Land Health: Land health surveillance system in support of Malawi food security project

The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) with funding from the Irish Aid Malawi, has been implementing a four-year nation-wide programme known as the Agroforestry Food Security Programme (AFSP) in 11 districts and eight Agricultural Development Divisions (ADDs): Shire Valley, Blantyre, Machinga, Lilongwe, Salima, Kasungu, Mzuzu, and Karonga ADDs since its inception in January 2007. The AFSP has six specific objectives as follows: Target, prioritize, adapt and demonstrate fertilizer, fodder, fruit and fuel-wood trees portfolio options in eleven selected districts with suitable biophysical, geographical and social niches for agroforestry interventions, including vulnerable sub-populations (HIV/AIDS afflicted, food insecure, poor, women); Engage partners in developing and applying strategies for sustainable supply and delivery systems of quality tree germplasm to meet massive demand by smallholder farmers; Engage, mobilize and sensitize policy makers to formulate appropriate policy mechanisms and instruments for mainstreaming agroforestry and catalyzing its adoption at the district and national levels; Improve strategies for accessing functional and equitable input markets and market support systems for agroforestry products that increase prices paid to farmers for their outputs and reduce costs incurred by farmers for needed inputs; Strengthen and mobilize the capacity of national and local institutions and development agencies in sc aling up agro-forestry and develop strategies for institutionalizing agroforestry research for development in Malawi; Mainstream agro-forestry into national development plans and community based land-use and management practices.