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LDCF Malawi

Population: 13 million
CO2 emissions per capita: 0.1 ton

 Region     Country   NAPA submission date   Implementing Agency   Status of follow-up projects 
 Southern
 Africa
 Malawi   March 2006   NAPA: UNDP
 Follow-up: AfDB 
 Council approved 

Significant effects of climate change

Malawi is a small country located in south eastern Africa, bordered by Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania, and it has a sub-tropical climate, which is relatively dry and strongly seasonal. Climate effects are and will be significant in Malawi. Climate-change associated decreases in rainfall are causing severe water shortages in a region dominated by rain-fed subsistence agriculture, in which more than 90 percent of the population are engaged.
Food security is further exacerbated by increases in extreme weather events linked to climate change, and currently 60 percent of the population have insecure access to food on a year-round basis.

Malawi and the NAPA

The NAPA was completed relatively early in the life of the LDC Fund, and follow up activities are in progress. UNDP is helping the Malawi Government to develop an overall framework of cooperation where the financing for adaptation from all sources will fit. Adaptation will be managed under a multi-sectoral approach, with leads in different ministries. Civil society groups within Malawi have taken a keen interest in the NAPA process.
Following completion of the NAPA in 2005 the role of Implementing Agency was transferred from UNDP to the African Development Bank (AfDB). LDCF funds have been employed to prepare and submit the Project Identification Format. The Project Proposal Grant which will be used to prepare a full project proposal was approved for Malawi in 2007.

The proposed priority project submitted from the NAPA for funding is entitled “Climate Adaptation for Rural Livelihoods (CARLA)”. The objective of the project is to “improve resilience to current climate variability and future climate change by developing and implementing cost effective adaptation strategies, policies and measures that will improve agricultural production and rural livelihoods”.