Malawi Archives - IITA News

Grace Kamanga from the Department of Agriculture Services (carrying leaves) and casual workers mixing chopped cassava foliage and roots. Photo credit: Judith Chikoti (DARS)

Cassava silage increasing milk production while saving on feed costs

Natural pastures and crop residues are used as livestock feed in the dry season for dairy animals. However, dairy production in Malawi is constrained by energy and protein deficiencies due to a high dependency on these natural pastures. Researchers have identified using cassava leaves to make silage or hay as an excellent strategy to supplement…

Malawi registers Aflasafe®—The cost-effective technology for aflatoxin management

The long wait for registration of Aflasafe products in Malawi has finally ended as the Pesticides Control Board (PCB) has now given the approval. Earlier, the technology was given the green light by the Agricultural Technical Clearing Committee, a unit under the Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS). This registration paves the way for the…

Malawi farmers and processors enjoy increased revenue after C:AVA and IITA training

Farmers and processors in Malawi have registered increased incomes after participating in capacity-building training carried out by the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA2) project under the auspices of IITA, in partnership with Chancellor College. The training was undertaken as part of the GIZ-funded project on “Promoting Cassava Commercialization for Increased Income, Employment and Food…

Success Stories: Turning cassava into cash in Malawi

Kaboma Banda, sitting under the shadow of a partially leafy tree in his courtyard, peels off a gigantic cassava tuber. His grass-thatched house located in the somewhat hilly terrain of Chintheche village in Nkhata Bay District of Northern Malawi is only accessible through craggy paths lined with shrubs and arid grass. But the 48-year old…

Review team commences visits to Africa RISING activity sites

After two months of document reviews (between July and August 2019), the team of three eminent scientists undertaking an internally commissioned external review (ICER) of the Africa RISING program have commenced visits to activity locations for the three regional Africa RISING projects in West Africa, Ethiopian Highlands, and East and Southern Africa. The reviewers, Christine…

Improved soybean varieties increase farmer incomes by 53% – study shows

Without a doubt, maize is the giant of all food crops in Malawi. However, most smallholder farmers often intercrop maize with soybean, thus making it an equally important crop. Soybean enhances soil fertility, thus improving crop yields which results in increased incomes. Soybean improves soil fertility by using its natural ability to fix nitrogen in…

DG Sanginga honors passionate student in IITA Malawi

In April, DG Nteranya Sanginga visited IITA Malawi, for the handover ceremony of the Aflatoxin laboratory and to open the renovated offices of IITA Malawi. This visit birthed a great opportunity for a young and passionate research technician, Madalitso Mhango, who is also a fourth year student of Journalism and Mass Communication, at the Pentecostal…

DG Sanginga inaugurates renovated IITA-Malawi offices

On his recent visit to Malawi, on 8-10 April, IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga inaugurated the newly refurbished offices and laboratories, applauding the hard work of the staff. The renovated offices now consist of a spacious reception area, 20 offices that can accommodate up to 35 staff, a new Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics (SAH) laboratory for rapid…

Picture of Africa RISING in Zambia photobook

Photo reports: Africa RISING in Malawi and Zambia

The Africa RISING project management team recently visited different project sites in Malawi and Zambia.

Picture of A farmer standing next to an Africa RISING demonstration plot in Malawi. Photo by K. Lopez, IITA.

Africa RISING success story – Unraveling links between gender and adoption of agricultural innovations: Insights from communities in Malawi

The successful scaling out of agronomic practices and technologies demands that scientists and development partners consider gender issues at the household and community level (and beyond).