The Agriculture Land Resources Management Policy (ALRMP) is a sectoral policy formulated in response to emerging and persistent challenges affecting the productivity and sustainable management of agricultural land. It provides an updated framework for addressing land degradation, strengthening climate resilience, and promoting sustainable land management practices. The Policy is a key instrument for enhancing agricultural land productivity in support of Malawi’s agriculture transformation and commercialization agenda. The goal of the ALRMP is to guide and scale up sustainable land management interventions that enhance natural resource-based livelihoods and contribute to national development priorities. Its implementation will promote the conservation and sustainable use of agricultural land, encourage investment in climate change adaptation and mitigation measures, and strengthen compliance with relevant policy and legal frameworks at national, regional, and global levels. The Policy also promotes the effective use of organic fertilizers as part of sustainable soil fertility and land management. The objectives of the Agriculture Land Resources Management Policy are to (i) increase area under sustainable agricultural land management practices; (ii) improve institutional capacities, cooperation, collaboration and partnership in sustainable agricultural land management; (iii) improve agricultural land resource information technology generation and usage for planning and monitoring of agricultural land use management; (iv) strengthen enforcement of regulations and practices governing use and management of agricultural land; (v) enhance environmental conservation and management of agricultural landscapes. The Policy identifies the following 4 key priority areas, each supported by specific strategies for implementation (1) Agricultural Land Degradation Control and Climate Change Resilience, aiming to reduce land degradation, improve soil health, and strengthen climate resilience to sustain agricultural productivity by promoting integrated catchment management, rehabilitating degraded and fragile areas, adopting rainwater harvesting technologies, scaling up climate-smart agriculture and soil fertility management practices, and supporting innovative approaches such as agroecology, regenerative agriculture, and nature-based solutions; (2) Institutional Capacity Strengthening and Partnerships, focusing on enhancing the capacity of institutions responsible for land resource conservation and improving coordination among stakeholders by recruiting and training staff, establishing a climate-smart agriculture unit, strengthening coordination mechanisms, harmonizing sector policies, reviewing educational curricula to incorporate natural resource management, and mobilizing financial resources for sustainable land management programmes; (3) Agricultural Land Information, Knowledge Acquisition and Management, aiming to improve the generation, management, and use of agricultural land information for planning and decision-making by generating and disseminating land-resource information through multimedia platforms, establishing information management systems, safeguarding and digitizing data, updating agricultural land resource assessments, conducting agro-ecological mapping, and fostering collaboration with local, regional, and international knowledge institutions; (4) Enforcement and Incentivization for Sustainable Agricultural Land Management, seeking to strengthen compliance with sustainable land management practices and encourage their adoption through incentives by enacting and enforcing agricultural land conservation laws, promoting compliance with standards and quality control measures, developing market-based incentives, introducing innovative financing mechanisms such as payments for ecosystem services and carbon markets, and using social marketing approaches to encourage positive behavioural change among land users.
Malawi · 2024-01-01