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Paper short abstract

Using an RCT in drought-prone Malawi, we examine whether information and implementation support for conservation agriculture reduce farmers’ migration intentions. Results show that information alone is insufficient; credible external support is key to enabling adaptive responses to climate stress.

Paper long abstract

Drought threatens smallholder livelihoods in Malawi and drives migration as a coping strategy. Whether information-based climate adaptation alone can shift household responses without implementation support remains unclear. We examine whether providing information on conservation agriculture can reduce migration intentions among 771 smallholder farmers in a drought-prone region of Malawi. Using a randomized controlled trial, we assign participants to one of three groups: a control group; a first treatment group that receives video-based information on soil and water conservation techniques (Zai pits and mulching); and a second treatment group that receives the same information accompanied by a hypothetical scenario in which a non-governmental organisation provides implementation support. The three groups are balanced in size. We estimate treatment effects using ordinary least squares regression, focusing on migration intentions and farmers’ confidence in conservation practices to improve yields. We find that information alone does not significantly affect migration intentions. In contrast, when information is paired with credible external support, farmers report significantly lower intentions to migrate both to urban areas and abroad, alongside higher confidence in the productivity of conservation agriculture. These results suggest that adaptive responses to climate shocks depend not only on knowledge, but on households’ perceived capacity to implement change. By experimentally distinguishing between information and support, we provide micro-level evidence on the limits of resilience-based approaches and highlight the conditions under which households may move beyond short-term coping toward more stable adaptive trajectories in the face of climate uncertainty.