and training.
• Digital Literacy Rates and Resistance to Change: Digital literacy rates, especially among older and rural populations, are often limited, which can impede the widespread adoption of digital technologies. Educational outreach programmes are therefore essential.  
• Insufficient Collaboration for Digital Progress: The lack of collaboration between government, private sector, and civil society organisations hampers collective efforts for digitalisation.

In the face of such challenges, the need for innovative and radical approaches is clear. Rural communities which are especially vulnerable to climate change, such as those in Malawi, must be supported in the implementation of these new approaches; through, for example, financial incentivisation to diversify crops and continued efforts to educate and aid in digital uptake; there are a multitude of required steps which must be made for rural populations in developing states to be properly equipped to stand against the effects of a rapidly evolving climate. And with millions of Malawians facing chronic food insecurity as this article is being written, the drive for such change is essential.

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