A unique place
Malawi is a densely populated country with 80% of people living in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for a third of GDP with much of the country’s economy reliant on ‘cash crops’ such as tobacco. Climate change has made the country’s weather increasingly extreme, with floods and drought common. Only just over 10% of the population in Malawi (2% of those living in rural areas) is connected to the electricity grid.
Our energy work in Malawi focused on implementing clean, sustainable and productive energy solutions for the millions of people who don’t have access to the national grid. As part of this work, we encouraged the use of clean solutions for cooking and heating homes and productive use of energy for irrigation and agro-processing and other entrepreneurship activities. This holistic approach has already proved successful, transforming the lives of whole communities in Malawi. Our agriculture work is focused on promoting sustainable agriculture approaches based on agro-ecological farming principles and improving access to markets.
