About 1.5 million Malawians are projected to face food insecurity during this year’s lean period, the latest Food Assistance Outlook Brief by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FewsNet) indicates.
This represents a decline from four million-plus projected to face food insecurity between October 2025 and March 2026.
In its latest Food Assistance Outlook Brief, FewsNet projects that between one million and 1.49 million Malawians will likely face crisis (IPC Phase 3)-level food insecurity conditions by November 2026, requiring urgent humanitarian support.
FewsNet classifies crisis conditions as a situation where households either face food consumption gaps or can only meet minimum food needs through unsustainable coping strategies.
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The latest outlook says the country’s food situation is expected to improve mainly due to favourable food stocks in the Northern and Central regions, which are likely to cushion deficits in parts of the Southern region.
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“However, the availability of favourable food stocks from the north and central regions is expected to lower food assistance needs compared to last year and the five-year average in November,” the report reads.
Despite the projected improvement, FewsNet warns that localised below-average harvests, high food prices and declining household food stocks would continue driving food insecurity in some Southern Region districts.
The report also says rising fertiliser and transport costs are expected to push food prices further upward and weaken purchasing power for market-dependent households.
Agricultural policy expert Leonard Chimwaza said there was a need for Malawi to put in place stringent measures in managing the situation.
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“There is a need for prudent budgeting at household level to manage available food crops until the next harvest,” Chimwaza said.
Economist Velli Nyirongo described the decline in food assistance needs as a positive for Malawi’s economy.
“With fewer people facing severe hunger compared to last year, the country may experience improved labour productivity and lower inflationary pressure on food prices,” Nyirongo said.
This year, maize production is estimated at 3.3 million metric tonnes, a significant 13 percent improvement from last season’s 2.9 million metric tonnes.
Although the country is still facing a 200 thousand metric tonnes deficit to meet annual national food requirements, the improved maize supply this year has seen food prices gradually going down.
In April, food inflation declined to 20 percent from 20.8 percent in March, bringing headline inflation to 23.8 percent from 24.1 percent the previous month.
