Recommendations for Climate Change Adaptation Policies in Malawi: A Country Comparison Policy Analysi

Climate change increasingly threatens life on our shared planet. The persistent occurrences of floods, droughts, and hurricanes over the past fifty years have resulted in the destruction of homes, destruction of habitat for wildlife, and dwindling food production which has in turn worsened poverty and malnutrition, particularly in parts of the world heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture. Agriculture employs over sixty-five percent of the population in Africa and, Africa is one of the parts of the world most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Millions of people are at risk. This paper explores the impact of climate change in Malawi, focusing on climate change adaptation policies. The paper seeks effective and efficient policy alternatives to improve the existing climate change adaptation framework in Malawi. Climate change adaptation policies in Mozambique and Uganda stand as models Malawi might use as examples of success. This paper utilizes four criteria to measure the performance of Mozambique and Uganda's climate change policy implementation and performance: efficiency, effectiveness, community participation, and equity. The results of this analysis reveal that Uganda and Mozambique focus on community engagement in their climate change adaptation policies, which results in a higher success rate in policy performance. These results highlight the need for community participation in climate change adaptation programs in Malawi. Another result of the analysis performed here illuminates the efficacy of policy in Uganda and Mozambique emphasizing disaster risk reduction through early warning systems that significantly reduce death and destruction of property from climate change-induced disasters. The paper concludes by offering recommendations to the Malawian government for alterations in its climate change adaptation policies that will increase community engagement, ensure the sustainability of climate change adaptation programs, and empower communities affected by climate change-induced disasters. Mainstreaming climate change adaptation strategies is a method by which Malawi can set up institutional and organizational structures and design project implementation in ways that will take adaptation to climate change into account.