**2.1 Study area**

Malawi is placed in Southeast Africa. It is bordered by Zambia on the west and northwest, by Tanzania on the north and northeast, and by Mozambique on the east and southwest (**Figure 1**). Malawi's sub-tropical climate is characterized into three seasons: Cool-dry, warm-wet, and hot-dry seasons. Cool-dry season is evident from May to August with a mean temperature variety of 4–10°C. In cool-dry season, specifically in June and July frost may fall in some areas. Warm-wet season stretches from November to April with an annual mean rainfall series of 725 mm to 2500 mm.

**Figure 1.** *Location of Malawi in Africa.*

This is the season through which 95% of the annual rainfall falls. Hot-dry season lasts from September to October with a mean temperature range of 25–37°C [11].
