Dzalasmart district intelligence

All 28 Malawi districts, side by side

Rainfall, soils, season length, hazards and what crops actually fetch in each district. Pick up to three districts to compare before you commit land, labour or credit.

Region

Comparison

Tap “Compare” on any card — up to three districts.

	Lilongwe	Nsanje
Region	Central Region	Southern Region
Rainfall	900 mm	700 mm
Altitude	1050 m	60 m
Reliable season	140 days	105 days
Planting window	Late Nov – mid Dec	Mid Nov – early Dec
Soils	Sandy loam, Loam, Red soils	Alluvial, Clay
Climate risk	Moderate	Severe
Lean-season stress	14%	42%
Irrigation potential	Moderate	High
Best crops	Maize, Soya beans, Groundnuts, Vegetables	Sorghum, Cotton, Rice, Cassava
Hazards	Land pressure near city, Input cost inflation, Dry spells	Severe flooding, Drought, Extreme heat, Cyclones
Top revenue / ha	Vegetables (tomato/onion) — MK 13.04m	Vegetables (tomato/onion) — MK 8.51m
Markets	Lilongwe city markets · Supermarkets · Auction floors · Processors	Nsanje market · Marka border trade · Blantyre

Balaka

Southern Region

Severe

Rainfall: 800 mm
Season: 115 days
Soils: Sandy loam, Shallow stony
Irrigation: Low

Hazards: Recurrent drought, Heat, Livestock water shortage

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 9.07m per ha

Open dashboard

Balaka market

Blantyre

Southern Region

Moderate

Rainfall: 1000 mm
Season: 135 days
Soils: Loam, Sandy loam
Irrigation: Moderate

Hazards: Urban land competition, Water access cost, Theft

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 11.91m per ha

Open dashboard

Blantyre & Limbe markets

Chikwawa

Southern Region

Severe

Rainfall: 750 mm
Season: 110 days
Soils: Alluvial, Clay, Sandy
Irrigation: High

Hazards: Shire river flooding, Extreme heat, Drought, Cyclones

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 9.07m per ha

Open dashboard

Nchalo sugar estate

Chiradzulu

Southern Region

Moderate

Rainfall: 1000 mm
Season: 135 days
Soils: Loam, Clay loam
Irrigation: Low

Hazards: Severe land pressure, Soil fertility decline, Dry spells

Best paying: Bananas at MK 550/kg — MK 12.64m per ha

Open dashboard

Blantyre

Chitipa

Northern Region

Low

Rainfall: 1050 mm
Season: 150 days
Soils: Sandy loam, Loam
Irrigation: Moderate

Hazards: Remote market access, Fall armyworm, Late-season dry spells

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 11.34m per ha

Open dashboard

Chitipa boma traders

Dedza

Central Region

Low

Rainfall: 1000 mm
Season: 150 days
Soils: Loam, Clay loam
Irrigation: Moderate

Hazards: Frost in low-lying pockets, Erosion, Potato late blight

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 12.47m per ha

Open dashboard

Dedza market

Dowa

Central Region

Moderate

Rainfall: 900 mm
Season: 140 days
Soils: Sandy loam, Loam
Irrigation: Moderate

Hazards: Dry spells, Input price shocks, Fall armyworm

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 12.47m per ha

Open dashboard

Mponela market

Karonga

Northern Region

High

Rainfall: 900 mm
Season: 130 days
Soils: Sandy, Alluvial
Irrigation: High

Hazards: Lakeshore flooding, Heat stress, Army worm

Best paying: Bananas at MK 550/kg — MK 12.64m per ha

Open dashboard

Karonga market

Kasungu

Central Region

Moderate

Rainfall: 900 mm
Season: 140 days
Soils: Sandy loam, Red soils
Irrigation: Moderate

Hazards: Tobacco market dependence, Dry spells, Soil exhaustion

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 12.47m per ha

Open dashboard

Kasungu auction floors

Likoma

Northern Region

Severe

Rainfall: 800 mm
Season: 110 days
Soils: Sandy, Shallow rocky
Irrigation: Low

Hazards: Very limited arable land, Freight dependency, Water scarcity

Best paying: Bananas at MK 550/kg — MK 10.65m per ha

Open dashboard

Island traders

Lilongwe

Central Region

Moderate

Rainfall: 900 mm
Season: 140 days
Soils: Sandy loam, Loam, Red soils
Irrigation: Moderate

Hazards: Land pressure near city, Input cost inflation, Dry spells

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 13.04m per ha

Open dashboard

Lilongwe city markets

Machinga

Southern Region

High

Rainfall: 900 mm
Season: 125 days
Soils: Sandy loam, Alluvial
Irrigation: High

Hazards: Dry spells, Flooding on the Shire plain, Land fragmentation

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 10.21m per ha

Open dashboard

Liwonde market

Mangochi

Southern Region

High

Rainfall: 850 mm
Season: 120 days
Soils: Sandy, Alluvial
Irrigation: High

Hazards: Drought, Heat stress, Lakeshore flooding, Storage pests

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 9.64m per ha

Open dashboard

Mangochi market

Mchinji

Central Region

Low

Rainfall: 950 mm
Season: 145 days
Soils: Sandy loam, Red soils
Irrigation: Moderate

