Good fences make good neighbours?
Exploring potential transformative impacts of local governance towards livestock fence-in rights in Malawi.
Abstract
Malawi heavily relies on tobacco exports, but there’s growing interest in diversifying with pigeon peas, driven by demand from India and their benefits for soil health. Expansion into the central region is hindered by livestock roaming freely, damaging crops. This study examines the implications of shifting livestock governance to controlled systems. Proposed solutions involve local governance support, indirect payments for agroecosystem services, and policy interventions like varietal development and legal reviews. Similar issues exist in other lower-income countries, making these interventions crucial for conflict prevention and economic growth through enhanced crop production and structural transformation.
This paper is part of the Structural Transformation and Economic Growth (STEG) programme.
Citation
Mkondiwa M, Kabambe V and Ngwira A. ‘Good fences make good neighbours? Exploring potential transformative impacts of local governance towards livestock fence-in rights in Malawi’ Ideas for Transformation (I4T) 2024