Publications

The thought that i could continue with school got lost: a qualitative exploration of the impact of COVID-19 on the education and sexual and reproductive health of Malawi youth

Elikem Togo, Tawonga W. Mwase-Vuma, Chrissie Thakwalakwa, Elizabeth Millar, Milissa Markiewicz, Esme Kadzamira, Janine J. Kayange, Dadirai Mkombe & Jessica Fehringer

Reproductive health journal

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns altered social interactions and the health and education context of Malawian youth. It is important to understand the repercussions of the pandemic on the wellbeing of youth so that policymakers can better mitigate negative outcomes and address future pandemic needs. Methods This study used qualitative data from an evaluation of the “Secondary Education Expansion for Development” project to assess how COVID-19 impacted the education and sexual and reproductive health outcomes of youth in Malawi. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were conducted in rural and urban areas with primary and secondary school students, their caregivers and teachers, and community leaders, providing insights on how the pandemic impacted them. Results Both male and female students lost motivation to continue their learning during the COVID-19 related school closures and teacher strikes. Participants reported that some female students became pregnant, married early, and sometimes engaged in sex work to make ends meet. There were also reports of increased financial barriers to sending children to school when they reopened, and there were reports of lower grades and poorer quality of teaching post-school closures. Conclusions The findings highlight the need for community- and policy-level strategies to mitigate interruptions to students’ schooling and protect them from outcomes like pregnancy and early marriage that could further hinder their education.

Agricultural Policy, Employment Opportunities and Social Mobility in Rural Malawi

CHINSINGA, B., and CHASUKWA, M.

Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy Vol. 7, No. 1 pp. 28-50.

Narratives, Climate Change and Agricultural Policy Processes in Malawi

CHINSINGA, B., and CHASUKWA, M.

African Review (Forthcoming)

Combining survey data, GIS and qualitative interviews in the analysis of health service access for persons with disabilities. BMC International Health and Human Rights. 18. 10.1186/s12914-018-0166-2

Eide Arne H, Dyrstad Karin, Munthali Alister, Rooy Gert, Braathen Stine, Halvorsen Thomas, Persendt Frans, Mvula Peter & Rød Jan Ketil

Background: Equitable access to health services is a key ingredient in reaching health for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. So far, research on access to health services in low- and middle-income countries has largely relied on self-reported survey data. Realizing that there may be substantial discrepancies between perceived and actual access, other methods are needed for more precise knowledge to guide health policy and planning. The objective of this article is to describe and discuss an innovative methodological triangulation where statistical and spatial analysis of perceived distance and objective measures of access is combined with qualitative evidence. Methods: The data for the study was drawn from a large household and individual questionnaire based survey carried out in Namibia and Malawi. The survey data was combined with spatial data of respondents and health facilities, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. To analyse access and barriers to access, a model is developed that takes into account both measured and perceived access. The geo-referenced survey data is used to establish four outcome categories of perceived and measured access as either good or poor. Combined with analyses of the terrain and the actual distance from where the respondent s live to the health facility they go to, the data allows for categorising areas and respondents according to the four outcome categories. The four groups are subsequently analysed with respect to variation in individual characteristics and vulnerability factors. The qualitative component includes participatory map drawing and is used to gain further insight into the mechanisms behind the different combinations of perceived and actual access. Results: Preliminary results show that there are substantial discrepancies between perceived and actual access to health services and the qualitative study provides insight into mechanisms behind such divergences. Conclusion: The novel combination of survey data, geographical data and qualitative data will generate a model on access to health services in poor contexts that will feed into efforts to improve access for the most vulnerable people in underserved areas. Keywords: Health services, Vulnerable groups, Access, Low-income countries, Combining methods, Survey, Qualitative study, Geographical data

Paying for Happiness: Experimental Results from a Large Cash Transfer Program in Malawi. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. 10.1002/pam.22044

