MwAPATA Institute

The MwAPATA Institute is an independent agricultural policy think tank in Malawi. The Institute is engaging the Government of Malawi, private sector, and civil society stakeholders in a program of applied policy analysis, policy outreach, capacity building, and policy coordination. MwAPATA was established with a grant from the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World via Michigan State University and continues with the support of the Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development and other partners.

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Recent Events

11th Ndizotheka Eminent Speaker Series
Thursday, 29th Febuary 2024, Sunbird Capital Hotel, Lilongwe, Malawi
Time: 2: 00 pm - 5: 00 pm CAT
Theme: Building 21st Century Agricultural Research and Extension Capacity in Africa
Eminent Speaker:
Professor Thom Jayne

Thom Jayne is University Foundation Professor emeritus of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at Michigan State University. He is a Fellow of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association and a Distinguished Fellow of the African Association of Agricultural Economists. His research has focused on food marketing and price policies, changes in land use patterns, sustainable intensification, employment, and rural transformation. He has mentored dozens of young African professionals and played a major role in building MSU’s partnerships with African agricultural policy research institutes. He is a board member of the

Regional Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes in Eastern and Southern Africa and the MwAPATA Institute in Malawi. From 2019-22, Jayne was seconded to the African Development Bank, serving as Special Advisor to the President. Jayne has received several research excellence awards, including the 2009 Outstanding Article Award in Agricultural Economics and the 2017 AAEA Bruce Gardner Memorial Prize for Applied Policy Analysis.

Event proceedings: Here

Prof. Thom Jayne's Presentation

10th Ndizotheka Eminent Speaker Series
Thursday, 25th January 2024, Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC), Lilongwe, Malawi || 2: 00 pm - 5: 00 pm CAT
Theme: Enhanced Agricultural Growth and Diversification

Event in Pictures

MwAPATA Institute alongside the National Planning Commission and Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources conducted a 10th Eminent Speaker Series event under the theme "Enhancing Agriculture Growth and Diversification" on the 25th of January, 2024, at Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC).

The Eminent speaker at the event, Professor Sosten Chiotha emphasized the importance of reviving the Mwanaalirenji concept to promote agriculture diversification, enhancing carbon markets, and providing payments for nature-based solutions as a means of catalyzing environmental protection incentives. He also discussed the need for zonation of climatic conditions, altitudes, and physiography for agriculture planning to increase productivity.

Later, a panel of five members representing different stakeholders in agriculture policy development and implementation discussed the challenges faced by farmers. These challenges include difficulty in accessing and investing in seed, equipment, and technology, as well as limited access to viable markets and extension services.

The panel and the larger group recommended that the government and other institutional stakeholders take steps to ensure that farmers have access to information and viable markets. They also suggested that farmers be directly engaged in these platforms to ensure that they are exposed to technology. Additionally, the panel recommended that the government and other stakeholders consider vertical integration, from research and seed multiplication to production and processing, in order to create a good policy environment.

Event proceedings: Here

Prof. Sosten Chiotha Presentation