If government failed, how are we to succeed?: the importance of history and context in present-day irrigation reform in Malawi

This chapter examines the interface between new, formal irrigation, water policies and laws and long-standing customary practices in two smallholder irrigation schemes earmarked for transfer to water user associations in Malawi. It documents how local histories and practices are shaping access to critical land and water resources in ways not anticipated by technocratic irrigation and water reform implementers. At this point, rather than creating a climate encouraging more equitable economic growth by making smallholder farmers’ rights to land and water resources more secure, the opposite seems to be taking place as formalization opens the door for local elites to use diverse strategies to capture these resources.