Using climate information to achieve long-term development objectives in Malawi

A pilot study in Malawi reveals that while short-term weather and seasonal forecasts are used, medium- to long-term climate projections (5–40 years) are not currently integrated into national policy or planning. Barriers include inappropriate spatial and temporal scales of data, technical jargon, and policy cycles that are too short to accommodate long-term climate horizons. However, there is significant opportunity to incorporate climate projections into Malawi's long-term development visions and economic modelling to prioritise resilient investments.

• Malawian ministries and departments do not currently utilize medium- to long-term climate projections (5–40 years) for planning and policy-making, despite the availability of data from the IPCC, the Climate Systems Analysis Group (CSAG), and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
• Several barriers hinder the use of climate information, including a lack of downscaling to suit agro-ecological zones, the use of technical jargon that is difficult to translate into usable advice, and a lack of country-specific scenarios which creates uncertainty regarding the use and limitations of projections.
• The timing and format of climate information are often inadequate for effective disaster preparation and the issuance of early warnings.
• National policy cycles in Malawi are too short to easily integrate long-term climate data; while Vision 2020 provides a long-term trajectory, the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDSII) and sectoral planning operate on maximum five-year timeframes.
• There is a lack of integration between scientific climate data and indigenous knowledge, although leveraging traditional systems could improve the credibility and acceptability of scientific predictions among rural populations.
• There is potential to integrate climate projections into the economic modelling used by the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development (MEP&D), which typically operates on a 10–15 year horizon, to identify growth limits and prioritise resilient investments.
• Decision-makers identified a high demand for information on extreme events (floods, droughts, strong winds, and hail) and multi-year forecasts (up to five years) for parameters such as temperature and rainfall distribution.

APA

Vincent, K., Cull, T., Chanika, D., Dougill, A., Stringer, L., Dixon, J., & Mkwambisi, D. (2015). Using climate information to achieve long-term development objectives in Malawi. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/FCFA_PolicyBrief_Malawi_WEB.pdf

Chicago

Vincent, Katharine, Tracy Cull, Diana Chanika, Andy Dougill, Lindsay Stringer, Jami Dixon, and David Mkwambisi. Using climate information to achieve long-term development objectives in Malawi. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2015. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/FCFA_PolicyBrief_Malawi_WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Vincent |first1=Katharine |last2=Cull |first2=Tracy |last3=Chanika |first3=Diana |last4=Dougill |first4=Andy |last5=Stringer |first5=Lindsay |last6=Dixon |first6=Jami |last7=Mkwambisi |first7=David |title=Using climate information to achieve long-term development objectives in Malawi |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=January 2015 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/FCFA_PolicyBrief_Malawi_WEB.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vincent2015using, author = {Vincent, Katharine and Cull, Tracy and Chanika, Diana and Dougill, Andy and Stringer, Lindsay and Dixon, Jami and Mkwambisi, David}, title = {{Using climate information to achieve long-term development objectives in Malawi}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2015}, month = jan, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/FCFA_PolicyBrief_Malawi_WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }