Sustainable Water Resources Management in Malawi: Lessons for Effective Water Governance

With the advent of climate change, it is clear that developing countries, particularly those in the sub-Saharan Africa region, will be the worst hit as their economies are weak, technological development and adoption very low. Malawi, like other countries in the region, faces similar challenges. With agriculture being the main contributor to the country’s GDP, reforming agriculture, water, land, and local governance policies has been a priority. This has changed the way water is governed necessitating a study into understanding how these changes influence the state of water resources and rural livelihoods in Malawi. To do this, the proposed study will gather and analyse data through both qualitative and quantitative methods utilising a case study approach to answer the question: ‘To what extent are new institutional arrangements for water governance and irrigation management influencing the management of water resources and rural livelihoods in Malawi?’