Abstract
How does agroecology influence household food security? While previous studies have found that adopting agroecological practices can have a positive effect on smallholder household food security, there is limited understanding of how this transition occurs. This mixed-methods study draws on data from an ongoing agroecology project in Malawi to engage with debates about if and how an agricultural paradigm shift can contribute to smallholder food security. Researchers interviewed 60 farmer participants of an agroecology intervention to examine the mechanisms by which recent adoption of crop diversification and soil management practices had altered household access to a stable, adequate and diverse diet. Results from mixed-effects regression analysis of a case-controlled panel survey (n = 537) corroborated respondents’ reports that participating in agroecological trainings and farmer discussion groups had increased food security. Interviews indicated that, consistent with food security pathways literature, farmers were using direct-consumption and agricultural income pathways to improve food security. Furthermore, respondents were following food security pathways based on altering their production relations so as to regain control over their farming inputs, namely seed, fertilizer, land, and labor. In addition, we found that the agroecological approaches reinforced and widened existing social support practices such as food and seed sharing, fundamental to long-term community food security. The results presented in this paper provide evidence of the effectiveness of multifaceted participatory agroecological interventions to support transitions to food security based on environmentally sustainable farming practices.
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This paper is based on data from the long-term work of the Soils, Food and Healthy Communities organization in Malawi who received funding from the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation. These sponsors have had no role in the study design, data analysis and interpretation, writing the report, and the decision to submit the report for publication. This research was also funded by Engaged Cornell and the Bradfield Research Grant and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
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Appendices
Appendix 1 Crop diversity in rainfed and dry season plots
Percentage of surveyed farmers (n=430) cultivating each crop in their dry season (dimba) plot at endline
Percentage of surveyed farmers (n=430) cultivating field crop species at endline
Appendix 2 Agroecological practices and their usage by control/intervention groups
Boxplot of number of agroecological practices used at baseline and endline by treatment (n = 355) and control households (n = 75)
Percentage of intervention farmers (n = 355) cultivating field crop before and after intervention
Boxplot of number of field crops cultivated at baseline and endline by intervention (n = 355) and control households (n = 75)
Appendix 3 Additional analysis of indicators relevant to household food security
Boxplot of reported maize yield kg/ha by intervention (n = 355) and control groups (n = 75) in northern and central districts for 2018 harvest
Conceptual diagram of production relations-based agroecological pathways to food security
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Madsen, S., Bezner Kerr, R., LaDue, N. et al. Explaining the impact of agroecology on farm-level transitions to food security in Malawi. Food Sec. 13, 933–954 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-021-01165-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-021-01165-9