Nutrition remains a serious health and development problem in Malawi. While stunting and underweight rates decreased markedly from 2004 to 2010 (from 53% to 47% and 17% to 14% respectively), the rates remain high and are a reflection of chronic shortages in food quantity and quality. USAID’s programs therefore focus on preventing chronic under-nutrition. As a lynchpin across various U.S. Government initiatives, nutrition programs are funded through multiple sources.

Feed the Future (FTF), the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, focuses broadly on value chain development (groundnuts and soya), nutrition-related behavior change communication, and agricultural policy reform. The geographic focus is on the central and southern regions of Malawi, which have limited arable land for productive agriculture and therefore present the greatest nutrition challenges. FTF emphasizes the improvement of both production and consumption of crops selected for value chain development.  USAID/Malawi’s flagship FTF project, Integrating Nutrition into Value Chains, began in April 2012 and addresses all major components of FTF’s strategy.

Related Stories and More Information

• Feed the Future Malawi Country Profile