Kilburn Kelly, Handa Sudhanshu, Angeles Gustavo, Tsoka Maxton, Mvula, Peter

This study analyzes the short-term impact of an exogenous, positive income shock on caregivers’ subjective well-being (SWB) in Malawi using panel data from 3,365 households targeted to receive Malawi's Social Cash Transfer Program that provides unconditional cash to ultra-poor, labor-constrained households. The study consists of a cluster-randomized, longitudinal design. After the baseline survey, half of these village clusters were randomly selected to receive the transfer and a follow-up was conducted 17 months later. We find that the short-term impact of household income increases from the cash transfer leads to substantial SWB gains among caregivers. After a year's worth of transfers, caregivers in beneficiary households have higher life satisfaction and are more likely to believe in a better future. We examine whether program impacts on consumption, food security, resilience, and hopefulness could explain the increase in SWB but do not find that any of these mechanisms individually mediate our results.

“The family farms together, the decisions, however are made by the man” —Matrilineal land tenure systems, welfare and decision making in rural Malawi. Land Use Policy. 10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.10.048

Djurfeldt Agnes, Hillbom Ellen. O, Mulwafu Wapulumuka, Mvula Peter, Djurfeldt Göran

Improved female control over land is often put forth as a means of raising the productivity of smallholder agriculture, enhancing female bargaining power and raising women's incomes. The article uses some quantitative but primarily qualitative data on access to income and decision making, to analyse gender patterns related to welfare, incomes and control over resources in a context where women's rights to land are particularly strong, that is in a matrilineal and uxorilocal setting. Women's land rights are contextualized in relation to labour intensive, low productive smallholder systems and the paper assesses to what extent female control over land affects welfare outcomes, decision making and intra-household control over incomes and labour. While we find that female control over land does affect intra household relations it is clear that land reform is not enough to ensure gender equality. For any land use policy reform to have a profound affect it would have to also take into account control over other productive resources, e.g. labour, as well as the wider institutional and political context.

Impacts of the Malawi social cash transfer program on household food and nutrition security. Food Policy. 76. 10.1016/j.foodpol.2017.11.002

Brugh Kristen, Angeles Gustavo, Mvula Peter , Tsoka Maxton, Handa Sudhanshu

This study uses panel data for 3290 households to analyze the effect of an unconditional cash transfer on food and nutrition security among ultra-poor and vulnerable households. Study data are from an impact evaluation of the Government of Malawi's Social Cash Transfer Program, a cluster-randomized control trial that employs both random selection and random assignment. We use the difference-in-differences specification to estimate average treatment effects of the program on three components of food and nutrition security - current economic vulnerability, diet quantity, and diet quality. Results show protective program impacts during the lean season on diet quantity as beneficiary households are 11 percentage points more likely to consume multiple meals per day than control households (p < .001), have a higher level of apparent caloric availability (267.49 kcal, p < .05), are 10 percentage points less likely to be food-energy deficient (p < .05), and have a reduced hunger depth (111.11 kcal, p < .05). However, study findings indicate that after one year of program exposure beneficiary households have experienced little improvement in diet quality or current economic vulnerability to food insecurity. Clear policy and program implications emerge related to the purchasing power of the cash transfer, particularly during the lean season, and the importance of integrated social protection initiatives.

Using Photo-Elicitation Methods to Understand Resilience Among Ultra-Poor Youth and Their Caregivers in Malawi. Health Education & Behavior. 44. 109019811772875. 10.1177/1090198117728756

Barrington Clare, Villa-Torres Laura, Abdoulayi Sara, Grant Tsoka Maxton, Mvula, Peter.

