ABSTRACT

In the next 24 years, the Malawian population is expected to double, a development that will inevitably affect access to land and land holding sizes. As access to land is already limited, securing food for the growing population will require policy shifts including the promotion of agricultural intensification. Malawi’s economy depends on the agricultural sector, and this paper addresses the generational perspective of agricultural intensification, with specific focus on youth and elderly in smallholder production systems. Despite wide recognition that an overwhelmingly large share of the Malawian population is young, our research finds that the younger generation have less access to land than the older generations. The elderly are limited in farming due to the physical labour required for agriculture, yet they withhold their pieces of land. Our research shows that maize yields have remained low between 2008 and 2017, and that the elderly have had the lowest yields. The potential for sustainable agricultural intensification therefore remains low until access to land and financial support for the youth receive special attention in all relevant circles including policy discourses. The paper situates the findings from this study within the broader scholarship on generational changes and perceptions in relation to access to resources for production.

摘要

在接下来的 24 年里，马拉维人口预计将翻一番，这一发展将不可避免地影响获得土地和土地持有规模。由于获得土地的机会已经有限，为不断增长的人口确保粮食将需要政策转变，包括促进农业集约化。马拉维的经济依赖于农业部门，本文探讨了农业集约化的代际视角，特别关注小农生产系统中的青年和老年人。尽管人们普遍认识到马拉维人口中绝大多数是年轻人，但我们的研究发现，年轻一代比老一代获得土地的机会更少。由于农业需要体力劳动，老年人在农业方面受到限制，但他们保留了他们的土地。我们的研究表明，2008 年至 2017 年间玉米产量一直很低，老年人的产量最低。因此，可持续农业集约化的潜力仍然很低，直到青年人获得土地和财政支持的机会在所有相关领域（包括政策讨论）得到特别关注。本文将这项研究的结果置于更广泛的学术研究中，该学术研究涉及与获取生产资源有关的代际变化和看法。