Malawi is facing a silent crisis beneath its feet. With over 29 tons of topsoil lost per hectare each year—ten times the global average—the country’s soil degradation is threatening food security, farmer livelihoods, and climate resilience. In response, the Government of Malawi, with World Bank support, launched a soil health pilot programme offering payments to farmers for adopting sustainable practices. But designing such a scheme is no small feat—it requires alignment, trust, and collaboration among a diverse set of actors.
That’s where Clim-Eat and the Farmers Union of Malawi stepped in, facilitating a national consultation process to bring stakeholders together—from civil society and research institutions to government and farmer organizations. The approach was praised as inclusive and iterative, helping build a strong evidence base for the pilot. Yet, a review of the process also highlighted some gaps: notably, the limited direct participation of practicing farmers, and limited follow-up and communication after the consultations.
This disconnect highlights a key learning: stakeholder engagement must go beyond workshops. It’s about ongoing transparency, feedback loops, and keeping everyone aligned from design through delivery.
Clim-Eat’s new discussion starter, “What’s in a Deal?”, unpacks the process behind Malawi’s soil health pilot—what worked, what didn’t, and what it takes to turn inclusive consultations into real-world progress. Curious? Read the full piece here and join the conversation.
As always, the Discussion Starters are meant to spark conversation, so we invite reflections by contacting the lead author at daan@clim-eat.org.
