MwAPATA Institute

Stay informed on research releases

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Sustainable Intensification in Jeopardy: Transdisciplinary Evidence from Malawi

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The 2020/21 Affordable Inputs Program: Key Implementation Issues and Messages

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The Codependence Between Nutrition, Resilience, and Sustainable Food Systems

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Does Subsidizing Legume Seeds Improve Farm Productivity and Nutrition in Malawi?

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Lessons Learnt: Promises, Achievements, Shortcomings and Pitfalls of Malawian Input Subsidies

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The Inorganic Fertilizer Price Surge in 2021: Key Drivers and Policy Options

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A Rapid Assessment of the Implementation of the 2020/21 Affordable Inputs Program in Malawi

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In the News

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MwAPATA Tips Government on the Affordable Inputs Programme

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Experts Search for Tobacco Alternative

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Experts Recommend Expedited Replacement to Tobacco

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Malawi Tobacco Faces New Threat

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MwAPATA Institute urges Malawi Parliament to address policy gaps

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Stakeholders Strategize on Future of Smallholder Farming in Malawi

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Participants (MwAPATA staff and Value Chain Stakeholders) pose for a group photo after the validation workshop

MwAPATA is supporting CISANET in organizing a National Annual Policy Conference for 2021, tentatively scheduled to take place before end of November. The theme of the conference is the “Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): Opportunities and Challenges for Agriculture in Malawi”. Relatedly, the Institute, in collaboration with CISANET, will prepare an Issues Paper on the 

AfCFTA’s opportunities, threats and challenges for agriculture in Malawi to be presented at the Conference. Recently Malawi ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement, where 54 African countries will be trading among each other.

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As part of the development process of the Issues paper, on Friday 12th November 2021, MwAPATA organized a validation workshop for various stakeholders in the sector to provide input.  The event included presentations of different sections of the Issues paper which were followed by discussions led by Ministry of Trade official and MITC as moderators. Participants included key stakeholders in the agricultural value chains with export potential, especially those that could be harnessed under the new AfCFTA agreement and other regional trade blocs.

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Malawi is one of the world's most agriculture-dependent economies where rural poverty, malnutrition, inequality and social exclusion remain major challenges. Consequently, efforts have been made to develop value chains so that the country can export more and diverse value-added products.

MwAPATA Engages with Media Houses

Members of the media houses poses with the MwAPATA Institute team

For the past two years of MwAPATA’s existence in Malawi, the Institute has produced dozens of publications and conducted numerous outreach events. The Institute has been featured or quoted by local electronic and print media many times, and MwAPATA considers the media an important and strategic partner for showcasing the implications of analytical findings.

The media also plays an important role in bringing important policy issues that require analyses, but for which empirical evidence is lacking. As such, on Friday, 12th November 2021, MwAPATA invited the heads and senior editors of several major media houses to a breakfast collaboration meeting. 

The objective of the meeting was to agree on working modalities by which MwAPATA can be a resource for the media, providing evidence-based reporting. The key outcome from the meeting was strengthened relationship between MwAPATA and the media.

MwAPATA researchers ​have recently been responsible for two new peer-reviewed contributions to major international publications.

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In "The Codependence Between Nutrition, Resilience, and Sustainable Food Systems", MwAPATA Researchers Khonje and Burke (with co-authors Fregene and Toda of the African Development Bank) is Chapter 6 to the 2021 African Agricultural Status Report, published by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. This meta-analysis examines the relationship between nutrition and resilience in the agricultural sector, concluding one seldom exists without the other.  The recommendations emphasize the importance of research, development and extension, and consider potential role of food and production subsidies for nutritious food.

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In "Trends in Tobacco Production and Prices in Malawi", MwAPATA Researchers Wineman, Chilora and Jayne present findings on farm-gate prices for tobacco, which have declined in recent years relative to the prices of maize or fertilizer. They also show the share of the export price received by farmers has declined over time. Likely as a result, they find, a transition away from tobacco - often noted as an important policy objective in Malawi - has already occurred. They discuss the implications of their findings in this contribution to Nicotine & Tobacco Research.