"Climate change remains one of the most critical threats to the livelihoods of agriculture-dependent households in Malawi and the rest of the sub Saharan Africa. In Malawi, 84% of the population live in rural areas and depend on agri-environmental resources for livelihood support. Due to over-dependency on agri-environmental resources, poverty is widespread; about 50% of the population in Malawi is classified as poor— spending less than $1 per day— and 20% of the population is classified as living under extreme poverty. Concerns about low productivity, malnutrition and poverty have stimulated interest in sustainable agricultural intensification and nutrition-sensitive food systems such as integrated fruit tree-based agroforestry systems. Maize - the major staple crop in Malawi - occupies 80% of the cultivated land-area and accounts for more than 80% of the population’s calories thereby compromising human nutrition and health for most farm families. The frequent seasonal droughts resulting from global climate change, and infertile soils have contributed to a decline in productivity in maize-based production systems crop yields leading to recurrent food insecurity. One common way of addressing the problem of poor soil fertility and low crop productivity is to apply inorganic fertilizers, but the practice has some limitations, notably that: 1) smallholder farmers may not afford to apply recommended fertiliser rates due to high costs; 2) targeted subsidy programs tend to be associated with inefficiencies such as targeting failure and elite capture; 3) there is potential long-term damage to the natural environment due to intensive and continued use of chemicals. Fortunately, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies can increase the resilience of the agroecosystem and enhance crop productivity. The study will take advantage of elegant CSA technologies available in Malawi, such as high quality, genetically diverse, and appropriate agroforestry tree species. The project will integrate CSA technologies into the maize-based cropping systems for improved soil fertility (soil health) and improved plant growth and productivity (plant health), which would help to achieve food security and better nutrition (human health). The use and promotion for adoption of agroforestry trees in the cropping systems is likely to be sustainable contributing to poverty reduction, food and nutrition security, and climate resilience. However, it is recognized that agroforestry trees, like any other innovations, are knowledge intensive. As a result, potential adopters of these technologies must be capacitated on how to use them in order to ensure increased adoption. The project is expected to transform the livelihoods of smallholder farmers through the adoption of CSA technologies. Successful establishment and managing of agroforestry trees improve soil health significantly; it can also provide farmers with additional benefits such as, a diversity of fruits, fodder for livestock, firewood which would save farmers’ time—walking long distances in search of firewood. In addition, incorporation of trees biomass into the soil will increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil (below ground carbon), while increased availability of firewood from the planted trees will help reduce the demand for firewood from woodlands and forest reserves. Indirectly, in the long-term the agroforestry based production systems enhances climate risk resilience by providing mitigation measures through carbon storage and avoided deforestation. Overall, the project will contribute towards achievement of multiple sustainable development goals. The project is innovative in a number of ways. First, the project integrates three concepts: plant health and ecological (environmental) health achieved through ecosystem multifunctionality, human health (resulting from diet diversification and better nutrition) and household poverty. The relationship among these three dimensions is not clear a priori, as such requires robust empirical analysis. Understanding this relationship could inform policies for promoting nutrition-sensitive food systems which can contribute to better health (human and environment) and national development. Secondly, the project will nudge landowners to supply biodiversity and ecosystem services which are environmental public goods. The agglomeration bonus is an incentive mechanism intended to induce adjacent landowners to coordinate environmental conservation activities. Recently, payment for environmental services (PES schemes) have shown to be a pragmatic approach in motivating private individuals to supply or conserve biodiversity. Lastly, the project recognizes social inclusion by incorporating maginalised members of society. From a gender perspective, fruit farming contributes to women economic empowerment because more women than men actively participate in fruit-based entrepreneurship. The project is highly relevant as it is directly linked to two thematic priorities of the FoodMa project; namely, Climate change and Sustainable Agriculture Intensification (SAI) as well as agro-biodiversity, farming systems, and seed security. This research aims at incentivizing and promoting climate-smart agriculture technologies or interventions and hence contribute to multiple TRANSFORM outcomes as follows: 1) evidence-based and innovative methodologies for climate resilience and agricultural transformation developed, tested, and disseminated; 2) increased productivity, production and diversification of climate adaptive agriculture among smallholder farmers; 3) increased consumption of nutritious and diverse food; 4) increased resilience to climate change at the household and community level. Overall, the proposed project is in line with national development priorities for Malawi as outlined in the National Agriculture Investment Plan (NAIP), the National Resilience Strategy (2017), the Malawi Development and Growth Strategy (MGDS) and Malawi 2063. Project activities will include but not limited to actual field activities, research and project management (monitoring and evaluation). Postgraduate students (PhD and MSc) will participate in all the activities as part of capacity building."