Unconditional cash transfer programs are a form of structural intervention to address poverty, a “fundamental cause” of disease. Such programs increasingly aim to build resilience to sustain improved outcomes and provide a solid foundation for longer term transformations. As such, there is a need to understand what resilience means in specific contexts. The goal of this formative study was to explore local experiences of resilience and vulnerability among 11 youth–caregiver dyads (n = 22) who were beneficiaries of the Malawi Social Cash Transfer Program in Balaka district. We used a photo-elicitation approach informed by the participatory, visual methodology photovoice to guide the study and conducted an iterative content analysis using thematic coding of transcripts and photos. Participants took pictures of their daily struggles and shocks and participated in audio-recorded discussions to reflect on the photos using an adapted version of the SHOWeD method. We found that participants characterized resilience as a tireless process of using all available individual, family, and community resources at all times in pursuit of survival and well-being. In the context of daily struggles, resilience was an essential part of survival. Shocks, mostly health-related, were depicted through staged images candidly highlighting individual and environmental vulnerabilities. Community support was an essential component of resilience for both daily struggles and shocks. Using photo-elicitation methods facilitated an intergenerational, community-driven reflection on the meaning of resilience and the multilevel determinants of health in a context of extreme poverty. Findings can inform the design of resilience-focused cash transfer programs to improve health equity.

Malawi’s land problem and potential for rural conflict

Kishindo Paul & Mvula Peter

Journal of Contemporary African Studies. 35. 1-13. 10.1080/02589001.2017.1342784

Government agricultural policies which favour large-scale agriculture and rapid population growth on a limited land area have combined to create a situation of land poverty in many parts of Malawi, especially in the southern region of the country. The government’s response to land poverty has so far been focused on the creation of resettlement schemes. As such initiatives are expensive, they have tended to be piecemeal and benefit only a small fraction of land poor families. Frustrated land poor families have now resorted to land encroachment on privately held land. The emergence of movements dedicated to the restoration of estates to families with ancestral claims to the land marks a new stage in land relations which could have unwelcome consequences.

Short-term Impacts of an Unconditional Cash Transfer Program on Child Schooling: Experimental Evidence from Malawi. Economics of Education Review.

Kilburn Kelly, Handa Sudhanshu, Angeles Gustavo, Mvula Peter, Tsoka, Maxton

This study analyzes the impact of a positive income shock on child schooling outcomes using experimental data from an unconditional cash transfer program in Malawi. Since households receive the cash and parents are responsible for making spending decisions, we also examine the intervening pathways between cash transfers and child schooling. Data comes from a cluster-randomized study of Malawi's Social Cash Transfer Program (SCTP). After a baseline survey, households in village clusters were randomly assigned to treatment and control arms with treatment villages receiving transfers immediately and control villages assigned a later entry. We test for treatment impacts on a panel of school-aged children (6-17) using a differences-in-differences model. After a years’ worth of transfers, we find the Malawi SCTP both improves enrollment rates and decreases dropouts. The main intervening pathway between the program and schooling is education expenditures, suggesting that the cash improves the demand for education by reducing financial constraints.  

The Green Belt Initiative (GBI), Politics and Sugar Production in Malawi

CHINSINGA, B.

Journal of Southern African Studies: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/038057070.2016.1211401

Evaluation of the 2015/16 Farm Input Subsidy Programme in Malawi: 2015/16 Reforms and their Implications

