AFSUN Policy Brief: Blantyre

Food shortage is considered as one of the most important
problems requiring government response in Malawi.
However, unlike rural food security issues, questions of
urban food security have received little attention in Malawi‘s
development and political discourses. The Urban Food
Security Baseline Survey was undertaken to fill this gap and
also to inform urban policy processes. The study was
undertaken in the South Lunzu Ward within Blantyre City in
late 2008. Blantyre is the second largest city in Malawi.
South Lunzu Ward was chosen because it is an area that
contains a cross-section of households (rich, middle income,
and poor), has households that grow own crops and those
that buy from markets. It is also an area that has households
that live in an urban village. The area has a total population
of 2,230 households and 423 were randomly selected for this
study. The study had the following key questions: How food
secure are these urban residents? What are the factors that
are associated with their food (in)security?