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El Niño and rising fertilizer costs: How vulnerable is Malawi in 2027?
Key takeawaysMalawi faces significant economic and food security risks from overlapping El Niño impacts and Iran war fuel and fertilizer price shocks, a modeling exercise shows.Possible impacts include weaker growth, declines in agricultural production, and higher food prices, though the outcomes are uncertain.Food security could deteriorate sharply in 2027.
Beyond the violence: How farmer-herder conflict is reshaping rural livelihoods in the Sahel
Key takeaways Farmer-herder conflict in Nigeria and across the Sahel reshapes livelihoods by changing how households work, invest, farm, and plan for the future.Adaptation does not always build resilience, as coping strategies can reduce productivity and trap families in long-term vulnerability.Women experience conflict in different ways, and effective policies must account for how exposure to violence shapes opportunities, decisions, and aspirations. Rural southwestern Nigeria is not typically considered a conflict hotspot, yet violence there has been on the rise.
Sudan’s conflict at three years: Evidence for recovery, resilience, and rebuilding
Key takeawaysSudan’s conflict has devastated food systems. The Third Sudan Conflict Conference explored how farmers, businesses, and markets face severe disruptions, driving food insecurity and livelihood losses. Recovery requires more than humanitarian aid. Support must strengthen livelihoods, market systems, and resilience while responding to immediate needs. Evidence and local adaptation offer hope. Households, traders, and institutions continue to adjust, showing that recovery is possible with sustained investment and coordination.Three years into the outbreak o
Scaling digital financial services for smallholder farmers in Kenya: A stakeholder consultation on challenges, opportunities, and action pathways
Smallholder farmers and small- and medium-sized agricultural enterprises (SMEs) account for around 80% of Africa’s food production, yet they face an estimated $75 billion annual gap in financing the seeds, fertilizer, tools, and services needed to make them consistently productive and resilient.
El Niño Could Threaten Food Security in Malawi
The El Niño weather phenomenon brings with it significant variations in typical weather patterns. For Malawi, that variation often takes the form of severe dry weather, impacting agricultural growing conditions and harvests. A new IFPRI Malawi Strategy Support Program Policy Note looks at the potential implications of the current El Niño conditions on Malawi’s agriculture and food security, as well as ways for policymakers and farmers to strengthen the resilience of their response. Maize yields have declined in Malawi in 8 of the last 12 years in which the El Niño phenomenon occurred.