World Bank grant to boost agricultural productivity

The World Bank has approved a grant of US $40 million to strengthen irrigation systems in Malawi and help raise the net incomes of 196,550 poor rural households. The 'Irrigation, Rural Livelihoods and Agricultural Development' project aims to boost production among Malawi’s subsistence farmers that have suffered four consecutive years of drought and diminished harvests. The project will focus on infrastructure development, increasing output, transferring agricultural technology and improving access to markets for Malawi’s farmers that rely primarily on rainfed agriculture. In a press release on Tuesday, the project task team leader, Tijan Sallah, said “This is an important project for Malawi because it addresses a major economic vulnerability that Malawi faces: weather risks – Farmers [will] have a better control of water to increase their yields, access markets, and increase their incomes." The grant will be funded through the International Development Association (IDA), which provides interest-free loans. Zeria Ntambuzeni Banda, a World Bank spokes person in Malawi, told IRIN “the Ministry of Agriculture will be the responsible agency - we have confidence in the Malawi government and expect the contracts to be executed accordingly.” Despite having access to large bodies of water, only two percent of Malawi’s arable land is under irrigation. The project aims to extend existing irrigation schemes and develop new ones benefiting 10,200 households. Through various programmes the project expects to create employment opportunities, provide fertiliser, and build rural assets benefiting 168,250 poor farm households.