To meet its food security objectives, the Malawi Government is focusing efforts on sustainable innovations - especially agroforestry - that will increase agricultural productivity.

Malawi News Agency Online reports on a workshop organized by the World Agroforestry Centre to review progress at the halfway mark of the 4-year Agroforestry Food Security Program.

During the first phase of the program, more than 22,000 farmers have been supported to adopt agroforestry and conservation agriculture technologies, including the use of fertilizer, fruit, fodder and timber trees to improve crop and livestock productivity and provide greater resilience.

The program also works to improve local and national tree germplasm supply and delivery systems to ensure farmers have access high quality tree seed and seedlings on time. It is anticipated the program will help to demonstrate the potential contribution of agroforestry to food security and carbon sequestration.

“The ministry in collaboration with the development partners and stakeholders are up-scaling farming practices such as agroforestry, conservation agriculture, rain water harvesting, organic manure and irrigation, with the intention of increasing and sustaining agricultural production,” said Sphiwe Mauwa, Chair of the Program’s Steering Committee.

The workshop brought together key stakeholders to review lessons and challenges from the program so far and develop strategies for ensuring the program would accelerate the adoption and scaling up of climate-smart agriculture technologies in Malawi.

Read the full story: Malawi Government for innovative agriculture in food security quest