The Integrating Aquaculture-Agriculture to Combat Food Insecurity in Malawi (IAAM Project) is a five (5) year, initiative funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). The goal of the project is to increase the productivity and income of and access to markets by small-scale food producers, especially women, engaged in the integrated aquaculture-agriculture system (IAAS) comprising fish, crops, livestock, and agroforestry sub-systems to combat food insecurity.

The approach of the Project is focused on two aspects:

• Develop small-scale and low-cost integrated aquaculture-agriculture systems (IAAS) for small-scale producers, especially women and
• Strengthen the role of small-scale producers and small- and medium-sized enterprises, including co-operatives, in the value chains, especially women-led ones.

Reducing food loss along the production chain will be a key feature, with attention to harvest loss between the beginning and completion of harvesting, loss between harvest and retail, and loss between retail consumption.

An independent gender-sensitive analysis of the value chain in the aquaculture sector in Malawi will:

• Evaluate the financial health and resilience of smallholder farmers within the aquaculture value chain, assess their ability to manage costs, generate income, and withstand economic fluctuations.
• Identify opportunities for the integration of women from vulnerable groups as workers or entrepreneurs in the aquaculture agriculture integrated system sector in Malawi.
• Identify opportunities and areas with high potential in the aquaculture agriculture integrated system sector for establishing SME start-ups and co-operatives. These opportunities could include both business and social support services.
• Identify the potential for growth, profitability, and enhanced competition for existing micro-small- and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) led and/or managed by women through partnerships, including within organized co-operatives and trainings.
• Assess existing gaps and barriers in the industry that can be addressed by the project to increase its impact.
• Evaluate the financial health and resilience of smallholder farmers within the aquaculture value chain, assess their ability to manage costs, generate income, and withstand economic fluctuations.

The analysis will include the identification and involvement of key stakeholders, as well as a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the integrated aquaculture-agriculture system including the fish, rice, vegetable, ruminant, poultry, non-timber agroforestry products value chain, including focus group discussions with entrepreneurs, industry experts, and target groups. This process will also identify any previously unidentified risks to project activities and address mitigation measures.

The goal of gender-responsive value chain analysis is to evaluate the competitiveness and performance of the chain and identify real or potential barriers and opportunities for women, comparing to men, that may be shaped by custom, law, and institutional structure. The following key questions should be considered and integrated into the relevant value chain analysis:

1. Types and extent of women’s participation in value chain for fish, rice, vegetable, ruminant, poultry, non-timber agroforestry products activities.
2. Positions of women in the value chain and how they can be improved without losing competitiveness.
3. Ways to optimize the benefits that women gain from their involvement in the value chain.