| Popis: |
Since 2016, Malawi and Zimbabwe have made strides to domesticate the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) that the United Nations formulated in 2015. This chapter analyses how Malawi and Zimbabwe address the goals of ending poverty and achieving hunger-free societies. What strategies exist at the district level for confronting challenges in agriculture and how are rural communities embracing them are the key questions this chapter seeks to answer. The chapter addresses these questions through a comparative analysis that draws experience from Rumphi and Chiredzi districts of Malawi and Zimbabwe, respectively. Using data obtained through interviews from the two districts, the chapter argues that although the SDGs are framed within the optimism of “African Rising Narrative,” which holds that post-2010 Africa is on the right path to achieving development, experiences from Malawi and Zimbabwe do not inspire strong confidence. Although public-private partnerships and contract farming arrangements yield positive results for local farmers, the story of these communities is that of the same problems of the past, manifesting through poor access to agricultural inputs and markets and lack of active farmer participation in experts’ interventions. Unless addressed through deliberate state intervention, these shortfalls are likely to compromise the fight against poverty and hunger. |
