Malawi is highly reliant on agriculture, with 80% of the population engaged in farming. A new government initiative aims to improve agricultural commercialization; however, the nation is constrained by rapid population growth, climate shocks, soaring inflation, and a forex crisis. Despite having one of the world’s smallest greenhouse gas emission footprints, Malawi is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with increasingly severe floods damaging infrastructure and livelihoods. As a result, 80% of women and girls in Malawi’s rural Lilongwe District live in chronic poverty, and 36% of children experience stunting due to malnutrition.

One Day’s Wages is partnering with Partners in Reproductive Health and Education (PRHE) to improve food security, livelihoods, and climate resilience among women farmers in rural Kabudula, Lilongwe. PRHE’s multi-faceted approach to climate-smart agriculture integrates poultry farming, agroforestry, and natural fertilizer making. Chickens offer a source of diversified income streams, high-protein foods (both meat and eggs), and natural fertilizer that can be applied on agroforestry plots to boost crop production. Using a training-of-trainers approach, 50 women who are members of women’s cooperatives are being trained directly by PRHE, and will in turn train another 450 women. By the end of three years, PRHE’s goal is for participants’ income and food security to improve by 45%!