The Plateau repre-sents three quarters of Malawi at elevations of 750-1300 masl. Although the major soy-bean production districts are concentrated in the plateau, soybean virtually grows well in all agricultural development divisions.
What crops are grown in Malawi?
Table 1: List of recommended Soybean varieties grown in Malawi. Soybean is one of the most important crops in Malawi. It is a versatile grain legume because it has a variety of uses. Soybean is rich in protein, vegetable oil and essential minerals. The crop has the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and therefore improves soil fertility.
Is soybean a viable export agro-ecological crop in Malawi?
Domestic demand for soybean by the processing agro-industries (growing poultry and fish industries), is high. Thus soybean has a ready domestic and export market that is not fully exploited. Agronomic studies on soybean have shown that the crop is well adapted for production in all agro-ecological zones in Malawi.
How has agriculture improved productivity in Malawi?
Development and promo-tion of new high yielding soybean varieties currently grown by farmers in Malawi over the last 6 years, has significantly enhanced productivity from 600kg/ha to 800kg/ha (See Figure 1). The national production over 10 years has been growing at about at 4.6 % per year.