A large proportion of Malawian households are caught in a trap where poverty and food insecurity reinforce one another
and where periods of food deficits and severe food crises are frequent occurrences. In recognition of this, the Malawian
government has since 2005/06 implemented a large-scale Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP), which supplies half of
smallholder farmers with sufficient fertilizer and maize seeds to satisfy the maize consumption needs of an average-sized
family. While the program boosted maize production and lowered maize prices, thus ensuring increased caloric availability
at the household level, its effect on overall food consumption, dietary diversity, micronutrient deficiency, and child
nutrition is less clear. This study evaluates household expenditure survey data to measure changes in nutrition outcomes
between 2004/05 and 2010/11. While the study is not an evaluation of the nutritional impact of FISP per se, it does shed
some light on the possible nutritional effects of the program. The results are disconcerting. For example, we find evidence
of rising consumption inequality associated with a rise in extreme poverty and a significant increase in income among the
urban non-poor. Although calorie deficiency declined—including among the rural poor, dietary diversity among the rural
poor decreased and mineral and vitamin deficiencies increased nationwide, especially in rural areas. The various child
nutrition indicators reveal mixed results. For example, chronic child malnutrition declined substantially, whereas acute
malnutrition increased. The study also highlights several concerns related to data quality and inconsistencies in estimated
changes in food and nutrition indicators when compared to results from alternative datasets.