Permaculture, Final Capstone Paper 5-26, Hope - Never Ending Food

INTRODUCTION
I. BACKGROUND
Malawi has experienced relative political stability, has not, in recent decades,
experienced major war or tribal clashes, and it is rich with under-utilized natural resources. With
such attributes, including over 600 documented edible localized and indigenous foods (Nordin,
2005; Williamson, 2005; Hirt & M’Pia, 2001, FAO 1988), the world’s ninth largest lake, several
substantial rivers, and a twelve-month growing season, the problem of food and nutrition
insecurity might not be expected to affect Malawians. But in reality, food insecurity and
malnutrition are major constraints to national development (Banda, 2005). Every year Malawi
ranks amongst the world’s poorest countries according to the UNDP Human Development Index.
Jeffrey Sachs opens The End of Poverty (2005) with a description of Malawi using a label that he
and Carol Bellamy, then of UNICEF, coined: “The Perfect Storm”. He writes that this storm
“brings together climactic disaster, impoverishment, the AIDS pandemic, and the long-standing
burdens of malaria, schistosomiasis, and other diseases” (2005, p. 10). Sachs sharply criticizes
the international donor community for failing to provide the requested funds and support that
could have prevented the worst of the storm and reduced much of resulting suffering. “In the
face of this horrific maelstrom, the world community has so far displayed a fair bit of handwringing
and even some high minded rhetoric, but precious little action” (Sachs, 2005, p. 10).
Sachs has lobbied Britain and the World Bank on behalf of fertilizer subsidies in Malawi and has
encouraged others who come from countries who have already “climbed the ladder of
development” take on the burden of helping the poorest of the poor to escape from the cycle of
extreme poverty through provision of agricultural inputs and government subsidies. But Malawi
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