Abstract
Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) emerged in the early 2000s with the aim to promote agricultural development and economic growth through local sourcing. As it builds on the power of local purchase, the programme holds a great promise for smallholder farmers. Despite the potentials in HGSF, studies on its contribution to poverty reduction efforts have remained superficial, with little empirical evidence on the impact. This study thus examines the contributions of HGSF to Poverty Reduction among beneficiary smallholder farmers. Specifically, the study explores the extent to which HGSF impacts on poverty reduction and the role it plays in the diversification of crop production in Malawi. The study adopts a mixed method design, utilising household surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews in Phalombe and Chiradzulu districts of Southern Malawi. Inherent in the study is the use of crop diversity mapping techniques, seasonal calendars, and the effects diagramme to analyse and inform the relevance of HGSF in addressing poverty concerns among smallholder farmers. The implications of this study are far reaching as the findings provide a basis for using HGSF to optimise food supply chains, farm-to-market linkages through a structured demand model as well as support crop diversity production in historically food insecure communities.
Presenters
Gilbert Ngwaneh MikiStudent, PhD, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Food Production and Sustainability
KEYWORDS
Home-Grown School Feeding, Poverty Reduction, Crop Diversity and Food Security
