Agriculture, Land Use and Rural Development
Farming systems
Subsistence farming feeds the family; commercial farming sells produce. Shifting cultivation rotates fields, while crop rotation and intercropping maintain fertility. Smallholders dominate Malawi's agriculture; estates grow tobacco, tea, sugar and coffee. Maize is the staple, with cassava, rice and potatoes as alternatives.
Factors and land use
Physical factors are rainfall, temperature, soil, relief and drainage. Human factors are labour, capital, market, transport, land tenure and government policy such as the fertiliser subsidy and ADMARC markets. Irrigation extends the growing season but can cause salinisation and waterlogging.
Rural development and soil conservation
Rural development improves incomes, roads, storage, extension services and credit. Soil erosion is tackled by contour ridges, box ridges, terracing, vetiver grass, agroforestry and reduced burning.
Worked example
Why is tea grown in Thyolo and Mulanje? Reasoning: high rainfall above 1,200 mm, cooler upland temperatures, well-drained acidic soils, reliable labour, estate land tenure, and road access to processing factories and the Blantyre market. Physical and human factors must both be linked to the crop.
Traps
Confusing cash and food crops; listing factors without linking them to the crop; claiming irrigation prevents erosion; ignoring the difference between smallholder and estate farming.