A manual of soil health management for extension workers and farmer trainers in Malawi

Farmers in Malawi face numerous challenges that impact both their livelihoods and the country’s food security. These challenges include small and fragmented landholdings, declining yields driven by limited access to credit and agricultural inputs, as well as a growing threat of soil degradation. Healthy soils are the foundation of productive farming, yet many soils in Malawi are becoming less fertile, eroded, or depleted. Without deliberate efforts to restore and sustain soil health, crop yields and household food security will continue to decline. Restoring soil health requires informed decision-making about agricultural practices. Yet, despite the availability of technologies that improve soil fertility and structure, dissemination to farmers has been slow and often ineffective. To address this, extension workers and farmer trainers play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between scientific research and practical, field-level application. This manual has therefore been designed as a ser-friendly, evidence-based guide to support training sessions with farmers. Its recommendations draw from studies conducted across Africa, while incorporating Malawi-specific evidence and practices. The soil health management technologies presented in this manual are semi-site-specific, which means that they are recommended based on the conventional agroecological zone classification of Malawi. Malawi is divided into three primary agroecological zones defined by differences in soil texture, altitude, temperature regimes, as well as the amount, duration, and variability of rainfall. The zones are i) the Lower Shire Valley “Lakeshore”, ii) the Upper Shire “High-altitude”, and iii) the Mid-altitude (Figure 1). Occasionally, the Mid-altitude plateau is further divided into a fourth category that includes the highlands. The Lakeshore encompasses the lakeshore plains and the upper Shire Valley. In addition to agroecological zone classification, consideration of soil texture provides another practical and farmer-friendly layer for tailoring technology recommendations in this manual. Soil texture can be easily evaluated in the field using simple hand tests (described in this manual), making it a practical and user-friendly tool for guiding soil management decisions.