(Photo by Erik (HASH) Hersman via Flickr/CC BY 2.0)
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Sometimes, creativity comes from necessity and the bravery to go against expectations. That’s what should be remembered about the award-winning 2019 film The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. The movie follows the endeavours of 14-year-old William, living with his family of farmers in Malawi, who spends his free time fixing things for friends to make a little money. However, as drought and heavy rainfall hit the country and inflation rose, his parents could no longer afford his education. As Malawi sinks into famine, William seems determined to defy the school rules and save his village by building a windmill.
Behind The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, there is no legend but the true story of William Kamkwamba. He published an autobiography in 2013, then adapted into a movie in 2019 to tell his story worldwide. Although many already know the movie’s end, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is worth watching in the context of today’s climate crisis. Beyond showing beautiful shots of Malawi’s dry landscapes that highlight the diverse consequences of climate change, the film also conveys a strong message on the impact of innovation and education.
Kamkwamba created his first windmill in 2002, enabling his family and village to survive terrible dry periods and famine. Two decades later, how is his story still relevant for empowering communities and the youth? How did his story impact Malawi’s climate adaptation and agricultural policies on climate change?
Timeless Witness of Climate Change
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind shows the acceleration of climate change through an increase in intense weather events, such as droughts and floods. At the time in the film, Kamkwamba’s father worked in maize fields for over 20 years, yet the 2000s droughts and heavy rainfall seem unprecedented.
Today, Malawi experiences these extreme weather events every year. Facing weather unpredictability, many farmers from villages like Kamkwamba’s have resorted to selling their land to tobacco companies to combat crop failures. This industry relies heavily on unsustainable practices, including clear-cutting forests. The resulting deforestation is catastrophic, with “around 3.5 million hectares of land […] destroyed for tobacco growing each year.” Deforestation further jeopardizes remaining agricultural land since trees are natural defences against floods.
Worsening drought and unpredictable heavy rainfall affect Malawi and many southern and eastern African countries. In 2024, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe declared a state of emergency due to droughts, while floods struck “parts of Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia.” For countries like Malawi, where agriculture is a central pillar of the economy, extreme weather events have severe consequences, including instability, poverty and food insecurity. Just like in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, food prices all over the country continue to rise during these disasters, and people flee their villages in the chaos created by famine.
Malawi’s Challenge in Building Climate Resilience
In response to climate shock, Malawi has taken steps to improve its climate resilience and disaster preparedness. The United Nations has supported the government in implementing early warning systems, which provide alerts and information about extreme weather events. The government designs these systems to help communities prepare for upcoming droughts or floods. In reaction to the 2002 extreme weather events and subsequent crises that impacted Kamkwamba, the government established the Vulnerability Assessment Committee to collect data on food security. This mechanism aims to inform policy decisions and provide early warnings of potential crises.
The government, private sector, and international organizations have invested in climate-resilient infrastructure in rural areas, including water storage facilities and irrigation networks. They have also provided resilience knowledge through training on topics such as degraded land restoration.
One such initiative is the Greenbelt initiative (GBI), established to reduce farmers’ vulnerability to unpredictable rainfall by creating commercial farms through irrigation projects. However, the GBI has faced growing opposition for alleged poor governance, lack of transparency and prioritization of commercial farming over local food security.
The Food and Agriculture Organization revealed that the project may facilitate “both local and foreign land grabs of smallholder farmers who own land designated for the GBI.” As a result, many small farmers have been displaced and dispossessed from their land with little consultation. The road to disaster preparedness is thus long and complex, as the main initiative—to this day—seems to further worsen the effects of climate disasters, as it leaves rural populations more exposed to hunger and economic instability.
The Government’s Responsibility in Food Security
The backdrop of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is the 2001-2002 famine in Malawi, caused by erratic rainfall, drought, and poor governmental management of the grain stockpile. NGOs rang the alarm long before the government did but were dismissed. In the movie, a colleague also warns Kamkwamba’s father about the upcoming drought. When the famine hits the village, the residents try to attract the attention of the visiting president. It only results in police violence and insufficient food help, causing local thievery and violence. In real life, the governmental slowness to act led to several hundreds of deaths.
Grassroots organizations attempt to address the immediate survival needs of the community during natural disasters, including food and education. Although grassroots organizations can build local capacity and foster a feeling of recognition among the community, governmental policies are essential to drive structural and sustainable change regarding resource availability and technical support. Alleviating the impact of climate change on maize production—the primary food crop of Malawi—requires investment and training in disaster preparedness and sustainable agricultural practices.
Agricultural Policy Shifts After the 2001 Famine
In 2005, the Malawian government introduced the Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP), providing small farmers with low rates of seeds and fertilizers. Research shows that the program successfully boosted maize production. However, the United Nations and NGOs in Malawi and other African countries with similar systems have reported farmers’ dissatisfaction with the FISP due to technical issues, lack of consultation and the exclusion of women and Indigenous people.
NGOs have also pointed out that this assistance “promotes a maize monoculture,” which inevitably leads to soil degradation and overreliance on a single crop, increasing vulnerability to climate shocks. Farmers, religious leaders and international development professionals call for crop and seed diversification to promote Indigenous and locally sustainable knowledge. At the same time, other NGOs propose financial incentives for farmers to adopt sustainable methods, including crop rotation.
In 2020, the government introduced the Affordable Inputs Program (AIP)—which represents over 45% of Malawi’s agricultural budget—to fill the gaps left by the FISP. The program has faced accusations of corruption and supply issues. Crop diversification remains limited, and resources for inclusive access are insufficient. Although the AIP proposes organic fertilizers, sustainable practices are still not incentivized. NGOs and local communities continue to advocate for a participatory approach to ensure a program that would better meet their needs.
STEM Education for Rural Communities’ Resilience
In the film, due to repeated crop failures, Kamkwamba’s parents can no longer afford school fees, forcing him to find ways around school regulations to attend classes. The movie shows the frustration of families and teachers, who face an underfunded education system, lacking teachers and resources to keep schools open in rural areas.
Poverty, when aggravated by poor harvest, leads families to depend on children to find food or work. In 2023, the United Nations reported that only 47% of students completing primary school transitioned to secondary education in Malawi. According to the Malawian government, the primary reasons for secondary school dropout are “inability to pay school fees, affecting 12,545 students,” followed by “marriage, which accounted for 3,211 dropouts.”
Yet, school is a powerful instrument to fight poverty: children acquire skills and knowledge that would increase their employment opportunities and income. The United Nations has long found that “one year of education is associated with a 10% increase in wages” and can lift entire households out of poverty. Access to education is essential for poverty reduction and should be secured to enable better prospects for children and communities affected by climate change crises.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind gives profound value to education, especially teachings of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Despite financial difficulties, Kamkwamba’s parents greatly support his schooling and embody a generational shift towards valuing knowledge over traditional beliefs. Kamkwamba himself displays great perseverance, sneaking into school despite restrictions. He is confident that he could save his village through innovation despite criticism.
His story highlights how STEM education, especially environmental science, could provide children with skills to tackle the realities of marginalized and rural communities and an urgent need for investment in education. In 2023, the United Nations launched the game-based MiLab application, enabling undergraduate students to “conduct unlimited virtual experimentation in physics and chemistry,” expanding access to critical STEM skills for students nationwide. Private and public organizations also propose teacher training on renewable energy, smart technologies and water management.
Creating a Future of Resilience and Opportunity
William Kamkwamba’s story praises the power of innovation and resilience in resource-limited settings. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind calls for action to address climate change, limited access to education, poverty in rural areas, and food insecurity. The movie highlights the potential of one young mind and the remarkable journey of Kamkwamba.
Yet, it risks oversimplifying the systemic barriers he had to overcome. While Kamkwamba was resilient, he also had access to critical resources, such as a school library and teachers. One determined individual may struggle to enact change. Sustainable change requires coordination of all players, including the government, local communities, and international organizations.
Since the 2001-2002 famine, Malawi has taken initiatives to mitigate future crises, but they have met mixed results. Investing in education, with curricula in STEM, is essential to encourage the youth to innovate and be actors of solutions for their communities. At the same time, inclusive and sustainable agricultural practices are also critical steps to enable flexibility in extreme weather conditions.
Kamkwamba carries a powerful message to global leaders, looking to them to empower local communities and create a more resilient future with bottom-up designed policies that could tangibly impact people. While the film inspires, it also serves as a reminder that addressing systemic challenges requires coordinated efforts and, sadly, not just extraordinary individuals to solve global crises.
Edited by Melanie Miles
