Despite being midway through the farming season in Malawi, crops in many areas are still behind schedule. Yet Dyson Maulana is already harvesting green maize. While most farmers are taking a break from the rain-fed season (which usually starts in November and ends in April), the Zomba-based subsistence farmer has been busy in his maize garden, reaping the rewards of irrigation farming started months earlier.
Most of the maize Maulana grows on his half-acre field is harvested and sold in green form. He says green maize is more profitable than dried grain. By irrigating along the Namalirima River, Maulana says he has been able to remain food-sufficient year-round, pay school fees for his three children, and buy a motorcycle that now operates as a taxi—providing supplementary daily income.
This is one of the hopeful stories emerging from irrigation farming in the South-East African nation known for Lake Malawi and its popular chambo (tilapia).
Irrigation as national strategy
Expanding irrigation has been a key government policy goal since 1995, when Malawi’s second Republican President, Bakili Muluzi, created a dedicated irrigation ministry to champion the initiative. Irrigation is also positioned as an enabler of wealth creation in a country classified by the United Nations as a Least Developed Country.
In Malawi’s long-term development blueprint, the Malawi Vision 2063 (MW2063) strategy, irrigation development falls under Pillar 1: Agricultural Productivity and Commercialization. The strategy places strong emphasis on investments in sustainable irrigation systems to support productivity while reducing vulnerability to climatic variability.
Why farmers are switching
Maulana, a 38-year-old father of three, says climate variability has made rain-fed agriculture increasingly unreliable, with droughts and floods becoming more common.
“As dry spells and flooding have become frequent nowadays, our crop yields from rain-fed farming activities have dwindled over the years. This inspired us to venture into winter cropping so that we can make our households food-sufficient,” he said.
Irrigation is viewed as a valuable opportunity in Malawi and has grown substantially over the past decade. Research cited by development economists notes that smallholder irrigation has quadrupled from about 16,000 hectares in 2011 to around 62,000 hectares in 2019, reflecting both rising demand and expanding investment in irrigation access.
For Maulana and fellow villagers in Kuntumanji, farmers joined hands to establish the Namalirima Irrigation Scheme, covering 10 hectares. Each farmer is allocated a 0.1-hectare plot to cultivate a crop of their choice. Maulana says maize is his first-cycle staple, and after roughly four months he can harvest enough to top up what he collects during the rain-fed season.
“From my irrigated piece of land, I am able to harvest 350 kilogrammes of dry maize which, alongside the harvest from the normal farming season, is enough to take me through the whole year. That also leaves me with options to grow maize for green sale, which is highly profitable. The proceeds have enabled us to buy livestock like goats and pigs, and I acquired a motorcycle after selling some pigs to butchers,” Maulana added.
Solar-powered irrigation and income crops
Another irrigation farmer is Siyileni Kanduku from Mwanza District in the south-west, bordering Mozambique. She says irrigation farming has helped her household become more food-sufficient, unlike in past years when low to moderate rainfall made yields uncertain.
Kanduku says she did not progress beyond secondary school, limiting formal employment opportunities, so she committed herself to farming on her two-acre plot. However, frequent climate-induced shocks—droughts and floods during the rainy season—reduced productivity. She then shifted to irrigation along the nearby Mwanza River, selling seven goats to buy a solar-powered irrigation system.
“Having struggled to harvest enough crops from rain-fed agriculture, I developed an interest in a solar-powered irrigation kit which I saw on television. I sold some of my goats to buy one in 2022. With this, I believe it is the best practice for me to fight the effects of climate change and beat food insecurity for my family,” she explained.
With the irrigation kit, Kanduku says she can grow not only maize but also marketable crops such as tomatoes, onions, and cabbages—helping bring in income between harvests. A growing cycle typically lasts three to four months.
Food security gains — and lingering questions
Agricultural economist Terrence Mkandawire says small-scale irrigation is helping bridge the food gap created by climate shocks in a country still heavily reliant on rain-fed agriculture, despite abundant lakes and rivers.
“The increase in small-scale irrigation activities across the nation is commendable. It is greatly helping rural households to be food-secure while also providing income from cash crops like tomato, Irish potato, onion and others. Irrigation is contributing to the country’s efforts to attain the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to poverty reduction and food security, although more needs to be done to achieve food sufficiency,” he said.
However, some experts question how much small-scale irrigation is shifting national food security outcomes, given ongoing hunger concerns. Approximately 4 million people in Malawi are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity between October 2025 and March 2026, according to ReliefWeb’s Malawi food security outlook update, requiring food assistance. The government has declared a State of Disaster across all 28 districts of the country.
This has led commentators such as Alfonso Chigwedere to ask why Malawi continues to grapple with hunger despite expanded irrigation activity.
“There has been an increase in irrigation farming mainly in the last decade, which has seen many youths and working-class people joining the agribusiness sector, and that is encouraging. However, I am still wondering why the country has been failing to be food-sufficient to the extent that in 2025 maize prices reached a record high,” he said.
Environmental risks to manage
Another expert, Precious Mzondeni Msuku, warns that irrigation expansion can also bring unintended environmental consequences if it is not managed responsibly. He cautions that irrigation may increase erosion and contribute to pollution of surface and groundwater through agricultural chemicals.
“The expansion and intensification of agriculture fuelled by irrigation has the potential to cause deterioration of water quality through increased nutrient levels in irrigation and groundwater, resulting in algal blooms, proliferation of aquatic weeds, and downstream impacts. Poor water quality may render the water unfit for other users,” he said.
Climate pressures are not going away
As Malawi and other Southern African countries continue to experience climate volatility—including the influence of broader patterns such as La Niña, which can affect rainfall extremes and agricultural conditions—many farmers are turning to irrigation for relief.
For growers like Maulana and Kanduku, irrigation is not simply an upgrade in technique. It is becoming a survival strategy: a way to protect harvests, stabilize household income, and reduce vulnerability in an era where the timing and reliability of rainfall can no longer be taken for granted.