Assessing Sustainable Intensification Options for Maize Across Diverse Farm Types in central Malawi

Abstract Smallholder farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa are highly heterogeneous in terms of resource endowment and livelihood objectives, posing challenges for the design of effective agricultural interventions. In this study we characterise farm system diversity in Mtunthama Extension Planning Area, Kasungu District, Malawi, and evaluate the suitability of sustainable intensification innovations across farm types. Data were collected through focus group discussions and household surveys involving 43 farming households. Principal Component Analysis was used to construct a farm typology, while innovation suitability was assessed using a multi-criteria decision analysis framework. The analysis identified four distinct farm types reflecting differences in resource endowment and production orientation: High Resource-Endowed farms (HRE), Moderately resource-endowed farms with Mixed crop-livestock orientation (MCL), Diversified Cropping systems (MDV), and Resource-Constrained Maize-dominated farms (RCM). The multi-criteria assessment revealed substantial variation in suitability across types. Conservation agriculture recorded the highest overall score (0.68), followed by intercropping (0.54), while strip cropping showed the lowest (0.25). MDV achieved the highest overall innovation score (0.66), whereas MCL and RCM showed limited uptake. These findings demonstrate that sustainable intensification effectiveness is shaped not only by resource endowment, but by distinct trade-offs between productivity, income, and sustainability. In particular, the decoupling of maize yield and household income suggests that intensification pathways are context-specific. The framework presented here provides a useful approach for identifying which practice combinations are most appropriate under different structural conditions, offering a practical basis for designing adaptive intervention strategies.