CSR

In the 2015/16 agricultural season, the Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP) was in its 11th year of implementation providing subsidised fertilisers and seeds to smallholder farmers in Malawi. The 2015/16 subsidy programme included 150,000 MT of fertilisers (NPK and urea), 7,135 MT of maize seeds (of which 87% were hybrid maize seeds), 0.16 MT of pigeon peas, 0.03 MT of cow peas, 1.3 MT of beans, 0.53 MT of soya bean seed and 0.75 MT of groundnut seed. Several reforms were introduced in the 2015/16 programme including fixed prices for delivery of subsidised fertilizers, increase in redemption prices (farmer contribution) for both fertilizers and improved seeds, introduction of random targeting of beneficiaries and inclusion of the private sector in retailing of subsidised fertilisers in selected districts. The following are the key messages from the evaluation of the 2015/16 subsidy programme: The inclusion of the private sector in the retailing of subsidised fertilizer has substantially reduced the cost of the programme as well as improving efficiency in delivery of input in districts served by the private sector. Overall, due to inefficiency of the public sector, the delivery record for fertilizers in 2015/16 was the worst in the 11 years of implementation of the programme. Since 2010/11, there is deteriorating trend of delivery of inputs to smallholder farmers and the Government has also been inefficient in paying suppliers of inputs. Improving efficiency in programme implementation, for example by increased involvement of the private sector, is likely to maximise the use of inputs by farmers. Targeting of beneficiaries in FISP remain a major issue. The random targeting system adopted in 2015/16 season is hardly consistent with objectives of the programme. The random targeting system did not lead to any changes in targeting outcomes. The study shows that coupons were distributed fairly across the income distribution, implying that the very poor were as likely as better off households to receive coupons. Furthermore, the proportion of repeat beneficiaries was high with 40% getting coupons since 2005/06 season. There is need for better means testing targeting that excludes the non-poor from receiving subsidised inputs. The increase in the farmer contribution towards subsidised inputs did not lead to reduction in input use. There is also higher willingness from smallholder farmers to contribute more towards purchase of inputs. There is scope for further adjustments in farmers’ contribution and consideration should be made to increases in farmer contributions annually. There has been a reduction in the displacement effects of the fertiliser subsidy implying that the subsidy is also playing a role in stimulating commercial demand. The subsidy programme provides value for money and the cost reduction measures that were implemented in 2015/16 season and the high maize price has resulted in positive and higher benefit cost ratios. The major sources of cost reductions are participation of private sector in retailing, fixing the supply price of contracted fertilisers in local currency, and increasing the farmer contribution in the redemption of fertiliser coupons.

The role of social actors in water access in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Malawi and Zambia. Water Resources and Rural Development

Scanlon Ted, Paul Uguru Obinna, Jafry Tahseen, Chinsinga Blessings, Mvula Peter, Chunga Joseph, Mukuka Zimba Lilian, Mwape Mwansa, Nyundo Lucy, Mwiinga Brian, Chungu Kevin

Access to water in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) continues to be a challenge to the extent that there are more people without access to water in 2015 than in 1990. This inidcates that current approaches to water provision has been ineffective. Governments have failed to provide a structure, mechanisms or aproaches that guarantees water for ALL. Resulting in a vacuum which has been ‘filled’ by a number of social actors (NGOs, Faith Based Organisations, Donors). This paper examines the social actors involved in water access and provision in Malawi and Zambia analysing the existing methods and approaches used by them in the sector. It seeks increase understanding of the contributions and the nature of influence of each social actor group. This was achieved by collecting data on social actors through a combination of methods; focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews and workshops. Social actor analyses of the data shaped the findings. The findings indicate that water provision is multifaceted requiring improved coordination and cooperation among social actors to streamline and focus on the provsion of for ALL. It draws attention to the need for Governments to take a leading role by facilitating long term investment in the sector and promoting initiatives which incorporate the right to water access. It concludes that in order to achieve universal access to water, a new perception of rights and responsibilities is vital in communities, donors, NGOs and the public sector as one step towards reducing the number of people without water in the future.

Social Networks, Social Participation, and Health among Youth Living in Extreme Poverty in Rural Malawi. Social Science & Medicine

Rock Amelia, Barrington Clare, Abdoulayi Sara, Tsoka Maxton, Mvula Peter , Handa Sudhanshu

Extensive research documents that social network characteristics affect health, but knowledge of peer networks of youth in Malawi and sub-Saharan Africa is limited. We examine the networks and social participation of youth living in extreme poverty in rural Malawi, using in-depth interviews with 32 youth and caregivers. We describe youth's peer networks and assess how gender and the context of extreme poverty influence their networks and participation, and how their networks influence health. In-school youth had larger, more interactive, and more supportive networks than out-of-school youth, and girls described less social participation and more isolation than boys. Youth exchanged social support and influence within their networks that helped cope with poverty-induced stress and sadness, and encouraged protective sexual health practices. However, poverty hampered their involvement in school, religious schools, and community organizations, directly through lack of required material means, and indirectly by reducing time and emotional resources and creating shame and stigma. Poverty alleviation policy holds promise for improving youth's social wellbeing and mental and physical health by increasing their opportunities to form networks, receive social support, and experience positive influence.

