The impact of legume production on smallholder farmers' socio-economic welfare in Ma-lawi is a crucial question, given the country's aspirations for rural development and eco-nomic growth. This study investigates the effect of legume production on household wel-fare, using two waves of nationally representative data from the Integrated Household Survey and integrating geospatial techniques. A random effects model was employed to estimate the determinants of legume adoption, and the impact of legume cultivation on household welfare was assessed using income and asset holding as indicators. The results show that legume adoption significantly increases household income per capita and household asset holding by 71%. Disaggregated results reveal that adoption benefits all households, but particularly those with larger landholdings. The study concludes that accelerating legume adoption is a promising strategy for rural development in Malawi, aligning with the country's goals of achieving inclusive wealth and self-reliance in the coming decades.