Food Assistance Fact Sheet - Malawi

April 4, 2013

Food Security Situation

Map of Malawi
CIA World Factbook

  • Landlocked Malawi, which ranks 171 out of 187 countries in the 2011 UN Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Index, is a low-income country with 40 percent of the population living in poverty.

  • The 2011-2012 season experienced prolonged dry spells which withered field crops including maize, a staple of the Malawian diet. Lack of fuel and other unfavorable macro-economic factors caused an increase in food prices and exacerbated food insecurity. Unfavorable weather has continued to affect the southern part of Malawi.

  • Approximately 1.97 million people are projected to face annual food deficits ranging from three to six months during the 2012-2013 consumption year. The affected population represents 13 percent of the population compared to two percent recorded in 2011. These affected population groups are located in 15 districts in the central and southern regions of the country.

Food Assistance Programs

  • The Office of Food for Peace (FFP) now targets approximately 229,976 food-insecure Malawian households,  focusing on children under age five, pregnant and lactating women, orphans and vulnerable children, people living with HIV, and chronically ill people in Balaka, Chickwawa, Chiradzulu, Machinga, Mulanje, Nsanje, Thyolo, and Zomba districts in southern Malawi.

  • FFP partners with a Catholic Relief Services-led consortium on a variety of activities including agricultural and microenterprise development, village savings and loan projects, community health outreach, safety net food rations for vulnerable households, district and community capacity building, and improved accountability.

Food for Peace Contributions

Total Contributions:

  U.S. Dollars Metric Tons
Fiscal Year 2013 $27.2 million 36,122 MT
Fiscal Year 2012 $30.0 million 28,840 MT
Fiscal Year 2011 $20.7 million 21,220 MT
Fiscal Year 2010 $18.0 million 17,190 MT
Fiscal Year 2009 $18.9 million 25,230 MT

Fiscal Year 2013 Contribution Breakdown:

  U.S. Dollars Metric Tons
Title II Development $20.0 million 26,850 MT
Title II Emergency $1.2 million 830 MT
Emergency Food Security Program (EFSP) $6.0 million 8,442 MT

Note: EFSP: Emergency Food Security Program; FY: Fiscal Year; Metric Ton; UNDP: United Nations Development Program; USD: U.S. Dollar; WFP: World Food Program
Food Security Situation information provided by FEWS NET and WFP as of April 2013.

Country Specific Guidance

Last updated: April 04, 2013

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