This study builds a profile of thestatus of poverty and vulnerability in Malawi. Malawi is asmall land-locked country, with one of the highestpopulation densities in Sub-Saharan Africa, and one of thelowest per capita income levels in the world. Almost 90percent of the population lives in rural areas, and ismostly engaged in smallholder, rain-fed agriculture. Mostpeople are therefore highly vulnerable to annual rainfallvolatility. The majority of households cultivate very smalllandholdings, largely for subsistence. As a result, povertyis pervasive and not merely the situation of the lowesteconomic groups. Therefore, while this report focuses on theleast-well-off sections of the population, the analysisprovides valuable information to accelerate wealth creationand economic growth for the whole of Malawi. This synthesisreport presents the main findings and policy recommendationsstemming from the analysis. Due to the length and detail ofthis study, the 'full report' presenting thedetailed analysis and results underpinning these policyrecommendations is available as a separate publication. Thisreport highlights some of the key characteristics and causesof poverty in Malawi, and focuses on the main sources ofrisk affecting households, namely food insecurity and healthshocks. Based on these findings, the report goes on todevelop a set of policy recommendations for widely sharedgrowth and poverty reduction, and for enabling the mostvulnerable to make a living. Finally, the report alsoprovides recommendations for strengthening the monitoringand evaluation systems of poverty reduction strategies, sothat policy makers and Malawian society can better track theeffectiveness of the policies pursued, and inform futurepolicy choices.
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