Ecosystem services in support of a greener revolution in Africa

Malawi's subsidy programme for nitrogen fertiliser and improved maize seed has been heralded as a triumph. But the team which undertook the field research on which Malawi's current programme is based also recognised that crop diversity would be sacrificed by a system entirely based on maize. In response, a country-wide trial, to compare monocultural maize production with a more diversified system was initiated to test the hypothesis that a diversified system would offer improved ecosystem services, and that these would contribute to enhanced food security among a broad base of Malawi's rural poor. 09/01/12