Study shows millions of Malawians surviving on ‘ganyu’

Data from a new study show that millions of Malawians in rural areas are abandoning their gardens to do piecework (ganyu) that ironically enhances the vicious circle of poverty.

International Food Policy Research Institute (Ifpri) said in its policy brief that ganyu, an informal temporary labour arrangement over an agreed duration, has emerged as a key source of employment for a growing number of the rural populations.

The brief said data sourced from 35 819 rural working age individuals indicated that previously, rural-based Malawians worked for an average of 910 hours per year across four income generating activities, namely own-farm, casual labour, household off-farm enterprises and wage employment.

But the brief notes that the number of hours have increased to 985 per year with more time spent on casual labour tasks at the expense of time spent on household farms which has declined from 577 to 504 hours per year.

Reads the brief: “As households devote less labour to their own farms and rely increasingly on ganyu, they become more dependent on both labour and food markets to secure their livelihoods. Yet ganyu typically offers low and volatile wages and its growing importance in Malawi has not been accompanied by gains in food security.

“On the contrary, over time, poverty and food insecurity have become more strongly associated with engagement in casual labour, making the rise of ganyu a growing concern from a welfare perspective.”

The brief further stated that shrinking landholdings have led to rising reliance on food markets, with evidence showing that consumption from own production has declined from 63 percent to 47 percent, while the share of purchased maize grew from 26 percent to 44 percent over time.

It said Malawi’s rural economy is undergoing a complex transition away from a system centred on household farming toward one increasingly shaped by markets for labour and food, urging policy makers to stop assuming that rural households primarily rely on subsistence production.

Reacting to the findings, agriculture economist Steve Kayira said the situation pushes households to remain trapped in circles of poverty, unable to meet rising cost of food, fertiliser, transport, healthcare and education.

He said: “There is need for stronger investment in rural non-farm economies through small enterprise development, rural industries, skills training, and value addition initiatives that create more stable and productive employment than ganyu.

“Land and population pressures make investment in agricultural productivity more urgent than ever. Expanding irrigation, access to quality affordable inputs, extension services, climate smart agriculture, and rural financial services will be essential to sustain livelihoods under shrinking land sizes.”

In a separate interview yesterday, agriculture research and extension expert Leonard Chimwaza said the situation presents a trajectory that should guide or influence the development of poverty eradication initiatives.

He said people with small land holding sizes and low labour productivity on their households should be economically empowered.

Said Chimwaza: “The economic empowerment initiatives must provide elements of sustainability and not free handouts.

“There is need to initiate resilient and economic empowerment programmes, but also promotion of small-scale farming programmes, targeting those that have small land holding sizes.”

Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development spokesperson Salome Gangire had not yet responded to our questionnaire by press time yesterday, but last month, the ministry’s Principal Secretary for Administration Bennett Nkasala said over-dependence on maize remained a key driver of food insecurity.

He was speaking during the launch of the 2025 Global Hunger Index which has ranked Malawi 95th out of 123 countries, underscoring stalled progress in the fight against hunger despite years of interventions.

The country scored 22.0, a marginal change from 21.9 in 2024 and 21.1 in 2023, signalling that Malawi remains stuck in the “serious” hunger category.

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