1. Exploring the Linkages Between Energy and Food Security for Women Farmers of Malawi
Claire Jordan and Robert B. Richardson Michigan State University, Department of Community Sustainability
Introduction
Results
2) Deforestation has reduced availability of firewood and women walk longer distances to harvest firewood.
“In the past, we would not go so far and sometimes we would have forests around the house. Now, more trees have been cleared. It could take us thirty minutes to collect in the past but now two hours.”-FGD #5
3) The use of pigeon pea stems saves time and distance collecting firewood and reduces need to collect as often.
”Yes it burns very fast, we use it for cooking and we don’t go very far to fetch firewood because when we want firewood, we go very far to the hills unlike pigeon pea stems which are near.”-FGD #1
4) Walking further distances and being gone longer has adverse effects on children and home life.
“Sometimes the children do not eat because the mother left early to fetch firewood and did not have time to cook and sometimes the children do not go to school because they wake up too late since the mother is not there to wake them up for school”-FGD #3
5) Women offered suggestions to combat deforestation with the three most common solutions being:
Plant trees around the household
“Yes planting where we collect trees is good but we can also plant trees at home. It is good because I can do whatever I want with the trees unlike public forests where anyone has access to the trees. You can use the trees for different purposes when you plant them around your house like for building houses, for firewood, and you can even sell them. And you can also plant trees in your field.” –FGD#2
Plant trees in their fields
“If you don’t plant trees, then you have problems forever.”-FGD #6
Use improved cook stoves  
“Using the improved stove called ‘chietezo mbaula’ helps us to save firewood because you use less, unlike cooking with the three stones.” –FGD #4
Conclusions
Pigeon pea is used widely but the amounts used for cooking fuel vary by household and region because different varieties produce different types of stems based on seed and climate variability.
The thick-stemmed pigeon pea variety Mthawajuni has been found to increase both food supply and the supply of fuelwood from pigeon pea stems
The variety burns longer, and has the potential for stems to be used as a superior alternative to firewood with improved varieties.
When paired with the transition to varieties of pigeon pea that has thicker stems, the stoves could help with energy security in a time of increased deforestation.
Insecure access to cooking fuels increases labor demands for women and diminishes household food security.
Results suggest that integrated food-energy systems can enhance both food and energy security.
Increasing climate variability in Malawi poses challenges for smallholder agriculture
Smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable to climate change
Primary source of energy and cooking fuel in Malawi is firewood
Women often have primary responsibility for growing food for household consumption and collecting firewood for cooking
Six focus group discussions were conducted in three districts throughout the central and southern regions of Malawi: Ntcheu, Balaka, and Thyolo Districts (n=56) (see map).
Emerging Themes
The four most important reasons for growing pigeon pea are:
Food for household consumption
“The first reason could be to help me with food in my household and the second reason is money.”-FGD #4
Selling it to make extra money
Improving soil fertility
“Maybe the second reason could be improving soil fertility.”- FGD #2
Using as a secondary source of cooking fuel
“Food, soil fertility, and firewood.”-FGD #5
Deforestation is an increasing problem in Malawi and causes various issues for women
Objectives
Examine farmers’ perceptions of multi-purpose legume crops
Understand uses of pigeon pea residues by these farmers
Understand potential of pigeon pea stems from Mthawajuni variety for cooking fuel
Obtain information on firewood harvesting by rural households
Highlight gaps in knowledge about the drivers of household food and energy security
How can pigeon pea residues help to mitigate the issues of food insecurity brought on by deforestation by serving as an alternative source of energy for cooking fuel?
Copyright Colin Purrington (
Methods
Recruited focus groups by identifying regions where women grow pigeon pea (July 2015)
Developed script for focus group discussions with women farmers
Conducted focus group discussions with enumerator and use of audio recording device
Acknowledgements
The research was made possible with support from the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, MSU Center for Global Connections in Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation (Africa RISING) program as part of the US Government’s Feed the Future Initiative.
References
Orr, A., Kambombo, B., Roth, C., Harris, D., & Doyle, V. (2014). Adoption Of Integrated Food-Energy Systems: Improved Cookstoves And Pigeonpea In Southern Malawi. Experimental Agriculture Experimental Agriculture,
Hockett, M. and R. B. Richardson. (2016). Examining the Drivers of Agricultural Experimentation Among Smallholder Farmers in Malawi. In press, Experimental Agriculture. doi: /S
Translated, transcribed, and coded audio recordings with enumerator to identify major themes
Analyzed themes to answer research question