Shiwang’andu district is endowed with enough water and good arable land that constitutes huge agricultural potential. This potential is still untapped and is the key priority in the growth of the district. Agriculture plays a key role in the livelihoods of people in Shiwang’andu District and is a major driver of the Economy and poverty reduction. The district falls in the Agro Ecological Region III that receives annual accumulative rainfall of above 1200mm at minimum in a normal season. The soils are sandy loam and generally prone to leaching and moderately acidic in certain places, and subsequently impacting on Soil Fertility of the land.
Agriculturally, Shiwang’andu district is divided into four Agricultural Blocks namely; Ilondola, Matumbo, Kabanda and Chasosa Agricultural Blocks. These blocks are further divided into 33 Agricultural Camps of which 27 are manned. It has over 60,000 farmers that are Smallholder and Subsistent. The economic main stay of the district is agriculture. Farmers grow Maize, Groundnuts, Soybeans, Cassava, Sorghum, Sweet Potatoes, Millet and Fruit Trees.
However, the district has encountered a number of bottlenecks on its developmental path. They include low agricultural production and productivity (Crop, Livestock, Fisheries and Agribusiness). This challenge has led to limited Income Generating Activities, unstable incomes, re-enforced low capital base, limited or narrow value addition (low value chain development). Other problems include limited road and market access infrastructure, limited/low rainfall, adoption of climate resilient appropriate technologies, unsustainable charcoal and timber businesses, with cases of indiscriminate cutting of trees or shifting cultivation for various uses. Taking into account the reality of Climate Change impacts, these challenges have been re-enforced and ultimately led to prevalent Food and Nutrition Insecurity in the district. This therefore calls for massive investments in the sector if it is to thrive.