Sustainable Utilization of Wetlands for Food Security: A Case Study of the Simulemba Traditional Authority in the Kasungu District of Malawi

Abstract

Malawi is highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change and extreme weather and has experienced numerous adverse climatic events since 1980. The most serious events have been dry spells, seasonal droughts, intense rainfall, riverine floods, and flash floods. Droughts and floods have increased in frequency, intensity, and magnitude and have adversely affected food and water security, water quality, energy, and the sustainable livelihoods of rural communities. With increased incidences of droughts and dry spells, one of the major coping and adaptation strategies emerging is wetland use.
Wetlands, locally known as dambos in Malawi, are defined as permanently or seasonally wet land in valleys, depressions, or floodplains with open herbaceous vegetation (mainly grasses and sedges) and no trees. They are important sources of the water and nutrients needed for biological diversity and support the livelihoods of many rural communities in developing countries. Wetlands contain numerous goods and services that have economic value not only to local populations but also to people living outside the wetland periphery. In Malawi, the total irrigable area of dambos is 480,000 to 600,000ha. Upland dambos constitute about 70% of this area, whereas floodplains constitute about 25%.
Despite their importance, wetlands are increasingly coming under threat of modification or reclamation. Recent climate-change-associated global phenomena have brought more challenges to wetland management as rural communities have been resorting to wetland use as a coping and adaptation strategy. This paper focuses on community findings on wetland utilization for food security in the Simulemba Traditional Authority in the Kasungu District, Central Malawi. Using the Striking a Balance approach, it focuses on the differing roles of different players in communities, families, and households in wetland management. It also outlines the policies and development strategies that can turn wetlands into valuable ecosystems for food security.