The Integrated Risk Management Programme (IRMP) – lessons from Malawi
With support from the Flemish Government of a total of 2.5 million EUR, WFP Malawi has led the Integrated Risk Management Programme (IRMP), which is a three-year project (2017-2019) implemented in three districts of the southern region of Malawi. The overall objective of the IRMP initiative is to reduce food, nutrition and income insecurity among vulnerable smallholder households in the context of increasing climatic risks and climate variability in three specific districts of southern Malawi: Chikwawa, Blantyre Rural and Mangochi, targeting a total of 40,000 households.
Amongst the main aims behind IRMP was the scaling up to additional districts of the last mile climate services undertaken under the GFCS (Global Framework for Climate Services) interventions through an integrated risk management approach. IRMP’s integrated risk management approach combines three main activities:
- Strengthen access to timely and tailored climate and weather information through the development of climate service;
- Mitigate risk through asset creation and weather index-based micro-insurance coverage;
- Improve access to financial services through micro-credit and savings.