ASSESSING THE STATE OF DROUGHT PREPAREDNESS AMONG SMALLHOLDER

This study assesses the level of drought preparedness among smallholder farmers in Traditional Authority (T/A) Kyungu, Karonga District, an area highly vulnerable to climate induced droughts. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative household surveys (n=47) with qualitative data from focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Findings reveal that while farmers employ various adaptive strategies such as livestock keeping (93.6%), planting drought-resistant crops (87.2%), and conservation agriculture (59.6%), the overall level of preparedness remains inadequate. The Disaster Preparedness Index (DPI) showed that 72.34% of farmers fell into the moderate preparedness category, 27.66% in low, and none in the high category. Major barriers to effective preparedness include limited access to early warning systems, agricultural extension services, irrigation infrastructure, and financial resources. The study recommends strengthening institutional support, improving climate information dissemination, promoting inclusive financial services, and enhancing seed systems and land tenure security to build long term resilience among smallholder farmers.

This study assesses the level of drought preparedness among smallholder farmers in Traditional Authority (T/A) Kyungu, Karonga District, an area highly vulnerable to climate induced droughts. Findings reveal that while farmers employ various adaptive strategies such as livestock keeping (93.6%), planting drought-resistant crops (87.2%), and conservation agriculture (59.6%), the overall level of preparedness remains inadequate. The study recommends strengthening institutional support, improving climate information dissemination, promoting inclusive financial services, and enhancing seed systems and land tenure security to build long term resilience among smallholder farmers. drought preparedness, smallholder farmers, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, Karonga, Malawi, conservation agriculture, early warning systems, drought resistant crops, resilience

The study was conducted in T/A Kyungu, Karonga District, located in northern Malawi. Karonga District was selected due to its vulnerability to recurrent droughts and its reliance on rain-fed agriculture. The district has experienced several severe drought events over the past decade, including the 2015/2016 El Niño-induced drought and the 2022/2023 dry spell, which significantly impacted agricultural productivity and food security (Karonga District Council, 2016; Mkandawire, 2023). T/A Kyungu was chosen as the specific study area because it is one of the most drought-prone areas in the district, with a high concentration of smallholder farmers who are heavily dependent on subsistence farming.

Traditional authority: TA Kyungu

District: Karonga

Coordinates: -10.0255, 33.7783