#MalawiDecide2025:Rural realities as 80% Malawians dire need of cheeper farm inputs

As Malawi heads into the September 2025 elections, rural voters remain at the heart of the political equation.

Approximately 80% of the country’s population lives in rural areas, relying heavily on smallholder farming for both sustenance and income.

For these communities, the cost and availability of fertilizer is more than a policy issue—it is a matter of survival.

Since 2020, prices of key farming inputs, particularly maize fertilizer, have skyrocketed, making it increasingly difficult for farmers to grow enough food to feed their families.

President Lazarus Chakwera promised to make fertilizer affordable, but the cost has risen sixfold since 2019, causing frustration and eroding trust in government pledges.

At campaign rallies, villagers openly demand cheaper fertilizer and better access to agricultural support, sometimes invoking memories of previous administrations as more favorable for farming.

The inability to access affordable inputs threatens both household food security and national maize production, which has a direct impact on Malawi’s overall economy.

Rural voters are highly politically conscious, understanding that their collective vote carries the power to influence election outcomes.

Unlike urban areas where multiple issues—fuel shortages, inflation, unemployment—compete for attention, rural voters focus sharply on agriculture and food security.

Opposition candidates have capitalized on this concern, promising targeted interventions to bring down fertilizer costs and provide direct support to smallholder farmers.

The stakes are clear: whoever wins the rural vote is likely to have a decisive advantage in the presidential and parliamentary contests.

For policymakers and political parties, addressing rural needs is not optional; it is a prerequisite for credibility and electoral success.

As polling day approaches, the voices from Malawi’s countryside remind the nation that elections are won not just in cities, but in fields, farms, and small villages across the country.