This case study examines rural development in the context of the development of a settlement which has been facilitated by a combination of micro-level spatial/geographical and macro-level economic and political factors. It shows how the presence of a lake and its two tributaries has created an agriculturally rich area and a delta for human settlement. The growth of this settlement has been enhanced by political instability in Mozambique, which led to a transport crisis in Malawi. This country's traditional route (the Nacala Railway line through Beira) to the sea was disrupted by the war, and the need for alternative routes thus led to the upgrading and increased use of the Northern Corridor route, which passes through the northern region of Malawi to the port of Mbeya, in Tanzania. The increased use of the route, combined with favourable environmental conditions, has facilitated the growth of the settlement of Chiweta (see Figure 6.1). Unlike the growth pole approach which Malawi adopted as a means of filtering growth downwards and curbing urban migration, the growth of Chiweta has occurred due to local people taking advantage of micro- and macro-level factors. It is argued therefore that, as people take advantage of favourable conditions, more endogenous settlements will emerge and it is through this process that rural and national development will occur.

It is generally agreed that rural development is an integral part of the process of overall national development. Attempts by governments to facilitate this process result in a tension between centralisation and the need for decentralisation. Thus, there is a need to strike a balance between the desire to implement central policies and to generate local development initiatives, while at the same time resolving the often conflicting claims of centralisation and decentralisation of political and administrative power (Rakodi 1990a: 148). A number of countries have adopted policies that emphasize rural decentralisation while the political and financial implications of such programmes have meant a continuation of centralisation.

Thus the centralisation-decentralisation tension is seen in attempts by various governments at implementing policies that focus on such issues as: land redistribution schemes (Nicaragua); rationalisation of the location of rural facilities (Bhutan); development of agro-industries and villagisation schemes (Tanzania);