Growing Pains: Malawi’s Struggle with Hunger, Climate Change

Extreme weather has hit Malawi’s economy hard over the last two years. Severe flooding followed by a drought—the worst in its history—caused widespread crop failure and placed 6.7 million people at risk of starvation. But a remarkable humanitarian effort helped reduce the impact of the drought on the most vulnerable segment of the population. An increase by the IMF to the amount of resources it provides to Malawi, as well as sizable contributions from Malawi’s development partners like the World Food Program and the World Bank, enabled the country to address the worst humanitarian crisis in its history.

In this feature podcast, we hear from the small-scale farmers beset by the effects of climate change, beneficiaries of food aid including school children, and key players within the various agencies who were faced with making tough decisions in the throes of a major food crisis.

Contributors:

Oral Williams: IMF Mission Chief for Malawi

Jack Ree: IMF Resident Representative in Malawi

Goodall Gondwe: Malawi’s Finance Minister

Ben Botolo: Malawi’s Secretary to the Treasury

Coco Ushiyama: World Food Program Representative for Malawi

Roisin DeBurca: Unicef’s Deputy Director for Malawi

Laura Kullenberg: Country Manager for the World Bank in Malawi

Richard Record: Senior Country Economist for the World Bank in Malawi