MALAWI: Smallholder Irrigation Subsector Programme: Socio-Economic and Production System Study of Wetland Use

Abstract

In preparing an investment project, development strategies and project components are defined and revisited during project formulation through a consultative process that often includes Socio-economic and Production Systems Studies. These studies are conducted to develop an appreciation of the situation in which the intended beneficiaries live, and their perceptions of their problems, needs and priorities. The main objective of the present study was to increase understanding of the characteristi cs, needs, and priorities of communities in Malawi who have access to wetlands, with a view to determining ways in which investments under the programme evaluated could help small farmer households improve their situation by making better use of the wetlands.