Food security in Malawi is generally equated with adequate maize
production, the country’s main staple crop, which accounts for
more than 60 percent of total food production. However, reliable
estimates of maize consumption are also useful measures for
assessing food security. Further, information on the level of
dietary diversity in the country can be used by policymakers and
program managers to evaluate progress towards nutrition goals.
This policy brief is based on a triangulation exercise
evaluating alternative data sources for estimating maize
availability and consumption as proxy measures of food security
in Malawi. Data sources used for the comparison estimates
include the Integrated Household Survey, the Food and
Agriculture Organization’s Food Balance Sheets, and
documentation from the Malawi office of the World Food Programme
(WFP) and the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee. The
brief also examines how best to use information from the
country’s second Integrated Household Survey to assess the