Agroecology key to climate resilience for Malawi’s farmers

Across Malawi, farming families are facing shrinking harvests, rising costs and growing uncertainty as climate change tightens its grip on rural livelihoods.

With most households depending on agriculture, experts say the future of communities depends on how farming systems adapt to a changing climate.

Speaking after a stakeholder engagement meeting on the integration of agroecology into national climate change policies and plans held earlier this week in Salima, Julius Ng’oma, National Coordinator for Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC), said climate change management in Malawi must put farmers and their livelihoods at the centre.

Ng’oma said while adaptation and mitigation are widely recognised as key climate responses, their success in Malawi depends largely on transforming agriculture, where the impacts of climate change are most visible.

“Most communities in Malawi are farming communities, and that means climate change is directly affecting their food production and incomes,” he said. “Farmers need to change the way they farm in order to adapt.”

He explained that agroecology has emerged as one of the most promising approaches, as it addresses both adaptation and mitigation.

By integrating trees with crops, reducing external inputs and improving soil and water management, agroecology helps farmers cope with climate shocks while reducing emissions over time.

According to Ng’oma, farmers who have adopted agroecological practices are already sharing positive experiences.

He said the approach supports livelihoods by lowering production costs and providing additional benefits such as firewood, food diversity and improved soil fertility. “When you grow trees together with crops, farmers save on inputs and become more resilient to climate impacts,” he said.

He added that agroecology also aligns with emerging opportunities in carbon markets, where farmers can potentially earn income from carbon credits if they enter appropriate agreements.

“Even without participating in carbon markets, agroecology helps sequester carbon from the atmosphere, so it works on both sides,” Ng’oma said.

However, he acknowledged that agroecology is not yet widely adopted, largely due to challenges such as limited land, start-up capital and insufficient understanding of the approach. “This is a knowledge-intensive farming system,” he said.

“Farmers need technical support to understand what agroecology entails and how to implement it within their landscapes.” Ng’oma noted that while full agroecological systems are still limited, several components are gaining traction.

Climate-smart agriculture practices, water harvesting and conservation technologies, intercropping and the use of drought-resistant crops are increasingly being adopted as farmers respond to frequent droughts and erratic rainfall.

He also highlighted growing interest among farmers in using climate information services to guide planting decisions, alongside crop insurance to manage climate-related risks.