Publication - Renewable Energy Access and Socio-economic Development: The Case of Smallholder Farmers in Mchinji and Rumphi Districts in Malawi

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Title

Renewable Energy Access and Socio-economic Development: The Case of Smallholder Farmers in Mchinji and Rumphi Districts in Malawi

Publisher

OXFAM America

Author

Agro-Ind Serve

Published in

March 2019

Abstract

This report explores the role and extent to which renewable energy access can contribute to the social and economic development of smallholder farmers in Malawi with reference to “Improved livelihoods for 3,000 poor farmers and their families in rural Malawi” project as a case study. The project has been operating in Malawi since 2015 and was funded by the Scottish Government. This study focuses on the access to renewable energy aspects of the project and covers the work undertaken between April 2015 and September 2018. Between April 2015 and September 2018, renewable energy technologies were introduced in 3 districts, namely, Lilongwe and Mchinji in Central Malawi and Rumphi in Northern Malawi for small-scale irrigation, value addition, and small enterprises. The evaluation samples 322 households and finds that access to solar energy, in particular, has positive impacts on poor rural households in terms of livelihoods, food security, and women’s empowerment and gender relations. Overall, access to solar irrigation, value addition, and business enterprises provided participating households with new sources of income. Almost 71% of households belonging to solar enterprise groups, 49% in value addition groups, and 35% in irrigation groups experienced an increase in household income over the duration of the project as opposed to control groups. However, the positive impacts of the interventions are yet to exceed the cost of provision of renewable energy technologies because of challenges beneficiaries encountered surrounding non-functional equipment and limited markets. Nevertheless, the project provided a learning ground for future interventions related to renewable energy.

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