Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has just allocated $ 4.4 million for the Malawi Second Agriculture Sector Wide Approach Support Project (ASWAp SPII).
The funds will be channeled through the World Bank Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) for farmers in 12 districts.
The farmers are expected to benefit from climate resilience technologies, new crop varieties, and improved agronomic practices.
According to Greg Toulmin, World Bank Country Manager for Malawi, the collective effort of development partners in supporting ASWAp SPII in Malawi continues to show impact and good outcomes in nutrition and women’s empowerment, leading to more inclusive economic growth and increased resilience in Agriculture.
Investments under the project will include road rehabilitation, which is critical to ensuring access to markets, capacity building of Ministry of Agriculture personnel, and establishment of model villages as demonstration hubs for good agricultural practices, led and managed by the own beneficiaries.
The second phase of the ASWAp multi-donor trust fund, supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID), European Union (EU), the Government of Flanders, the Norwegian Government and the Government of Ireland, started in 2018 and is expected to reach more than 350,000 people by December 2021.
As a reminder, the agricultural sector provides almost a third of Malawi’s GDP according to the African Development Bank.