Policy Document on Livestock in Malawi

The Malawi Government has several policies and strategies aimed at stimulating economic growth and development as articulated in vision 2020, Malawi Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (MPRSP) and Malawi Economic Growth Strategy (MEGS). This will be done through reducing poverty, ensuring food security, wealth creation and sustainable utilization of the natural resource base.

It is within this context that the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) developed the Agricultural and Livestock Development Strategy and Action Plan (ALDSAP) in 1995, the Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Plan in 2002, and Road Map on Agricultural Development in Malawi in 2005 as operational tools. The Ministry’s strategic objectives recognize the importance of livestock industry in food security and poverty reduction.
Over the last decade, with the introduction of multiparty democracy, decentralization, and liberalization of the market economy, the livestock sector has been faced with many challenges. These include: i) reduced livestock numbers especially cattle, due to theft, diseases and parasites. ii) declining land holdings iii) increasing human population iv) reduced public sector funding v) indiscriminate slaughter of immature and breedable stock vi) limited involvement of the private and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and vii) poor management practices. These challenges have serious implications for the growth of the livestock industry.

The Department of Animal Health and Livestock Development (DAHLD) therefore developed this policy to address these challenges with a new policy and strategies which are in line with democratization and decentralization, which empower farmers to demand services from a wide sector of service providers, unlike in the past where DAHLD was the only service provider.