The Chinyanja triangle in the Zambezi River Basin, southern Africa: status of, and prospects for, agriculture, natural resources management and rural development

The Chinyanja Triangle (CT) is an area inside the Zambezi

River Basin, inhabited by Chinyanja-speaking people

sharing a similar history, language and culture across

the dryland systems of the eastern province of Zambia,

southern and central regions of Malawi and Tete Province

of Mozambique. Chiefs and Chiefdoms play a critical role

in decision making and influencing social relationships. The

Zambezi River, which originates in the Kalene Hills in Zambia

is joined by ten big tributaries from six countries, and is

the major source of surface water in the triangle before

emptying into the Indian Ocean. Dryland agriculture is the

predominant source of livelihoods for over 90% of the rural

population. This paper characterizes three distinct farming

subsystems across rainfall gradients, namely maize-beans-

fish, sorghum-millet-livestock and the livestock-dominated

subsystem. It presents the socioeconomic characteristics,

historical drivers of change, resources use and management

(water, land, forestry) and the institutional disincentives

affecting agricultural production and productivity in the

region. The paper also attempts to identify major drivers of

change, and inventorize key institutions in the region and

suggests improved institutional arrangements for improving

agricultural productivity, resilience and ecosystem health at

farm, landscape and basin scales.