Hazards: Aflatoxin in groundnuts, Cross-border price swings, Dry spells

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 11.91m per ha

Open dashboard

Mchinji border market

Mulanje

Southern Region

Moderate

Rainfall: 1500 mm
Season: 160 days
Soils: Ferralitic, Loam
Irrigation: High

Hazards: Cyclone / heavy-rain damage, Landslides, Land scarcity

Best paying: Bananas at MK 550/kg — MK 13.31m per ha

Open dashboard

Tea estates

Mwanza

Southern Region

High

Rainfall: 850 mm
Season: 120 days
Soils: Sandy loam, Shallow stony
Irrigation: Low

Hazards: Drought, Thin soils, Livestock disease

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 9.64m per ha

Open dashboard

Mwanza border market

Mzimba

Northern Region

Low

Rainfall: 950 mm
Season: 145 days
Soils: Sandy loam, Loam, Red soils
Irrigation: Moderate

Hazards: Tobacco price volatility, Soil acidity, Dry spells

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 11.91m per ha

Open dashboard

Mzuzu auction floors

Neno

Southern Region

High

Rainfall: 900 mm
Season: 125 days
Soils: Sandy loam, Loam
Irrigation: Low

Hazards: Dry spells, Poor road access, Erosion

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 10.21m per ha

Open dashboard

Neno boma

Nkhata Bay

Northern Region

Low

Rainfall: 1600 mm
Season: 160 days
Soils: Sandy loam, Ferralitic
Irrigation: High

Hazards: Waterlogging, Steep slopes / erosion, Post-harvest rot

Best paying: Bananas at MK 550/kg — MK 12.64m per ha

Open dashboard

Nkhata Bay market

Nkhotakota

Central Region

Low

Rainfall: 1300 mm
Season: 155 days
Soils: Sandy, Alluvial
Irrigation: High

Hazards: Flooding, Humidity disease pressure, Storage losses

Best paying: Bananas at MK 550/kg — MK 13.31m per ha

Open dashboard

Dwangwa sugar estate

Nsanje

Southern Region

Severe

Rainfall: 700 mm
Season: 105 days
Soils: Alluvial, Clay
Irrigation: High

Hazards: Severe flooding, Drought, Extreme heat, Cyclones

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 8.51m per ha

Open dashboard

Nsanje market

Ntcheu

Central Region

Low

Rainfall: 950 mm
Season: 145 days
Soils: Loam, Sandy loam
Irrigation: Moderate

Hazards: Steep-slope erosion, Hail, Dry spells in lowlands

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 11.91m per ha

Open dashboard

Ntcheu boma

Ntchisi

Central Region

Low

Rainfall: 950 mm
Season: 145 days
Soils: Loam, Sandy loam
Irrigation: Moderate

Hazards: Erosion on slopes, Limited storage, Dry spells

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 11.91m per ha

Open dashboard

Ntchisi boma

Phalombe

Southern Region

High

Rainfall: 900 mm
Season: 125 days
Soils: Sandy loam, Alluvial
Irrigation: Moderate

Hazards: Flash floods from Mulanje, Drought, Erosion

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 9.64m per ha

Open dashboard

Phalombe market

Rumphi

Northern Region

Low

Rainfall: 1000 mm
Season: 150 days
Soils: Loam, Sandy loam
Irrigation: Moderate

Hazards: Nyika escarpment erosion, Wildlife crop damage, Hail

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 11.91m per ha

Open dashboard

Rumphi boma

Salima

Central Region

High

Rainfall: 800 mm
Season: 125 days
Soils: Sandy, Alluvial
Irrigation: High

Hazards: Erratic rainfall, Heat, Lakeshore flooding

Best paying: Vegetables (tomato/onion) at MK 700/kg — MK 10.21m per ha

Open dashboard

Salima market

Thyolo

Southern Region

Low

Rainfall: 1300 mm
Season: 155 days
Soils: Ferralitic, Clay loam
Irrigation: Moderate

Hazards: Steep slopes, Land scarcity, Estate labour dependence

Best paying: Bananas at MK 550/kg — MK 13.31m per ha

Open dashboard

Tea estates

Zomba

Southern Region

Low

Rainfall: 1100 mm
Season: 140 days
Soils: Loam, Clay loam
Irrigation: Moderate

Hazards: Plateau erosion, Land scarcity, Flash floods

Best paying: Bananas at MK 550/kg — MK 13.31m per ha

Open dashboard

Zomba market