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Enhancing Agricultural Livelihoods through Input Access at Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Malawi
- Emas
- Malawi
- February 1, 2026
Situation
In 2016, the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi faced persistent food insecurity, limited access to agricultural inputs, and constrained livelihood opportunities for refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Rwanda. A sustainable, context-responsive agricultural system required coordinated action across humanitarian, government and private-sector actors.
Assignment
As a CorpsAfrica Volunteer, the mandate was to design and implement a human-centered intervention that improved farmers’ access to agricultural inputs, strengthened collaboration among stakeholders and promoted climate-smart, resilient farming practices.
Approach
Community-led discovery revealed barriers to input access and existing farming knowledge. Cross-sector workshops with agro-dealers, Syngenta, government ministries and camp authorities shaped a last-mile distribution model. Tailored training covered input use, climate-smart techniques and agribusiness basics. A pilot distribution of seeds and fertilizers, supported by iterative learning loops, refined engagement strategies. Coordination with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and government partners helped embed ongoing support mechanisms
Result
More than 200 refugee farmers accessed affordable, quality inputs and reported yield increases within one season. Strengthened public-private-civil partnerships improved the camp’s agricultural ecosystem, and the model informed later livelihood programs across the refugee response system