The Social Cash Transfer Programme of Malawi: The Story of Cash Transfers and Impact Evaluation in Sub Saharan Africa

Angeles Gustavo, Abdoulayi Sara, Barrington Clare, Handa Sudhanshu, Tamanda Kainja Esmie, Mvula, Peter, Mwamlima Harry, Tsoka, Maxton, Spadafora, Tayllor

Review of Agricultural Input Subsidies: The Recent Malawi Experience

CHINSINGA, B

The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 53, No. 2 pp 259-261

Evaluation of the 2014/15 Farm Input Subsidy Programme, Malawi

Chirwa Ephraim, Matita Mirriam, Mvula Peter, Mhango W, Harman Luke, Dorward Andrew

This report presents the main findings of an evaluation of the 2014/15 Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP). The main objective of the evaluation is to assess the impact and implementation of the FISP in order to provide information regarding: (1) the overall value for money of investments in the FISP as regards its contributions to agricultural production, food security, and farmers’ and consumers’ welfare (2) the means by which future implementation of the FISP might be changed in order to improve its effectiveness and efficiency

Beyond Technocratic Debates: The Significance of Political Incentives in the Malawi Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP)

CHINSINGA, B., and POULTON, C

Development Policy Review , Vol. 32, No. 2 pp 123-150

Early childhood development: The role of community based childcare centres in Malawi

Munthali Alister, Mvula Peter, Silo Lois

SpringerPlus

Background Somatic changes including growth and development of the brain of a human being occur very early in life. Programmes that enhance early childhood development (ECD) therefore should be part of the national agenda. Cognizant of this fact, the Malawi Government together with development partners facilitated the establishment of community-based child care centres (CBCCs) which are owned and managed by community members. This study was aimed at understanding how CBCCs operated and their core functions. Methods Using information from databases kept by the District Social Welfare Officers from all the 28 districts in Malawi, coupled with snowballing, all functioning CBCCs were enumerated. A questionnaire was administered to the head of the CBCC or a care giver. Highly trained Research Assistants also carried our observations of the structures around the centres and the activities that actually happened. Data was analysed using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Results Communities provide structures, support for care givers, food, utensils, labour and play materials for the children in CBCCs. The first ECD centre was established in 1966 but the real surge in establishing these happened towards the end of the 1990s and by 2007 there were 5,665 CBCCs in Malawi caring for 407,468 children aged between 3 and 5 years. CBCCs were established to provide pre-primary school learning, and in some cases provide special care to orphans and other vulnerable. Conclusions Despite the fact that most CBCC premises and structures fell short of the standards laid down by the CBCC profile, the activities and services provided were mostly to the book. Children were provided with nutritious foods and subjected to play that stimulated their cognitive and mental development. Despite the fact that some members of the community do not realize the value of the CBCCs, the existence of these institutions is an opportunity for the community to take care of their children communally, a task that has become imperative as a result of the upsurge in the number of orphans as a result of the HIV and AIDS epidemic. The study recommends that Malawi should take investments in ECD programmes as a priority.

The Political Economy of Land Grabs in Malawi: Investigating the Contribution of Limphasa Sugar Corporation to Rural Developmen

CHINSINGA, B., CHASUKWA, M., and ZUKA, S.

Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, Vol. 26 pp 1065-1084

Development of a Programme Support Document for Integrated Rural Development Strategy (IRDS) for Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) July 2012 to May 2013

CSR

Assessment of the Status of Political Party Ideologies in Malawi for the Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD), July 2012 to June 2013

CSR