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MALAWI
Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP)
Programme
Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP)
Country
Malawi
Geographic area
Sub-Saharan Africa
Previous programme name (if any)
Start date 2005 1
Programme objectives
To improve food security and income of smallholder farmers
by facilitating their access to improved agricultural inputs. 2
Programme type
Agricultural subsidies (for fertiliser, seeds and pesticides)
Programme components
Conditionalities (if any)
Targeting methods Community-based targeting 2
Target areas
Target groups
Smallholder farmers who own land and
are legitimate residents of their villages. 2
Eligibility criteria
Eligibility for the programme was very open-ended, in the form
of advice for the responsible community authorities to select
‘vulnerable households’, though no specific criteria were provided. 2
Eligibility reassessment (if any)
Type of benefits
Vouchers or coupons for fertiliser, hybrid
seeds and pesticides at reduced prices. 2
Amount of benefits
For the 2008-2009 season, each household was granted 2 vouchers,
enabling them to purchase 100kg of maize fertiliser at just 8 per cent
of the market price and around 6kg of seeds. Coupons for 100kg of
tobacco fertiliser were also offered. Since then, redemption prices
for maize fertilisers have been fixed at MWK500. 2,3
Payment/delivery frequency Seasonal grant 3
Benefit delivery mechanism
Benefit recipients Landowners 2
Minimum and maximum
duration of benefits (if any)
Coverage
Programme expenditure
Estimated total cost: USD221 million; 95 per cent of the programme’s
costs were borne by the Government of Malawi, while the rest was
financed by international partners. 2
Institutions and agencies involved Government of Malawi, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security 2
Monitoring and evaluation
mechanisms and frequency
See the references on page 178: Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP)
Social Protection in Africa: inventory of non-contributory programmes | 79