Integrated Food Security Response Initiative (IFSRI) End of Project Evaluation

The food security situation in Malawi has improved significantly since 2004, with the proportion of households that were food secure rising from 67% to 98% in 2010. The number of people at risk of hunger due to food shortages has seen a declining trend over the same period. These achievements are largely due to the Government of Malawi’s Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP) and favourable weather conditions. However, pockets of chronic food insecurity exist throughout the country even when the yield is good.

The Integrated Food Security Response Initiative (IFSRI) was motivated by the need to address food security needs of 3,000 vulnerable households in three densely populated districts in the central region of the country. These districts were Lilongwe, Dowa and Ntchisi. The project was implemented over a period of 22 months covering a range of activities aimed at improving access to agricultural inputs and services, providing a cash transfer safety net for the targeted beneficiaries during critical times of the farming year, and providing investments in food production and storage infrastructure among others. This report provides the findings of an end of project evaluation of the IFSRI project.