Malawi’s smallholder agriculture is under threat, particularly in the more populated south. The combination of land shortage, continuous maize cultivation, declining soil fertility, deforestation and high population growth is putting the small farmer’s livelihood at risk. Research by Environment and Development Consultancy Ltd. raises the question: can the quest for immediate survival be balanced by long term sustainability? Today’s cultivation of Malawi’s hillsides are leading to tomorrow’s deforestation and barrenness. Can this bleak future be averted?