Malawi Agricultural Sector Wide Approach - A prioritised and harmonised Agricultural Development Agenda: 2011­-2015.

The ASWAp operates with the MGDS in the areas of agriculture, food security, irrigation and disaster risk reduction. The MGDS is the government’s overarching medium term strategy to attain the nation’s Vision 2020. The main thrust of the MGDS is to create broad-based wealth and reduce poverty through sustainable economic growth and infrastructure development. This is expected to transform the country from being a predominantly importing and consuming economy to a predominantly producing and exporting economy. It aims at improving food security, diversifying food production to improve nutrition at household level, and increasing agricultural incomes of the rural people. The ASWAp is, therefore, a priority investment programme in the agricultural sector and is based on the priority agricultural elements of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS). It is also consistent with the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) under the umbrella of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). The ASWAp has three focus areas and cross-cutting issues in the following Focus Areas: a) Food security and Risk management, b) Agri-business and market development and c) Sustainable land and water management.