Malawi

Together with IFAD and Resilient Food Systems programme, the Government of Malawi is implementing ERASP, which builds primarily on the Programme for Rural Irrigation Development (PRIDE) and links with another IFAD-funded intervention, the Sustainable Agriculture Production Programme (SAPP).

ERASP promotes interventions in three districts, covering an estimated 35,000 hectares and involving 25,680 farmers. The approach focuses on a comprehensive landscape planning process for the sub-catchments, adding an agroecological approach to improving food security, and raising agricultural yields on rain-fed farming systems through climate-smart and conservation agriculture techniques. 

The project is structured around three principal components: 

1. Establishing a multi-stakeholder institutional framework for Integrated Catchment Management (ICM);
2. Scaling up catchment-level Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices; and 
3. Monitoring and assessing ecosystem services, resilience and food security. 

Sustainability of the project is generated through a strong incentive framework, a high level of technical support, and cross-cutting aspects related to value chains, capacity building, knowledge management, and monitoring and reporting. 

The project aims to meet the following targets:

Multi-stakeholder institutional framework established for integrated catchment area management.

• Develop informed natural resource management (NRM) and SLM decision-making based on improved evidence base.
• Establish effective NRM planning and coordination mechanism through the operational Catchment Management Committees involving upper, mid and downstream communities.

Catchment-level SLM practices scaled up. 

• Increase sustainability of farming system productivity and improved resilience to droughts and floods.
• Provide 16,600 farmers with sufficient water for crop and livestock production needs.

Monitoring and assessment of ecosystem services, resilience and food security established. 

• Reduce land degradation prevalence from 46–60% to less than 40%.

The project engages the following national-level departments and ministries: Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development; Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services; Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, which houses the Environmental Affairs Department; Ministry of Finance; Department of Land Resources and Conservation; Department of Forestry; Department of Fisheries; Department of Animal Health and Livestock; Department of Agricultural Extension Services; and Department of Disaster Risk Management. Other stakeholders include local universities, CSOs, and local-level authorities in the target areas. The total number of beneficiaries engaged directly by the project are 15,793 male and 16,381 female farmers.