Jessica Kampanje Phiri, PhD
Dr. Jessica Kampanje-Phiri is a social anthropologist specialized in understanding the sociocultural dimension of poverty and food systems from an inclusive and community engagement perspective. Currently employed as a senior lecturer at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Kampanje-Phiri brings with her more than 10 years’ experience in interdisciplinary and multicountry research. She was the Malawi lead researcher on a multimillion-dollar climate change-related project in collaboration with University of Cape Town; a co-PI on a Feed the Future’s Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement Center for East and Southern Africa in collaboration with Cornell University; and a social analyst for the Prioritizing Options for Women’s Empowerment and Resilience in Food Tree Value Chains in Malawi (POWER) Project in collaboration.
The novelty of her work is bringing social-culturally sensitive and context-specific insights to programs, policies, innovations, and research related to poverty, food systems, climate change, governance, livelihood security, power and gender relations, humanitarian assistance, and development aid, amongst other issues. Dr Kampanje-Phiri is also a former deputy head for the Human Ecology Department at LUANAR and recently an AAP African Futures Research Leadership Fellowship recipient from Michigan State University (Sept 2022–July 2023).
Courses Taught
Gender, Agriculture, and Climate Change
Select Publications
Bright Brainious Sibale, B.B, Kambewa, D., Kampanje-Phiri, J.M., & Mthinda. C. (2023). A Critical Gender Analysis of Public Works Programmes in Malawi: Using Naila Kabeer’s Social Relations Approach (SRA) to Analyse Intra-Household Gender Relations. Malawi Journal of Social Science, 22: 71-92.
Zulu, L.C., Djenontin, I. N.S., Kamoto, J. F. Kampanje-Phiri, J.M., & Fischer. G. (2022). Do youth conceptualizations influence the inclusion of young people in sustainable agriculture intensification? Insights from Ghana and Malawi. [https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02632-9]
HaswellMulenga, A., Mwangwela, M., Kampanje-Phiri, J.M., & Beatrice, Mtimuni. B. (2021). Influence of gendered roles on legume utilization and improved child dietary intake in Malawi. Afr. J. Food Agric. Nutr. Dev. 2021; 21(3): 17775-17791, [https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.98.18205]
Lamboll, R., Nelson, V., Gebreyes, M., Kambewa, D., Chinsinga, B., Karbo, N., Rukonge, A., Sekeleti, M., LitabaWakun’uma, W., Gutema, T.H., Henjewele, M., Kampanje-Phiri, J.M., Masikati-Hlanguyo, P., Quaye, W., Duah, S., Kivuyo, M., Nyanga, P., Essilfie, M.A., Asafu-Adjaye, N.Y., Clottey, V. & Martin, A. (2021). Strengthening decision-making on sustainable agricultural intensification through multi-stakeholder social learning in sub-Saharan Africa, International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, [https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2021.1913898]
Zulu, L.C., Djenontin, I., Darkwa, A., Kamoto, J., Kampanje-Phiri, J.M., Fischer, G., Philip Grabowski, P. & Egyir, I. (2020). Realizing Inclusive SAI: Contextualizing indicators to better evaluate gender and intergenerational inequity in SAI processes and outcomes – cases from Southern and Western Africa. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability [http://doi.org/10.1080/14735903]
Fischer, G., Darkwah, A., Kamoto, J., Kampanje-Phiri, J.M., Philip Grabowski, P., & Djenontin, I. (2020). Sustainable agricultural intensification and gender- and age-biased land tenure systems: an exploration and conceptualization of interactions. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability [https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2020.1791425]
Grabowski, P.P., Djenontin, I., Zulu, L., Kamoto, J., Kampanje-Phiri, J.M. Darkwah, A., Egyir, I., & Fischer. G. (2020). Gender- and youth-sensitive data collection tools to support decision making for inclusive sustainable agricultural intensification. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability [https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2020.1817656]
Kampanje-Phiri, J.M. (2016). The ways of maize: Food, poverty, policy, and the politics of meaning in Malawi. LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing
Kampanje-Phiri, J.M. and Kampanje-Phiri, D. (2016). Climate Change and Food Security: Implications and adaptation strategies among the Chewa People in Central Malawi, in Tvedt, T. & Oostegard, T. Water and Food: Africa in the Global Context, London: I.B. Taurus.
White, S. A., Hamm, M.W., Mwangwela, A. M., Kamoto, J. F. M., Kampanje-Phiri, J.M., Chigwa F. C. & Thondolo, M. (2014). Small- to Medium-Scale Urban Legume Exchange in Lilongwe, with a Focus on Pigeon Pea: Identifying Opportunities and Constraints to the Scaling of Multipurpose Legume Innovations in Maize-based Farming Systems. GCFSI Publication Series: Malawi Report No. 002
Select Presentations
Inclusive cowpea breeding innovation in Malawi: Center of Innovation for Crop Improvement in East and Southern Africa (CICI-ESA). Presented at Feed the Future Innovation Lab Directors Annual Meeting. Washington DC, 21st September 2022
Inclusive cowpea breeding innovation in Malawi: Center of Innovation for Crop Improvement in East and Southern Africa (CICI-ESA). Presented at Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement (ILCI) Annual Conference. Senegal, Sally, 3rd October 2022
Inclusive Sustainable Economic Transformation (Lessons from the Options for Women’s Empowerment and Resilience in Food Tree Value Chains in Malawi (POWER) Project). Presented at: Inclusive, Sustainable Economic transformation: Countries experiences of Integrating policies and Programs Side event at the UN HLPF 2023, Thursday 13th July 2023
Prioritizing Options for Women’s Empowerment and Resilience in Food Tree Value Chains in Malawi (POWER) Project Presentation. Presented virtually at Women’s Deliver Conference, Wednesday 19th July 2023
Research Interests
Poverty
Food systems
Climate change
Sustainable agriculture intensification
Governance
Livelihood security
Power and gender relations
Humanitarian assistance
Development aid
Education
- PhD, Social Anthropology, Institute of Social Anthropology, University of Bergen, Norway
- MPhil, Anthropology of Development, Institute of Social Anthropology, University of Bergen, Norway
- BSc in Agriculture (Family Sciences), University of Malawi, Bunda College of Agriculture, Malawi
