Over 30,000 farmers secure land parcels in the Shire Valley
Land use is the backbone of agricultural economies as it provides substantial economic and social benefits. Agriculture accounts for almost 80% of Malawi’s export revenue and one-third of the GDP. As a country, Malawi has embarked on a move to increase agricultural land. Some of this land includes 43,370 hectares of land that will be under irrigation through the SVTP.
Farmers in the Shire Valley will consolidate land into large-scale commercial farms for irrigation farming. In preparation for land consolidation, the Project through the Ministry of Lands and the Land Reform Implementation Unit has been undertaking the land adjudication and demarcation process on behalf of the Chikwawa District Council since September 2020. The process involves ascertaining land rights (ownership) and confirming boundaries in the Phase 1 area of the SVTP in Chikwawa.
Each landowner in the project area will have a document detailing their information as evidence of ownership of a land parcel. Customary estate titles will be issued to certify land ownership to consolidated farm owners. The land will serve as shareholding capital in the farming business.
So far, over 36,563 land parcels have been adjudicated and demarcated in the Phase 1 area of the SVTP in Chikwawa.
Chikwawa is one of the districts in the country where the new Land Laws are being piloted.
