Malawi's agricultural sector is the main eentributor to the national economy. Its activities are, however dependent on rainfed farming and it suffers from the consequences of poor policy implementation and management, as well. Irrigation has, for a long time, been viewedi as a major component in agriculture but its implemerrtation has been facing challenges and problems ever sinee the initiative was formally introduced. The status of irrigation farming in Malawi was studied based on four major

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... ational schemes seleeted based on their size, age and management, and implementation style. Ten study elements crucial in assessing perfbrmance of irrigation fmmg were identified and each studied in relation to the schemes. Each study site was examined within the context of these study elements to understand the core issues under study. The analyses showed that despite the abundance ofwater in the country, inigation is still very dismally implemented making agricultural production low, causing serious household food insecurity and distorting the national economy. Some achievements have been madc to stir the irrigation sector into a viable contributor to the aghcultural secter; but it is still fhr from being a vibrant factor for a reliable production. Kleywortts: S}nallholder irrigation.fanuing Sorceess, enallenges, Fkeilures, Mtilawi currently modern methods of irrigation in most households are almost nonexistent (NSO , 2005). There has been a low priority in inigated agricultural production despite the inereased publicity the sector has been given over the past 15 years. In the past 3 decades, the country has experienced variability and unpredictability in seasonal rainfa11.