The annual agricultural police conference, which will be held in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, next week, will bring together local and international agricultural think tanks.
From June 1st to 2nd , 2021, the conference will take place. The conference, titled ‘Supporting Agriculture Transformation in Malawi: Beyond Research to Implementation,’ is designed to give professionals a forum to distribute new evidence to stakeholders, develop research partnerships, align policy messaging, and boost uptake of new research findings in policymaking.
The organizers of the conference include the Malawi Agriculture Policy Advancement and Transformation Agenda (MwAPATA Institute), National Planning Commission (NPC), the Ministry of Agriculture and the Centre for Agricultural Research and Development of the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Civil Society Agriculture Network (CISANET).
Others are the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) and the Donor Committee on Agriculture and Food Security while the conference partners include Michigan State University, Agricultural Transformation Initiative (ATI), Centre for Agricultural Transformation and Pyxus Agriculture Limited.
Briefing the media in Lilongwe on Wednesday, chairperson of the organizing taskforce, William Chadza, said they expect the conference to integrate new research findings into Malawi’s agricultural transformation.
“We expect the conference to identify quick wins for the pillar on agricultural productivity and commercialization in the Malawi 2063. We also expect the conference outputs to inform ongoing review of policies in the agricultural sector related to agricultural diversification,” said Chadza who is also MwAPATA acting executive director.
NPC Director of Research Dr. Andrew Jamali and CISANET national coordinator Pamela Kuwali described the upcoming conference provides an opportunity for Malawi to address gaps in commercialization and agribusiness sectors.